Embarking on a double bill of Phantom Thread and Downsizing, I didn’t expect to club my reviews together but as they have the same flaw, despite being very different in every other way, I am doing that.
Phantom Thread, the latest from the always ambitious Paul Thomas Anderson, got most of its attention prior to release when Daniel Day Lewis announced it was to be his last film. He stars as Reynolds Woodcock, a fastidious dressmaker in 1950s London. He meets waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps) and a relationship of sorts starts.
I suppose it almost goes without saying that Lewis gives a performance that is both towering and nuanced. Krieps is fine but it is Lesley Manville as Reynolds’ sister who matches her exalted costar It is their scenes together that are the highlight of the movie, which is also sumptuously designed and beautifully scored by Johnny Greenwood. I really liked the depiction of Reynolds life and his routines but the story, as it unfolded, became less satisfying for me.
In Downsizing, with mans’ impact on the environment becoming ever more severe, a new scientific discovery is offering hope: to miniaturise people, thus reducing their waste and consumption, as well as enabling them to live more lavish lifestyles.
Matt Damon is a man struggling to cope financially who decides to undergo the procedure but when his wife changes her mind he doesn’t end up having the life he expected and the attempts to save the planet may have come too late.
This is a great premise and the first hour is a lot of fun. The problems set in during the second half when the fact that Paul is small is completely irrelevant to the plot. The inventive ideas of the early part of the movie are abandoned and it becomes a serviceable drama that is not anything as good as you would expect from Alexander Payne. What saves the second-half is Hong Chao’s spirited turn as Ngoc, the Vietnamese dissident Paul falls for.
So, what is the fault the films share? It is one common with a lot of modern films – the excessive length. Both are over 2 hours 10 minutes and each could easily have 20 to 30 minutes cut out. The Phantom Thread becomes a little repetitive in its third act as the nature of the central relationship becomes clear and Downsizing suffers from an impression that is two separate films squished together.
Phantom Thread : 7.5 out of 10
Downsizing : 6.5 out of 10