---
title: "Downsizing"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/downsizing"
fi1m_score: 60
critics_score: 62
critics_reviews: 28
published: "2026-09-19T09:46:07.651433+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-19T09:46:08.231981+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Downsizing (2017)

Directed by Alexander Payne · 2h 15m · MPA R · Drama, Science Fiction, Comedy

**Fi1m score: 60** · Critics 62 from 28 reviews

*In a sentence:* Matt Damon shrinks to five inches and finds his problems have kept their original dimensions

> Alexander Payne shrinks a mild Nebraskan to five inches and, for an hour, makes the funniest and most exact comedy of his career. Then the film forgets how small he is, and drifts. Hong Chau holds it together as long as anyone could.

## Synopsis

Omaha, Nebraska, in the near future. Norwegian scientists led by Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen (Rolf Lassgård) have found a way to shrink a human being to five inches, and sell it as a cure for overcrowding. Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) cannot afford the home his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) wants. An old friend, Dave Johnson (Jason Sudeikis), has already gone small and explains that their savings would make them rich in Leisureland, a community built for small people. The Safraneks sign up. The first act follows the sales pitch, the paperwork, the shaving, the fillings coming out, and the moment Paul wakes up small and learns who has joined him and who has not.

## Review

Alexander Payne has spent his career on ordinary American men, finding them a little ridiculous and a little sad. *Downsizing* gives him a new instrument: a Norwegian laboratory that shrinks people to five inches, so that Paul Safranek (Matt Damon), who cannot afford a bigger house, can move to a domed community called Leisureland and live like a millionaire. The first hour is the best comedy Payne has made in years. The second is a gentler, vaguer film that has mislaid its own idea. We would still send you to it, with reservations.

The first hour works because Payne and his co-writer Jim Taylor treat the premise as paperwork. There is a sales pitch, a contract, a medical. The shrinking itself is a procedure: patients are shaved from head to foot, their fillings are pulled, they are wheeled in rows into a white room, and afterwards nurses lift them off the beds with spatulas. Kevin Tent cuts it as a run of small indignities, and we laughed harder than at anything of Payne’s since [*Sideways*](https://film.one/film/sideways). Jason Sudeikis, as the old friend who has gone small and cannot stop selling it, is exactly the right kind of pleased with himself.

Stefania Cella designs Leisureland as a golf estate under a mesh roof, all beige McMansions and pool furniture, and it looks like any other American suburb until a full-sized rose arrives in a vase the height of a man. Phedon Papamichael keeps finding those frames: a vodka bottle the size of a water tower, a single cracker carried like a tray. The film is funniest when it trusts the effects and says nothing.

The second movement belongs to Christoph Waltz. Dusan Mirkovic lives upstairs from Paul, throws parties that shake the ceiling, and imports cigars and cognac with his friend Konrad (Udo Kier), who says almost nothing and is the better for it. Waltz plays a man who chose to be small so that his pleasures would be proportionally larger, and he is having a wonderful time. Then his cleaner walks in.

Hong Chau plays Ngoc Lan Tran, a Vietnamese dissident shrunk against her will, who arrived in America in a television box and now cleans Leisureland’s flats on one leg and a bad prosthetic. She speaks in barked, broken imperatives, and some critics flinched; the accent is broad and the film is not always sure whether it is laughing with her or at her. But Chau does not play a stereotype. She plays a person impatient because there is work to do, and she is the only character who wants anything. When she leads Paul through a service door in the dome wall to the tenement where the small poor live, in bunk beds stacked under a single lightbulb, we felt the film sharpen, then look away.

That is the trouble with the last hour. Payne loses interest in size. Once Paul is through the wall the scale gags stop, and what remains is a passive man being told what to do by more interesting people. Damon is good at bewilderment, but 135 minutes is a long time to be bewildered, and the script never gives Paul a want of his own. The final stretch leaves Leisureland and goes somewhere we will not describe. It is where the film says what it means, and what it means is less interesting than shrinking people.

Rolfe Kent’s score is a light, plucked thing that suits the first hour and is asked to carry too much in the second. Wendy Chuck dresses the small rich exactly like the large rich, which is the point, and dresses Ngoc Lan in other people’s cast-offs, which is a better one.

Against Payne’s other films this is the odd one. [*About Schmidt*](https://film.one/film/about-schmidt) and [*Nebraska*](https://film.one/film/nebraska) knew how much to say and stopped. *Downsizing* has more ideas than either and keeps changing its mind about which one it is for. See it for the procedure, for Waltz’s parties, and for Chau, who deserved a film that kept looking at her. It carries a 15 and runs 135 minutes, and the first sixty are the ones you will remember.

*Fi1m score 60, published 19 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Downsizing, though rarely with much heat. The reviews agree the premise is a good one and that the first hour, in which Alexander Payne works out the logistics of shrinking people and the sight gags that follow, is the film at its sharpest. Almost everyone praises Hong Chau, whose Ngoc Lan is repeatedly called the film’s emotional centre, and the production design of the miniature world draws steady credit.

The reservations cluster on the second half. Once the film settles into its small world, many critics say it drops the conceit that made it interesting and turns preachy or sentimental, with a tone that lurches between satire and sincerity. The spread is wide: The Hollywood Reporter finds it deeply humane, while Time Out and Slant think it timid and self-satisfied. The Guardian splits within a single review, admiring the opening and finding the rest smaller than hoped.

### Reviews we read (28)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a captivating, funny and deeply humane film that transforms a sci-fi shrinking conceit into a timely yet timeless exploration of humanity's long-term viability on the planet without preachiness. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/downsizing-review-1032268/)
- **The Times** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Alexander Payne’s sci-fi comedy for its surprising compassion and kindness beneath the satire, noting that it moves beyond typical misanthropy to show the emotional education of its everyman hero. It highlights the credible layering of fantasy with social satire and strong character work. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/film-review-downsizing-bp8ds50rx)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (75/100, inferred): Payne blends satire, sci-fi and emotion in an ambitious high-concept film that wrings comedic, political and emotional gold from the miniaturisation premise, with strong visual effects and inventive details. Hong Chau delivers a terrific, scene-stealing performance, though some big intentions remain unrealised. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/downsizing-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Matthew Norman (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the brilliant premise of shrinking humans but finds the film hard to pigeonhole as it zigzags between genres and meanders thematically. Hong Chau's intense performance as Ngoc Lan stands out as the emotional heart, and the story ultimately resolves as a simple tale of altruism and romantic love. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/downsizing-review-good-things-come-in-small-packages-a3750186.html)
- **Film Comment** (70/100, inferred): The critic praises Payne’s whimsical sci-fi take on inequality and capitalism, highlighting strong visual storytelling and social critique through intricate jokes and character work. It notes some imperfections but commends the film’s commitment to real-world issues. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-downsizing-alexander-payne/)
- **Little White Lies**, Ed Gibbs (70/100, inferred): The critic notes Payne's gentle satire on the state of America and planet's future, praising the scope and double narrative despite bumpy tone and not fully convincing on climate issues. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/downsizing-first-look-review)
- **Sight and Sound**, Henry K. Miller (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's purposeful unpredictability and tonal range as it ditches its high-concept premise multiple times, highlighting the sense of scale and social observation in Payne's high-concept drama about miniaturization. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-downsizing-plots-unpredictable-course-into-american-purgatory)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (70/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a ticklish and resonant crowd-pleaser for grown-ups that unveils a playful, spectacular, mischievous and audacious new side of Payne. He singles out the ingenious comedy of scale and the touching tale of a man whose problems grow bigger as he gets smaller for praise, while noting it risks becoming a little too much at times. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/downsizing-review-matt-damon-venice-film-festival-1202541777/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (65/100, inferred): The critic views the film as an ambitious but ultimately modest satire on ecological catastrophe and consumerist self-delusion, suggesting laughter as a palliative rather than a full remedy. He singles out Payne's concrete logistical sense and eye for amusing incongruities in the shrinking process for praise, while noting the movie's faults are proportionate to its insights. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/movies/downsizing-review-matt-damon-kristen-wiig.html)
- **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): It begins as tasty satire but retools into sentimental comedy; the two parts don’t mesh tonally but works thanks to Damon's performance. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/downsizing-venice-review-/5121754.article)
- **The i Paper**, Matthew Turner (★★★): The first half delivers inventive ideas and sharp satire on lifestyle envy and consumerism with clever sight gags, but the second half loses momentum, turning preachy with a passive protagonist and diminishing returns. Hong Chau's character is a surprising highlight despite initial stereotype concerns. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/downsizing-review-sci-fi-satire-97809)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the premise delightful and the early sections sprightly and comic but laments that the film lets its central conceit of smallness glide away in favor of familiar social satire and moralizing. He praises the detailed, funny depiction of the downsizing process and Waltz's energetic performance as a highlight amid the story's later orthodox turns. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/01/downsizing-and-happy-end-reviewed)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (55/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as an initially inspired but increasingly rudderless and fascinating muddle that literalizes Payne's tendency to look down on characters while venturing into uncharted sci-fi territory. He praises the rigorous and nonsensical whimsical conceit along with the production design for the first hour, while complaining about the unproductive tension and tone-deaf elements in the later narrative. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-downsizing-review-20171221-story.html)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Croll (50/100, inferred): The review finds the social satire offers uneven charms overall, with strong elements in its big-thinking premise and performances but not always delivering consistent results. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/downsizing-review-alexander-payne-matt-damon-1201871247/)
- **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The critic finds it a boldly executed sci-fi premise that addresses inequality but ultimately trips over its own modesty by fixating on a banal central character at the expense of more compelling ones. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/downsizing-review.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film blisteringly brilliant for its first hour with a convincing, funny setup and strong performances but says it becomes overwhelmed by its own implications afterward. It loses comic charge once normalized in the miniature world, strains credulity in later acts, and ends up smaller than hoped. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/25/downsizing-review-matt-damon-alexander-payne)
- **Slant Magazine** (30/100, inferred): The critic faults the execution as toothlessly noncommittal and simple-minded, with the reach exceeding the grasp especially in its handling of characters like the Vietnamese refugee and satirical elements. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/downsizing/)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (30/100, inferred): The critic finds it a self-satisfied sci-fi nothingburger that shies away from satire, losing Payne's usual tartness, with wrong moves in tone and pretension. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/downsizing)
- **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as unclassifiable, blending satire with folktale elements and visual depth while exploring familiar yet perplexing worlds. Hong Chau's brilliant performance and the compassionate community outside Leisureland are highlighted as lifting the film. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/downsizing-2017-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze)
- **Collider**, Brian Formo (B-): The critic praises the film's earnest hope in humanity and satirical observations on consumerism and inequality, but notes it struggles with character development and tone. Hong Chau's performance and the big ideas are highlighted positively. [Read](https://collider.com/downsizing-review/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (70/100, inferred): Pete Hammond praises Alexander Payne for delivering a smart, funny and human comedy with big ideas that fits his wry style while pushing into ambitious new territory. He highlights the strong ensemble cast, particularly Hong Chau's memorable performance, and the film's visual effects and witty premise. [Read](https://deadline.com/2017/12/downsizing-review-matt-damon-alexander-payne-video-1202229503/)
- **/Film**, Marshall Shaffer (7/10): The critic praises the film's sincere exploration of overpopulation and human empathy through satire but notes it struggles to find a clear dramatic direction for its high-concept premise. Hong Chau's performance and the issues raised stand out positively. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/553338/downsizing-review-matt-damon-shrinks-himself-in-alexander-paynes-sci-fi-satire-tiff/)
- **The Playlist**, Jessica Kiang (B/B+): The critic calls it a life-affirming and enjoyable film with likeable characters, inspired humor, and a heartfelt ending, though it is overlong and occasionally unfocused. Hong Chau's revelatory performance and the ordinary lives theme are singled out for praise. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/downsizing-review-venice-20170830/)
- **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The critic commends Payne and Taylor for using the sci-fi premise to explore the human condition on both micro and macro levels with acidic empathy and sharp observation. Standout praise goes to the ensemble, especially Hong Chau's funny, bristly and moving performance. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/downsizing-review-matt-damon-alexander-payne/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (3/5): The critic finds the opening promising and the premise plausible but feels the film becomes overly ambitious, convoluted, and underwhelming overall. The comedic supporting characters provide some edge but detract from emotional investment. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/downsizing-review/)
- **NME**, Olly Richards (3/5): The critic credits Payne for strong sight gags and commentary on consumerism in the first half but finds the film of diminishing returns as it shifts tone and message. It singles out Hong Chau’s performance amid the uneven second half. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/downsizing-film-review-matt-damon-2231456)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (50/100, inferred): The review finds the film caught between satire and sincerity, with strong world-building and ideas but ultimately didactic and dramatically inert, lacking the ambivalence of Payne's best work. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/12/21/movies/downsizing-matt-damon-review)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (2/5): The review calls the film a clunker that wastes a great premise after the first act with muddled themes and inconsistent performances. It singles out the strong production design of the miniaturized world as a highlight amid the undercooked story. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/downsizing-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Alexander Payne
- **Director:** Alexander Payne
- **Screenplay:** Jim Taylor, Alexander Payne
- **Cinematography:** Phedon Papamichael
- **Editor:** Kevin Tent
- **Music:** Rolfe Kent
- **Production design:** Stefania Cella
- **Costume design:** Wendy Chuck
- **Producer:** Jim Burke, Jim Taylor, Alexander Payne
- **Cast:** Matt Damon as Paul Safranek; Christoph Waltz as Dusan Mirkovic; Hong Chau as Ngoc Lan Tran; Kristen Wiig as Audrey Safranek; Rolf Lassgård as Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen; Ingjerd Egeberg as Anne-Helene Asbjørnsen; Udo Kier as Konrad; Søren Pilmark as Dr. Andreas Jacobsen
- **Runtime:** 2h 15m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 22 December 2017
- **Genres:** Drama, Science Fiction, Comedy
- **Budget:** $68 million
- **Box office:** $55 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_POpCkJToEQ

## Where to watch in the US

- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Apple TV: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $4.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-19.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Incredible Shrinking Man* (1957): The original small-man film, and far bleaker about what being small means.
- *The Lobster* (2015), Fi1m 78: A mad social rule taken with a straight face, and followed to the end. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lobster.md)
- *Sorry to Bother You* (2018), Fi1m 81: Another satire of work and money that takes a wild turn; this one commits. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sorry-to-bother-you.md)
- *About Schmidt* (2002), Fi1m 77: Payne’s earlier Nebraskan everyman, no shrinking required, and the sharper film for it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/about-schmidt.md)
- *Ikiru* (1952), Fi1m 92: Kurosawa’s clerk learns late to be useful; the film Paul Safranek needed to see. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ikiru.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/downsizing