I will go on record by stating that Matt Damon “seems” like a nice, articulate guy off the screen. By all accounts, he is genuine—an admirable, rare quality in Hollywood.
However, when I watch one of his films where he is cast as the leading man, my only thought is, “Where is the leading man?” I don’t buy it. Not for a second. I can’t think of someone who is mis-cast so frequently. Matt Damon is not a leading man.
Maybe it’s purely because of his likability factor that he gets these parts, or that steely, number-crunching studio execs plug his name into an esoteric box-office algorithm and his name brings in more profits. I don’t know. It is a mystery to me.
He is perfectly capable in supporting roles such as “Ocean’s 11″, one of the most fun movies of the last decade, but leading man? Nope. Sorry. Doesn’t cut it. Can’t carry a film alone. Hell, Ceasar from “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was more suited to this function.
I watched “The Adjustment Bureau” the other day and, besides having logic holes and no serious threat to generate its needed suspense, it felt like there was a major chasm somewhere in the fabric of the film. Something vague was missing. And then I realized what it was: There was no leading man! Only Matt Damon. I kept waiting for his big brother or something to join in the fun and take over the reins of the film, but nope. Just Matt.
My favorite thing about him is his Sarah Palin rant. That’s classic. Otherwise, no one in his circle has the balls to tell him the truth. You’re not a #1. Stick with #2 and you’ll be fine. Speaking of which, I have to take a dump.