the actors have written before ... but they have something to say rather than a story to tell, and the agenda ends up defusing the drama. Van Sant just has a place he wants to visit. He makes us want to visit it, too
although too dramatically underpowered to achieve more than modest commercial impact, this well-acted, minor-key passion project for star-producer-scribe Matt Damon could parlay heated op-ed coverage into a respectable arthouse showing