Matt Damon and John Krasinski wrote the screenplay to this very dull Gus Vant Sant film about fracking, aka hydraulic fracturing. The topic isn’t one that’s naturally filled with drama and suspense. In addition to writing the screenplay, Damon and Krasinski also star in the movie. Damon plays Steve Butler, the corporate guy sent into a small town to convince the town’s residents that they need to sell him the drilling rights for their land. Krasinski plays Dustin Noble, a guy who arrives with stories about how fracking ruined his family farm, and the tide officially begins to shift against Steve and Sue. Steve and Dustin develop a rivalry of sorts that’s intensified when Dustin begins courting Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt), a single schoolteacher whom Steve befriends one night while on a bender at the town bar. The acting is solid across the board, but the plot just isn’t compelling enough to sustain interest.

This article appears in Jan 2-8, 2013.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.