Coming out in limited release on December 28th is a little weird for a movie starring Matt Damon and directed by his Good Will Hunting director, Gus Van Sant. Promised Land arrives just in time for Oscar consideration, but not really early enough to draw a lot of money. Still, a drama starring Damon and Frances McDormand as company salesmen working to convince a small town to sell drilling rights to their property, against the objections of a small group of locals (Hal Holbrook, John Krasinski and Rosemarie DeWitt) might not be chipper enough for the Christmas season, even if the odds of a downbeat ending are pretty slim.
Still, the trailer looks… er… promising.