“The Legend of Bagger Vance” (2000)
Though Damon was the star of this film, Robert Redford’s story
about a famous golfer from Savannah, Georgia, really showcased Will Smith in his
first purely dramatic role. Damon’s character Rannulph Junuh has lost his mojo
after serving in the war, and with Charlize Theron as the love interest, one
might think that the cast, along with Redford’s direction, would elevate this
film to an elite status. However, the script was poor, and all of the actors,
maybe with the exception of Smith, seemed to be cashing in mediocre
performances (and don’t even mention those horrific accents!). It’s a sappy
film with almost nothing going for it, except that everyone looks really
pretty. Not one of Damon’s finest choices, but he rebounds easily in the next
few years [D]
“Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen”
(2001/2004/2007)
Earmarked for Mark Wahlberg, the part
of young pickpocket Linus seemed just as malleable as the rest of the skimpy
characterizations in Steven Soderbergh’s heist movies, which were
tailor-made for the stars’ sensibilities. Given that Damon has a less-defined
screen presence than George Clooney and Brad Pitt, it became
a bit unusual to see him consistently painted as the young, inexperienced
member of the group, particularly after the ‘Bourne’ films. Still, Damon has
some of the best moments in the three films, reminding Clooney about batteries
in part one, mangling Robbie Coltrane’s impenetrable codespeak in the
second film, and employing the ‘Gilroy’ nose to seduce Ellen Barkin in the
finale. Damon does a good job fitting in with the loose, goofy tone of the
films, which, unlike most trilogies, didn’t vary much in quality. [B+/B+/B-]
“Gerry” (2002)
Everything concerning “Gerry“‘s existence is inexplicable, from its creation (considering what it followed), its casting (an A-lister in a meditative and minimalist art film?), and its inspiration (the director continued the aesthetic with “Elephant” and the too-derided-by-Cobain-obsessives “Last Days“). But if taken completely on its own terms, the film is a beautiful, mesmerizing and simple tale of two friends who arrogantly stray off the beaten path, paying heavily for it in the end. It’s often aimed at for being pretentious and empty, but it’s a bit more profound than that — any less experienced director would’ve surely had the two spurt overly meaningful dialogue, but Matt Damon and co-star Casey Affleck either spend their time speaking unamusingly about a video game, or without anything to say at all. Maybe it’s not as powerful as other bare meditative flicks or even as strong as its younger siblings, but it’s quite unforgettable, and if one can look at it with not a condescending eye, but with a patient one, they’ll be rewarded with a rather affecting and unique experience. [B+]
“The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum” (2002/2004/2007)
It’s hard to imagine now but Matt Damon’s career was not in good shape when the first ‘Bourne’ film came along. Coming off a series of flops, underperformers and oddities (“Gerry,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” “All The Pretty Horses,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” etc.), the only real hits Damon had scored since his breakthrough in “Good Will Hunting” were in supporting roles (“Saving Private Ryan” and “Oceans 11”). But cast as Jason Bourne, a special ops amnesiac, Damon was remade as an unlikely action hero. The series, loosely on the novels by Robert Ludlum, began as “Swingers” director Doug Liman’s passion project, but it was Paul Greengrass who came to define the series. By amping up the pace and bringing his own frenetic visual style, Greengrass crafted two arguably superior sequels that received both critical and commercial kudos. The franchise was so influential it even made James Bond feel uncool, until that series was rebooted in the ‘Bourne’ mold, with less emphasis on gadgets and more on a badass Bond. Though the plots are a little thin, these sleek thrillers are the antithesis of most bloated CGI-driven action films. With three films (and counting) and over $500 million dollars in domestic grosses, the series also allowed Damon to continue working with interesting directors like Steven Soderbergh and Terry Gilliam in projects that might not have found financing were it not for ‘Bourne’. [B]
“Stuck On You” (2003)
Oddly enough, one of the Farrelly Brothers’ least funny movies is kind of their most affecting. Centered on two conjoined twins with big dreams, the comedy goes to unexpectedly warm places, mining cheap humor from the deformity of their leads, but genuine pathos during a topsy turvy third act. Most of this has to do with the performances: Greg Kinnear is surprisingly engaging as an egocentric extrovert, while Damon finds humor in playing it straight as a humble romantic with serious self-esteem issues. The Farrellys never found themselves again after repeatedly esoteric films about physical and emotional deformities, but this still stands out as a surprisingly touching high point in their career. [B]
