Christmastime is rarely blockbuster time, but studios typically slate a few solid efforts for the holiday weekend and Christmas Day. The three major releases are:
Dec. 22
“Downsizing” — When filmmaker Alexander Payne came up with the idea in 2006 of a future in which humans could opt to be 5 inches tall to live better lives, little did they know how timely the story would be in 2017. “Downsizing,” out in U.S. theaters on Friday and starring Matt Damon, shows a world in which people get “downsized” to live in environmentally friendly microcommunities only to end up with their dreams shattered.
“Father Figures” — Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers (Owen Wilson and Ed Helms) hit the road in order to find him. Along the way, they learn more about their mother than they ever wanted to know.
Dec. 25
“All the Money in the World” — When director Ridley Scott decided to remove Kevin Spacey from his film “All the Money in the World” and reshoot it with Christopher Plummer, he did not just pull off an extraordinary feat. Plummer’s performance as U.S. oil billionaire J. Paul Getty also subtly changed the tone of the movie about the sensational 1973 kidnapping of Getty’s 16-year-old grandson.
