As a lifelong film lover, whether the results range from good to God awful, I always appreciate it when actors try something new. So, when a Hollywood A-lister like Matt Damon adds a different kind of role to his thirty year-plus resume, you take notice. The man behind Bourne goes full-blown country roughneck in his latest release, Stillwater, a film that is sort of a crime thriller, family drama, and fish-out-of-water story all rolled into one. It doesn’t fully succeed at blending all these genres—even with Damon’s pedigree and Oscar-winning writer/director Tom McCarthy (Spotlight). Despite a near two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the movie feels like it’s cramming a bit too much into the proceedings. But like many of his other starring vehicles, the still-enjoyable Stillwater is amiably carried by its leading man.
Bill Baker (Damon) is an oil rig and construction worker from the Oklahoma town of the title. He makes regular overseas trips to Marseille, France to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), who had been studying abroad. Unfortunately, the young woman has been in prison for the past four years after being wrongfully convicted of killing her roommate/lover. Bill agrees to stay in the French coastal city after new evidence comes to light, determined to have the case reopened and ultimately get his daughter exonerated. His pursuit is hindered by him being an American stranger who doesn’t know the language. But Bill soon finds help (and something much greater) when he befriends local single mother Virginie (Camille Cottin) and her eight-year-old daughter, Maya (Lilou Siauvaud).
First off, massive credit is due for director McCarthy (Spotlight) and cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi. Stillwater’s unwritten character is Marseille itself, and the men do a fantastic job showing off the varying economic and multi-cultural aspects of France’s second largest city. From apartment complexes and gritty slums to coastal highways and Mediterranean beaches, the setting truly shows how far away from home Bill really is. American screenwriters McCarthy and Marcus Hinchey collaborate here with French writers Thomas Bidegain and Noe Debre to really nail the language and dialect of the region. But perhaps too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak, may be the reason that Stillwater’s story and plot progression come off very uneven at certain times (more on that later).
The charismatic Damon gives his all to make Stillwater the best it can be—at least in relation to its protagonist. Physically, the actor effectively embodies Bill as a hard-working, blue-collar Everyman with his compact yet bulky frame decked out in flannel shirts and jeans. Throw in a trucker hat, bushy goatee and a pair of Oakley knockoff brand sunglasses, and you get the idea. Damon also imbues his character with sweet little touches, like saying grace before eating his takeout dinner from Sonic and saying, “Yes, ma’am,” in his good ol’ boy accent. The actor doesn’t quite stick the landing when it comes to the Oklahoma twang, but that can be forgiven. Bill Baker won’t rank amongst Damon’s most unforgettable roles, but we fully buy into the character’s struggle and likability because of the man portraying him.
As Allison, Breslin does a respectable job as a young woman who’s been mentally beaten down from years of imprisonment. Some of her more dramatic moments do seem a little too forced and exaggerated, but kudos to the actress for her fluency and seemingly expert delivery of the French language. Not easy. Speaking of which, Cottin is very good as the one native person in Marseille who opens up her home and her heart to American outsider Bill. Opposites attract indeed, and we see the pair drop any preconceived notions as their relationship progresses. However, it is young Siauvaud who nearly steals the movie as the precocious and charming Maya. Immediately taking a fascination with Bill and seeing a father figure in him, her scenes with Damon are some of the funniest and most heartfelt of the film, and their chemistry is undeniable.
Stillwater is mainly kept afloat by these central performances, no pun intended. Unfortunately, the film still tries ineffectively to be too many things. Bill’s own investigation to clear his daughter’s name gets marred by the local prejudices that exist amongst Marseille’s various ethnic groups. The film begins to touch on Allison being convicted due to her “status” as a white American in a lesbian relationship (her dead lover being a woman). Then it immediately veers into the middle act, in which Bill bonds with Virginie and Maya, and them becoming the surrogate family he failed to have with his own wife and daughter. It’s capped off with Damon’s character going semi-Taken vigilante to secure Allison’s freedom, and the entire plotline doesn’t end up completely flowing together.
The incredible visual representation of Marseille and the great performances from Matt Damon and company are the real highlights of Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater. The writer/director probably won’t win another Academy Award this time around, as the story’s inconsistent pacing what keeps the film from being truly remarkable. Will that deter the biggest Damon fans out there from watching his latest feature? Probably not. And will they (and you) still enjoy seeing him in a role unlike any he’s ever played? As Bill would say in his Oklahoma accent, “Yes, ma’am.”
