When I say that a film is didactic, I mean that it comes off like a dry, classroom lecture, and when I say it is polemical, I mean that it is more of a pointed argument than a story.  While important issues should be explored in a myriad of ways, including fiction, it is often hard to create a movie or book that serves up both information and entertainment.

I was afraid that Gus Van Sant’s film – from a screenplay co-written by stars John Krasinski and Matt Damon – about representatives from a natural gas company eager to get drilling (fracking) rights to a rural community would be a teachy-preachy borefest.

Promised Land, though not perfect, is a lot better than that, and a lot of the supporting characters, in particular, are fun to watch as the story unfolds.  I saw some but not all of the narrative twists and turns coming (a credit to Krasinski and Damon), though the plot points all make a lot of sense by the time the credits roll.

No, this film didn’t have the same effect on me that the first three-quarters of Gasland had when I saw it on HBO (the water really catches fire, and we all know that is wrong!), but for people who have not paid any attention to the fracking issue, maybe they will turn out to see the stars and decide to become more informed after seeing the movie.

I liked it more than I thought I might…even if I didn’t learn anything new and felt more relieved than moved by the resolution.