Why does Matt Damon suck now?

He's been in some good movies.
Like most actors, he's been in more bad movies than good.

I have theory: a well written, well directed movie is going to be good with any competent actor; a poorly written, poorly directed movie is going to be bad no matter how good or popular the actor.

 

I consider range a mark of skill in any endeavor. He has not shown that.

 

I thought he was pretty good playing the gullible young kid in the Oceans movies.

 

Suburbicon was the type of movie that wouldn't have been made had Clooney's name not been on it. Very convoluted plot. Story lines that were totally unnecessary, just in there to fill time.

 

I think he's shown OK range. He's a competent actor.
95% of movies are bad no matter who plays the parts.

 

Well, a few off the top of my head... Saving Private Ryan, Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ocean's Eleven, The Bourne Identity, The Martian, The Departed...

It's just lame revisionism to spin this into a "never good to begin with" argument. He's done very good stuff. But he has been misfiring lately--that dumb Wall movie where he's the pony-tailed hero saving the Asians from the killer lizard monsters was an especially sad miscalculation.

 

Tom Cruise became that kind of action star in his 40s. Not everyone can pull it off.
Look at the arc De Niro's career has taken. He does bad comedy.

 

He was awful in The Departed, especially next to DiCaprio.

 

Really ...can you clarify why you thought he was awful in it?

Because that ain't how I saw it.

 

here's what you call range.
Grace f'n Jones, of all people.

 

During the scenes he was in.

 

School Ties?