The character is a clown who is stuck in a serious situation. He's a funny guy, a joker, and that keeps him alive.
Matt Damon is a serious actor, who can do a serious character. Put a serious character into a funny situation, and it can be very funny. But put a serious character actor into a funny man role, and well... I'm hopeful, but worried.
If you like that kind of thing I'd recommend Rocket Girls (the novels rather than the animé), and Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth (nonfiction).
If Matthew mcConaughey docked to a spinnig station and sandra bullock re-entered to earth like that, then Matt damon can survive that, also Andy Wier reseached a lot about the plausability of every situtation, but I'm sure "hollywood" will make this stupidly unbelievable or magically believable.
In an interview, he said the most implausible / impossible thing in the book was actually the very first scene when there is a storm that can knock things over.