Downhill

I feel badly for Julia Louis-Dreyfus because her character is so unlikeable, in a movie that's equally unlikeable. Like watching a slow motion train wreck. Wish I could have that 90 minutes of my life - and my money - back. 3 stars, only for the scenery.

This film tells the story of a family holiday going desperately wrong.

I guess people expect this to be a comedy, but it in fact is a drama that involves a lot of bickering and negativity. It's not a bad film, just not necessarily what people want to watch for escapism.

As "Downhill" (2020 release; 86 min.) opens, we get to know the Staunton family: Pete and Billie and their two boys have just arrived in the Alps for a ski vacation. The next day after some morning skiing, they head out for lunch on an outside terrace. Then a controlled avalanche goes wrong and comes barreling down the mountainside, straight towards the terrace. Just before it reaches the terrace, panic ensues and Pete grabs his phone and runs, leaving Billie and the kids. After the snow hits the terrace, everyone is okay, but Billie and the kids are in shock. And where is Pete? At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from co-writers and co-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who previously brought us the excellent "The Way, Way Back". Here they remake the 2014 Swedish film "Force Majeure", which garnered worldwide attention and acclaim. Eventually Hollywood announced a remake, starring Will Ferrer and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. My big fear was that the remake would be done as a comedy. If you've seen "Force Majeure", you know that it is anything but a comedy. The good news is that "Downhill" is not an outright comedy, although there are certainly funny bits in it. The bad news is that it's simply not a great film, and it outright pales compared to the original. The worst of it is that, whereas the original was a 2 hr. movie looking at the complicated consequences of the avalanche incident, the remake runs short of 1 1/2 hr. and even then it doesn't focus nearly enough on the consequences of the avalanche incident. Instead the movie makes some diversions that go nowhere and are irrelevant to the core of the film. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (as Billie) tries to save the movie, and almost does, giving a terrific performance, but in the end it's not enough. Will Ferrell is horribly miscast as Pete, I mean what were the movie makers thinking? Kudos for the photography, which is eye-candy from start to finish, as well as for the original score, courtesy of Volker Bertelmann (a/k/a Hauschka). Bottom line: "Downhill" is the Hollywood remake of "Force Majeure" that nobody asked for.

"Downhill" premiered at last month's Sundance film festival to ho-hum reaction, and is now seemingly rush-released into theaters. The movie opened wide this weekend and the Sunday early evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended so-so (about 12 people). If you haven't seen "Force Majeure", don't waste your time and money on "Downhill" and seek out "Force Majeure" instead. If you have seen "Force Majeure", there is no point, none whatsoever, to see "Downhill", but hey don't take my word for it and check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Greetings again from the darkness. Overwhelming apprehension. That's the feeling I had walking into the theatre for the Americanized re-make of one of my top 10 favorite movies from 2014 ... FORCE MAJEURE. Sure, it's common practice for U.S. filmmakers to farm international cinema for "new" projects, but when they mess with the really good ones, I can't help but feel nervous to the point of dread. A sliver of hope existed since this new version was co-written (along with Jesse Armstrong, creator of "Succession", and Oscar nominated for IN THE LOOP) and co-directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the creative forces behind THE WAY WAY BACK (2013).

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell star as married couple Billie and Pete. Along with their two teenage sons, they are on an Austrian ski trip meant to help Pete get through grieving his father's death, and bring the family closer together. If you have seen the original or the trailer, you know what happens next. Pete's reaction to a near catastrophic event creates a divide between him and the family ... especially Billie, who is left shaken. This part is all quite similar to the original film, yet this version is different in so many ways.

Casting two brilliant comedic performers in the lead sends a strong signal that humor will play a role, and that the exceptional gravitas from filmmaker Ruben Ostlund's FORCE MAJEURE will be softened somewhat. Both of those points hold true. However, surprisingly, this re-make manages to still generate some of the shaken-to-the-core emotions that come from having trust broken in such a startling manner. Ms. Louis-Dreyfus is especially strong here, and carries a much heavier load than Mr. Ferrell. As she is balancing her shock, frustration, and anger, while still attending to their equally shaken boys, Mr. Ferrell is relegated to spending much of the film wearing a wounded puppy look as he attempts to move on without addressing the issue.

Adding to the comedy elements are Zoe Chao ("The Comeback") and Zach Woods ("The Office") as Pete's friends who get drawn into the fracas. Miranda Otto takes a break from her usually dramatic roles to play Charlotte, a wacky resort employee whose personality is a bit out of step with normalcy; although her zaniness succeeds in preventing the weight of the event from crushing Billie. Fans of the original will recognize Kristofer Hivju, who plays a resort security advisor this time. Another difference is that the kids (Julian Grey, Ammon Jacob Ford) play a bigger role in the family dynamics and fallout.

It's clear that filmmakers Faxon and Rash set out to purposefully make a more mainstream, accessible movie than the Swedish version. The film remains effective at generating conversation about survival instinct and protecting one's loved ones. It should be mentioned that this is not a typical Will Ferrell movie, and anyone expecting Frank the Tank, may only be pleased with one brief scene. Instead, this is about a man coming to grips with how his actions affected his family, and even his view of himself.

Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete Staunton (Will Ferrell) are on an Austrian ski vacation with their two boys. Charlotte (Miranda Otto) is the sex obsessed resort manager. Something happens which puts doubt into the Staunton marriage.

This is an American remake of the great film, Force Majeure, by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund. It has been rewritten and directed by comedic actors, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. They have become a great filmmaker duo following two poignant films with nice comedic touches; The Way Way Back and The Descendants. This one is a great disappointment. As a remake, this is an utter failure. It takes the unsaid and say it out loud. It takes the regular life and makes it wacky. While there are some compelling moves, this keeps feeling wrong.

I try to envision not watching Force Majeure first and imagine watching this with virgin eyes. I don't know who came up with Charlotte but she seems to inhabit a wacky Will Ferrell comedy. I do not like Otto's accent or her character. The movie is trying to be wacky and then like an avalanche, it tries to be serious. It can be funny and serious but wackiness can often clash. In the big overarching premise, it's trying to be a wacky ski comedy from the 80's with a gigolo ski teacher and a swinging manager. It doesn't need it and doesn't want it. There are moments that intrigue me. I didn't really like Zach and Rosie except one moment at the end of the scene where Rosie is looking at Zach. I like the resolution of Billie and Pete but it goes a step too far. That's this movie at its core. I like a lot of it but it always goes one step too far. I hate Charlotte and the movie would be far superior without her. Overall, this has some moments but it keeps getting it wrong.