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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.

I thought this was a comedy. It is not. Also, it is not a drama. It's like watching a home movie with two people who don't really love, or like, each other very much. And then nothing happens. Two of my favorite comedic actors are in this bucket of boredom and that makes me sad.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell star in "Downhill," a new comedy that comes out on Valentine's Day, Friday 14, 2020. The film was directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

Billie (Louis-Dreyfus) and her two boys barely escape been buried alive during a "controlled" avalanche, while Pete (Ferrell) runs for cover thinking only about his self. The scary ordeal causes them to take a fresh look at their marriage and their future together.

I had high hopes with the pairing of Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell and what kind of comedic caper on the ski slopes might ensue. Unfortunately, this film was disappointing. This isn't the kind of "feel-good" romantic movie to take your significant other out to see on Valentine's Day.

The film isn't mushy and doesn't "resolve" like a bow on a pretty package. Instead, it is more of a "warning" in relationships, showing how miscommunication, self-centeredness, defensiveness all can contribute to breaking down bonds in relationships. The humor in it is how the couple fails to address the issue directly causing further distance, bringing others into it to plead their case, and even puts the kids in the middle. There were some cringeworthy moments throughout.

Some of the film's less flattering moments include an awkward scene with a ski instructor, crude sexual humor, and drunkenness without any really point.

I would recommend steering clear of this one, in favor of a nice evening in, preparing dinner for your partner, snuggling up on the couch and dreaming together about your hopes for the future so you don't end up like Billie and Pete unsure of what is next in store for your relationship.