Downhill film review: Awkward Hollywood remake of Force Majeure gets lost in translation
This remake of European drama Force Majeure stars Will Ferrell as a man whose relationship with his wife (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) disintegrates after he ditches her and their kids to escape an oncoming avalanche.
The original film was a profound look at the questions we’d rather not ask ourselves. The American version retains none of these probing sensibilities, instead languishing in stiff exchanges that collectively amount to an incredibly tedious film.
Too often, Downhill hovers in place, focusing on mundane subjects that are relatable but not particularly interesting.
Ferrell and Dreyfus try to navigate the many narrative holes, one of the biggest being that Ferrell’s character is overly sympathetic, and by reflection paints Dreyfus as cold.
Prior to the ‘incident’ she resents her husband, and post-avalanche she seems almost vindictive.
Instead of awkwardly funny, Downhill is just awkward, a remake that gets lost in translation, one to add to the large pile of Hollywood’s failed attempts to improve on foreign masterpieces.