Movie Review: Downhill (2020)

Genre: Dramedy  

Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash  
Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Will Ferrell, Zach Woods, Zoe Chao  
Running Time: 86 minutes  

Synopsis: Married couple Billie and Pete Stanton (Julia Louise-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell) arrive at an Austrian Alps ski resort for a vacation with their two teen-aged sons. There is tension in the marriage, and Pete is frequently distracted by his phone. An avalanche mishap exposes Pete's poor judgment under pressure, and Billie is further infuriated when he avoids communicating. The arrival of Pete's friend Zach (Zach Woods) and his partner Rosie (Zoe Chao) adds further strain.

What Works Well: This remake of Force Majeure occasionally finds the biting seam between compromise and confrontation. Billie and Pete are largely performing as happily married for the benefit of their children, but she is reaching the end of her patience bandwidth. When he flees the avalanche leaving his family in harm's way, pretense is replaced by barely contained hostility. While their passion suffocates beneath the snow, moments of irreverent humour lighten the mood.

What Does Not Work As Well: Although they try hard, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are both miscast, their personas less than suitable for the dark hypocrisy, emotional vengeance, and self-delusional defensiveness required by this story. The short running time does not allow a deep dive into churning emotions, and the ending is abrupt and all too pat.

Key Quote:

Billie (referring to the avalanche): It looked like it was gonna kill us...

Pete: For a moment.

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