'Downhill' film review: Rudderless remake that didn't need to be made
The relationship drama 'Downhill' (opening in theaters Feb. 14) starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell is a glowing example why already incredible films simply do not need to be remade at all.
In short: Married couple Billie (Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete (Ferrell) re-evaluate their marriage after they react very differently during an incident that derails a family skiing vacation in the Alps.
"Downhill" has everything going on its favor. It's an American remake of one of the very best foreign films of the past decade, the 2014 Swedish psychological drama "Force Majeure." Everyone loves Louis-Dreyfus and Farrell. Co-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are Academy Award winning screenplay writers. On paper "Downhill" should have been a layup.
Despite being based on a brilliant film and crafted by experienced filmmakers, "Downhill" just feels like a watered-down version of "Force." For context, "Force Majeure" is completely defined by a relentless tension between the husband and wife. There's actually not a lot of conventional plot pushing "Force" forward - it's entirely driven by the ever-growing rift between a husband in denial and a wife who cannot look at her husband the same way. Perhaps most incredibly, "Force" was an astounding hilarious comedy - despite not having a single setup or punchline. The humor is completely derived from the situations and the characters - more specifically, it comes from the skin-crawling anxiety of watching the characters internally grapple with an unignorable truth.
"Downhill" manages a scant few flickering moments of promise, but overall it's just a lame version of "Force." It's a toothless comedy and a rudderless drama. If the comedy was sharper or the drama more engaging to the point of offsetting the film's weaknesses, then maybe "Downhill" could be forgiven it's faults. But rather than finding uncomfortable comedy in incredibly dark relationship drama, "Downhill" feels more like a comedy shoved into a drama.
The casting of two superstar comedians does the film no favor. Of the two stars, at least Louis-Dreyfus manages to find the film's sharp and disappointed tone. Given that her character is most shaken by the "event" that divides husband and wife, Louis-Dreyfus is the most empathetic and compelling force of the film. Farrell is simply miscast and his character is poorly crafted. While "Force" was laser-focused on the deteriorating and strained marital relationship, "Downhill" gets distracted. There's some b-plot where Farrell's character is mourning his recently deceased father - but that plot thread just dangles and has little bearing on the film or character.
But the film's biggest red flag is the fact that "Downhill" feels much longer than it actually. This is especially disturbing because "Downhill" has a runtime that is barely 87 minutes. If you cut out the credits, then you're left with a film that is barely more than 80 minutes long - but feels so much longer. This is entirely because of the film's aforementioned lack of focus: movies without a clear direction often "feel long" because the audience is picking up on the film's lack of defined narrative direction. When the audience is unsure where the film is going, then the film starts to feel "long."
Final verdict: "Downhill" is a glowing example of a completely unnecessary remake. It's impossible to recommend "Downhill" when a far superior version of the exact same story is already available to stream at home. This film just doesn’t justify its own existence.
Score: 2/5
“Downhill” opens in theaters nationwide Feb. 14. This film has a runtime of 86 minutes and is rated R for language and some sexual material.
