Downhill (2020)

Downhill review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

There’s something so very odd that of all the sensational international films to pluck from, Force Majure would be one of the few to receive an American remake. The original was such an off and somber comedy of one couple crumbling on a vacation. It’s the sort of story that works well for the quiet contemplation of adults on the edge of an unsure relationship. When posed with the like of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell as the leads, that story feels a little less quiet and a lot of less poignant.

At the center of this distrust within the couple occurs on their vacation to the Alps is an avalanche. During breakfast outside, a wave of snow descends from the mountain. The tourists of the resort cower and Ferrell’s character of Pete makes a break for it, leaving his wife Billie (Louis-Dreyfus) behind. Nobody dies and everybody is fine. But now the couple has to dabble in that awkward conversation of why Pete left her behind. What instinct caused him to shove her aside and flee on his own? Do they still love each other?

This questioning continues as they mill about the Alps, either lounging in the hotel or skiing down the slopes. There’s a certain uneasy expectation, however, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell as the leads. Both can explode into manic bits of comedy and here they are posed in a film where they’re expected to keep their yaps shut. Of course, being an American remake, they can’t do so and will have to keep the comedy going with more than expressions. Thus the film becomes almost a game to see how long the two of them can keep up these characters. It’s not that the likes of Dreyfus and Ferrell are incapable of more dramatic roles. They’ve proven in numerous productions that they are as skilled at seriousness as they are silliness. But walking that fine line between the two in a dead-pan dark comedy such as this is no easy task, especially when following in the ski trail of a far superior film.

I’m aware it’s unfair to merely pull through this film with a fine-toothed comb to compare and contrast with the source. But how can you not? As with many reproductions of acclaimed films, such as the American remake of Let The Right One In, Downhill changes very little from Force Majure and what little it does change feels flat and timid. It’s not that the general theme of questioning marriage and relationships amid instincts isn’t intriguing. I freely admit that many coming into this picture cold will come away feeling a bit more thoughtful. But when a much better film of the same cloth has already come before it, all that Downhill can really boast in its interpretation is that it’s an English-language version of Force Majure.