"Downhill" Review

Plot Premise: The film is a remake of Force Majeure (2014) and explores the marital woes of Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete Staunton (Will Ferrell) who are vacationing in the Swiss Alps with their two young children. After an almost-avalanche makes the family believe they are about to die (they were never in any real danger, since it was a controlled avalanche), Billie is angry at Pete for running away when the snow was coming and seemingly leaving her and the kids to get smothered.

The Good: Will Ferrell is mostly known for his high-energy comedy (which often involves a considerable amount of yelling and improv) but he gives a respectable dramatic performance opposite the dramatic powerhouse that is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Miranda Otto's supporting role as Charlotte, an employee of the ski resort, was the most consistent source of laughs.

The Bad: The loudest critiques of the film have come from those who have seen the original and are loudly proclaiming that it is inferior to the original. By those accounts, the film does not work for those who are purists of the Swedish release.

Who This Film Is For: Fans of lightly melodramatic explorations of middle-aged existential crises who haven't seen the original film.