*Not much to spoil here

IMDB Synopsis

A woman starts to have second doubts about her husband after he runs away from an approaching avalanche, leaving her and their two sons behind.

Nothing like some family drama on a ski vacation am I right? The new movie Downhill on its surface is everything I would want in my life. Directed by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon both of which I am huge fans, and of course starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, why did they decide to remake an awkward family drama with all that firepower?

Downhill is a remake of a French movie called Force Mejeure and it tells the story of a married couple who is on a contentious vacation with their kids. At a lunch by the lodge they see an Avalanche come near them, and Pete (Ferrell) runs away while Billie (Dreyfus) protects their kids. This predictably causes strife in their marriage and forces both of them to really think  about what they want in life.

So for pretty much the whole movie we get a lot of awkward tension filled scenes with family and with people they meet. Similar to Uncut Gems it had you sweating in every scene but not in a good way like the Safdies showed. But at the end of the day this came down to the overall depth of the story and it just was not there.

Stock Watch

Stock Down – Will Ferrell

As much as I love him, his recent outings (coughs, Holmes and Watson) just are not up to par for his career. He is clearly past his prime, but I thought maybe he could transition into some more serious roles. This movie did not do him a ton of good, because it just was not a believable performance for me. He had great chemistry from Dreyfus but anytime he really had to go for it, I didn’t feel it.

Stock Neutral – Julia Louis-Dreyfus

I thought she had some great dramatic acting moments in this, but nothing like the work she has done on the TV screen. She obviously is one of the great TV comedians ever and this role tried to play into her strengths of awkward humor. I just do not think totally worked for me.

Who’s That Guy/Girl?

Miranda Otto – 60 IMDB Acting Credits

Otto is someone who I have seen on TV forever in Homeland, 24, and of course way back in the Lord of the Rings movies. But she was hysterical in this movie as Charlotte and honestly made me laugh harder than anyone, which is surprising considering the company.

*A couple other tidbits

• Zach Woods was hilarious as well in this and I hope he starts getting some bigger roles in movies.
• The slopes looked absolutely stunning the entire movie and made me want to just get on a flight to the alps.
• There is just so many cringeworthy moments in this that you might need to take a break.

As much as I love Ferrell and JLD and even the two directors, who I have seen on TV forever, this movie just did not get over the hump for me. I understand the moral and the tension, but there is just not enough to keep me interested throughout the entire movie.

Juice Rating:

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