Force Majeure Remake Downhill Double Entendre for Relationship on Skids

When you hear the names Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Will Ferrell, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, one immediately thinks of comedy in it’s craziest, funniest form.  Downhill is anything but funny.

A remake of 2014’s Force Majeure, which was nominated for Golden Globe, BAFTA and Film Independent Spirit Awards, Downhill chronicles a family ski vacation in the Alps gone terribly awry when an avalanche hits and the family barely escapes.  Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete (Will Ferrell) find their family life thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other.

The film title literally serves as a double entrendre for Billie, Pete and their sons as their marriage and everything they thought they stood for in each other is questionable and on the verge of going down hill into a slope of no return.

Ferrell and Louis-Dreyfus dramatic prowess is on display without a net and they are both well up to the task.  The uncomfortable vibe of their once jolly life is impressionable notable during scenes in the bathroom and an impromptu happy hour where Pete underplays the avalanche and its effects. By the time Pete, finally admits that his actions were inappropriate, you find yourself as audience member wondering if he is sincere or just saying what Billie wants to hear to save face and the family.

While the premise is intriguing it’s just not as shocking and intriguing as it predecessor warranting remake.  Nevertheless, fans of the stars will show up and show out when Downhill hits screens on Valentine’s Day produced by Searchlight Pictures.