Downhill (2020)

2020

86 mins

Directed by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
36%
14%
Comedy
Drama

Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus lead this holiday from hell black comedy, following events on the ski slopes after a... More

Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus lead this holiday from hell black comedy, following events on the ski slopes after a man's moment of cowardice in the face of an avalanche. Based on the 2014 Swedish comedy Force Majeure, with a screenplay by Succession's Jesse Armstrong, co-written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the Oscar-winning co-writers of The Descendants.

"Billie (Louis-Dreyfus), Pete (Ferrell), and their sons are on a balcony during an idyllic family ski vacation in the Alps when an avalanche suddenly strikes. While they all emerge physically unharmed, Pete’s actions during the avalanche reveal a side of him that leaves his family in a state of shock. The aftermath of this moment permeates the remainder of the trip, and the harder Pete tries to avoid the truth and gloss things over, the more Billie and her sons are forced to re-evaluate their lives and, more specifically, how they feel about Pete — as a husband, father, and man." (Sundance Film Festival)

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Where to watch Downhill (2020)

Downhill (2020) is available to stream in the United Kingdom... More now on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store.

There is no screening information for this title.

Downhill (2020) | Ratings & Reviews

36_%214 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
14_%2,373 reviews
Audience score rating

"It would be great to be able to talk about Downhill without dwelling so much on its source material but remaking Force Majeure with less tension is like remaking The Birds with less birds—people are going to be wondering why."

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Flicks

"A grating, gentrified mess that reflects Ugly Americanisms, both as a production and as cinematic narrative."

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FilmInk

"That the stars of Downhill are Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (otherwise known as Elaine from Seinfeld) tells you that Faxon and Rash aren’t aiming to replicate their source. Their film is nearly half an hour shorter, and lighter in every sense—but despite some promising elements, it never finds a viable identity of its own."

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Sydney Morning Herald

"Listen, if you walk into Downhill expecting a comedy, you'll be disappointed. And if you're hoping for a worthy remake of a great original, you'll be appalled. Seldom has a movie been more presciently named."

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Stuff

"This dreary and disconcertingly unfunny Hollywood knockoff of Sweden's brilliant Force Majeure wastes the talents of Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and leaves you feeling nothing."

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Rolling Stone

"What's that hurtling down the piste? Another rubbish US remake of a European art-house hit? Actually, no. This version of Force Majeure... isn't quite as wonderfully unsettling, but it's not far off."

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The Times

""Downhill" is a vacation-gone-wrong comedy that lives up to its ill-advised title."

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The New York Times

"One excruciating 11-minute confrontation aside, the conflicts in 'Downhill' lack the necessary messiness."

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Time Out

"The superficial characterisation of a miscast Will Ferrell doesn't help, but the more crippling issue is the filmmakers' fumbling grasp of tone in material that just seems a poor fit."

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Hollywood Reporter

"While Louis-Dreyfus fares well with the smaller moments, Ferrell doesn't quite convince with a performance that's forever threatening to break out into his more familiar showboat shtick."

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The Guardian

"The new movie is a teasing trifle with something real on its mind. But in its winking 86-minute way, it stays true to what gave "Force Majeure" its force."

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