Downhill

Downhill is best watched without having seen Force Majeure because the comparisons are so unflattering.

Downhill is a good example of a well-regarded foreign language film that translates badly as an American remake.

The film oversimplifies the complexities of the original, however contrived they might have been, and generally lacks Östlund's subtlety and plaintiveness.

Inexplicably, Ferrell is the weakest link, downplaying his character's blooming sense of insecurity despite a celebrated propensity for arialike tantrums. Why wasn't he allowed to go full Step Brothers?

For this to work, every nuance has to be just right -- and the lack of specificity here suggests that Faxon and Rash haven't much of their own to say about either long-term marriages or Americans abroad.

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.

We would all be much better off if the remake never happened and, as always, Julia Louis-Dreyfus deserves so much better.

Will Ferrell acts like Will Ferrell, only less so&#59; he’s not particularly funny, and his glum one-note portrayal goes well past the point of tedium. Those expecting a typical Will Ferrell comedy might want to recalibrate their expectations accordingly.

This is the worst film of 2020 because the film was painfully unfunny, which is made more painful because it featured Will Farrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus...

The team behind Downhill doesn’t seem to be burdened with the guiding principle to make things interesting or fresh. All you have is a set of endless scenes of surreal nonsense, pure jibber-jabber, and that’s like traveling on a gondola ride to nowhere.