By Kathy Williams, Staff Writer
The movie, “Downhill,” was perfectly titled because that is exactly where this movie was heading. From a weak plot, jokes that chimed no laughs and weirdly timed sexual scenes, this movie missed multiple marks.
“Downhill,” is a dramatic-comedy film about a family that goes on a skiing vacation to the Alps. All is well until an avalanche strikes the family while they are getting food. Instead of staying with his wife and two kids to offer protection from the disaster, the father runs away for safety. This then sends the family to rethink how they feel about each other and reassess the family dynamics.
This movie featured a strong cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus played the wife Billie, Zach Woods played a supporting character named Zach and Will Ferrell played the father named Pete. It was written by Jesse Armstrong, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. It was also directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. This movie is also inspired by the motion picture, Force Majeure.
The whole movie was supposed to be centered around coping with a traumatic event. The event of the avalanche was so anticlimactic it had those watching asking themselves, “Is that it?” It happens early in the movie so for the rest of the time there were feelings of boredom.
In theory, “Downhill” could have been an inspiring movie to highlight family struggles. During some serious moments this was shown. When Billie finally confronted Pete about her true feelings about what happened during the avalanche, the conversation at hand could be relatable for viewers watching. The ending also showed the rebuilding of family relationships that could leave viewers inspired. However, those watching would have to endure a lot of poorly scripted scenes in order to enjoy only a few shining moments.
One issue with the film is that it featured some highly sexual moments that were not needed. These scenes barely contributed to the plot and were just hard to watch. Billie tries to rediscover herself through her sexuality, but the scenes were so awkward that it left viewers feeling uneasy. They should have been either redone to add value to the film or completely left out.
The movie’s soundtrack was impressive. It featured music composed by Academy Award nominee Volker Bertelmann. The strings of the orchestra could have created various atmospheric moods, but they were poorly placed. The movie would go from times of silence to the aggressive sounds of strings, therefore feeling out of place.
“Downhill” did not combine the comedy and drama aspects well. The comedy parts were lackluster, which is surprising coming from comedy star Ferrell. The high expectations for humor from him fell very short.
Ferrell usually rises to his comedy standards. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes and won the American Comedy award in 2014. Some popular comedy movies he was featured in include “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” the movies in the “Anchorman” series and “Stepbrothers.” His acting in “Downhill” does not compare to his acting abilities shown in his previous movies.
“Downhill” did not meet the expectations set. Despite having a strong cast, it simply did not perform. It is a movie that will not be remembered for anything other than how disappointing it was.
williakp18@bonaventure.edu
