And quite a few things, from the subtextual complexity of its themes to the deliberately-meandering nature of its pace, get lost in translation. The supporting cast is given little to do, with Kristofer Hivju having little more than a cameo, although Zach Woods is very effective as a work friend of Ferrell’s who shows up in the midst of the drama. Sundance Film Review: Downhill Remakes Force Majeure to Understated Results Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ski and snipe in this melancholic twist on the Swiss hit Netflix’s fall programming includes Nurse Ratched’s return, Aaron Sorkin's latest feature, and a new Jurassic Park animated series. This review is part of our Sundance 2020 coverage. Downhill is showing at the Sundance film festival and will be released in the US on 14 February and in the UK on 28 February. They tiptoe around each other’s feelings, and the chilly Alpine air is already thick with unspoken resentments and Pete’s lingering grief over the death of his father eight months prior. The Pitch: Even before they take their kids on a ski vacation to the Alps, there’s already something off about the dynamic between American couple Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete (Will Ferrell). 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PLOT: A family’s ski vacation to the Alps turns disastrous when the father (Will Ferrell) has a cowardly moment he’s unable to fess up to, much to his wife’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) chagrin. Is this remake worthwhile? The snow dissipates harmlessly, but the damage to their relationship is already done, and Billie and Pete will have to deal with the fallout if their family is to survive. This review was filed from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 30th. It’s all about micro-aggressions, which Ferrell and Louis-Dreyfus play to the hilt: Pete’s excuses and frustrating lack of acknowledgment needle the increasingly-aggravated Billie, who then takes it out on Pete in passive-aggressive ways, and the two engage in a dark dance of marital tension that feels uniquely empathetic to the two of them. Under the Open Sky is a heartfelt redemption tale about an ageing ex-Yakuza struggling to turn his life around. Its Alpine setting and bleak tone seem absolutely calibrated for a Scandinavian mindset; it’s a blackly funny tragicomedy about an otherwise-enviable family unit torn asunder by repressed feelings, cell phones, and a man’s cowardice. Searchlight Pictures will release it on February 14. Both parents are shown to handle the incident in horrible ways that are initially played for laughs but eventually reveal a dark schism in the relationship that’s handled fairly seriously. ‘Downhill’ Review: An Unnecessary Remake of ‘Force Majeure’ with a Strong JLD Performance | Sundance 2020 by Matt Goldberg January 27, 2020 SHARE TWEET It’s a solid showcase for Ferrell and especially Dreyfus, and I’m sure folks who haven’t seen the original will find this fairly provocative for a mainstream comedy. Â This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here . There’s a brutal scene later on when she involves the kids in an argument that’s harsher than anything in the original. He’s not just a goofball as you might think by them casting Ferrell. Reviews Downhill Nick Allen February 14, 2020. Searchlight Pictures will release it on February 14. 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