Abe Fried-Tanzer reporting from Sundance
Any time a foreign film is truly successful, there seems to be almost instantaneous talks of either a remake or a TV series coming soon for American audiences. Parasite is considering the latter and last year at Sundance, After the Wedding was a hot ticket, adapted from the 2006 Danish film. There was some skepticism when it was announced that the uncomfortable Swedish comedy Force Majeure, nominated for a Golden Globe and well loved here at The Film Experience, was getting an American treatment, but surprise: this remake is worth the price of admission...
The central premise of this film is the same as the original: Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Pete (Will Ferrell) are vacationing at a European ski resort with their two children. When what appears to be an avalanche starts rolling towards them during an outside meal, Billie shields her sons, while Pete grabs his phone and bolts. When the snow clears and it turns out to have been nothing, the awkwardness sets in as Pete tries not to look his wife in the eye and her anger builds that his first instinct was to abandon his family.
The casting of Ferrell makes the leading male role inherently more comedic, but he proves a great fit. Louis-Dreyfus is particularly fantastic, freed from years of playing a terrible human being on Veep and permitted to move to rage through legitimate provocation. If the camera had focused solely on her face for the entirety of the film, it would have been worth it for her facial expressions alone. It’s also fun to see Kristofer Hivju, who played a key supporting part in the Swedish film, in a small role, and Miranda Otto steals all of her scenes as the overly friendly and very European hotel concierge.
In addition to picking apart the complexities of marriage, Downhill superbly critiques American sensibilities, like the tendency to demand compensation when things don’t go well. Ultimately, humor is the goal here, and that’s achieved spectacularly, thanks in no small part to the smart enlisting of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the directing duo behind the hilarious The Way, Way Back. This film may well create arguments between couples, but it’s an entertaining and fully worthwhile remake.
Downhill opens in theaters on Valentine's Day, 2020