Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus fall apart in tense remake Downhill, the latest in a long line of comedies about romance that aren’t particularly romantic
Q: When is a
comedy about romance not a romantic comedy? A: When it focuses on a married couple.
American audiences can find a case in point this weekend with Downhill, a Hollywoodized remake of the Swedish masterwork Force Majeure, both of which join a nuclear family headed for meltdown. They share an inciting incident that sees the paterfamilias (Will Ferrell, in the newer version) abandoning his wife (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and children during what appears to be an avalanche, while he grabs his phone and runs for cover. This “every man for himself” reaction leads to a series of awkward, painful confrontations between the spouses once it’s clear that the “avalanche” was a controlled test and everybody’s safe.