Film Review: Downhill Skis Down The Slopes of Marital Woes
I am, actually, surprised by Downhill. The minute you say Julia Louis Dreyfus and Will Ferrell, you have me giggling. They are two of the funniest actors in Hollywood, but, like many good comedians, they can play drama. Hence, my surprise is how they both don’t shy away from the serious tragedies and troubles of feeling like you don’t want to be married anymore.
Usually, when we see films about a marriage falling apart, we think of rage like, the end of a relationship is as clamorous and chaotic as Adam Driver punching a wall and telling ScarJo to die. While that can happen, directors and writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash focus on the other reason a marriage can hit tumultuous waters: boredom. When we meet Billie (Dreyfus) and Pete (Ferrell), they are not sinking as much as completely still in their marriage. Everything is routine, and while they are two good people, their flaws are gnawing at each other. Billie can be bossy and so set in her plans, and Pete can aloof, dismissive, and cowardly in terms of her needs for support and comfort. The latter flaw being the center of Downhill’s dilemma.
DOWNHILL | Official Trailer [HD] | FOX Searchlight
For 85 minutes the debate is set, did Pete leave his family to potentially die in an avalanche because A) he is a coward B) he is tired of them C) it was an animal instinct kicking in that put him in self-preservation mode. Yet, the ultimate debate is whether all those reasons matter, at least, to Billie who stayed with her kids in what felt like the last few minutes of their life. When we the married couple their whole life is a routine; with adventure feeling as wild as a family brochure and a drink with the sexually driven receptionist Charlotte, (played hilariously by Miranda Otto). Yet , nothing like a near-death experience to make you re-analyze your life and your marriage. The only problem is that Pete has had his long before “the avalanche.”
Ferrell is sad as Pete, and they say that most complimentary. He gives us the “Ferrell” moments of awkwardness and physical comedy. Yet, from the beginning, you feel his inner tiredness; as if you can see the wheels of depression turning in his mind as he says “Hi!” to people. He wants his life to be more exciting, but he is not exactly asking, showing, or even motivating his family to get excited. Meanwhile, Dreyfus is so fantastic as Billie; she exudes strength, determination, and her own sadness at not being to be appreciated or feel seen by her husband. Yet, the truth is they are not “seeing” each other. Thus, the success of Downhill is that it shows a marriage goes through downs, but, if two people work together, they can bring it back up. Downhill comes out on February 14.
