Downhill review

Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are a couple on a European ski vacation with their 2 teenage boys. One day there is an avalanche, and Ferrell opts to grab his phone and run rather than protect his family. Things turn out okay (it was just a controlled avalanche that got a little out of hand, and nobody is hurt) but Ferrell's cowardice is still a natural disaster for his family.

This film is a really unpleasant thing to sit through. It's much more of a drama than the stars would imply, although that isn't the issue, as both are more than capable actors.

But I can't remember the last time I hated EVERY character in a film like this. Ferrell and JLD are both loathesome. The kids are insufferable brats. There are a couple of Ferrell's friends who show up for a while and they are both awful. The handful of resort workers we see are annoying.

The whole plot doesn't exist if there is just one simple conversation between the leads. But I never gave a damn if their marriage was saved. They don't seem to like each other to begin with.

The performances are not that good either. Ferrell kind of just does his dopey dad shtick in between a bunch of moping. And JLD is just unceasingly twitchy and shrill.

The film is a remake, and from what I've heard of the original it has to be way better. This isn't a funny movie, but it also doesn't have nearly the substance to overcome the lack of laughs.