5.1 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
A family on a winter vacation is rattled in the aftermath of a diverted avalanche during which the father behaved cowardly. A remake of the 2014 Swedish film "Force Majeure".
Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Will Ferrell, Zach Woods, Zoe Chao, Miranda OttoComedy | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
We live in a world seemingly increasingly consigned to various forms of categorization, whether that be what side of the political aisle you may choose to be on, or what your particular sexual preference might be. It goes on and on, a snowball of sorts building to a sort of “identity this” and “identity that” avalanche, and in that regard, I wonder in passing if Downhill suffered from just such an attempt at categorization, and therefore didn’t really get any traction either in the critical class (but you know how they can be) or perhaps more importantly with ticket buying customers simply because it’s one of those films that is not easily pigeonholed. This became evident even before I saw the film, when I started seeing promotional material for it either at cineplexes or on television. With two marquee stars like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell, it might be reasonably assumed that Downhill would be some kind of comedy, and in fact a lot of the promotional material seemed to emphasize some of the more buffoonish moments, as in a pratfall Louis-Dreyfus takes out of a bathroom stall. But even these short snippets seen in coming attractions trailers and television ads seemed to suggest there was some kind of melancholic undertow to the film, and that in fact is the case. Downhill is neither a traditional comedy — though it has some undeniably laugh out loud moments — nor a traditional drama — though it offers some rather cogent insight into how married couples perceive each other, and as such it was probably an incredibly hard sell for whatever marketing team was hired to hawk it to prospective audiences. This probably isn’t a home run, but for fans of Ferrell and Louis-Dreyfus, as well as those who like their comedy on the dark, often awkward feeling, side, Downhill may provide some unexpected pleasures.
Downhill is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment* with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Kind of
strangely, I haven't been able to track down much if any technical data on the shoot, other than some online articles where cinematographer Andy
Cohen expresses a preference for RED cameras; that said, the closing credits list camera rentals were handled by Arri (which might suggest but doesn't
necessarily guarantee an Arri camera). At any rate, I'm assuming this was digitally captured and finished at a 2K DI. The results are very good all
around, with some sumptuous outdoor vistas offering really substantial depth of field, and secure contrast managing to delineate between various
shades of white when the characters are out on the slopes. A lot of the fine detail comes courtesy of the various outerwear the characters have on, and
some of the palette, notably Pete's deceased father's bright yellow ski cap, or a later furry green hat a woman at a lodge wears, pops with considerable
authority. The film probably unavoidably tends to emphasize cool tones a lot of the time. I noticed no compression issues at all.
*I mentioned in our recent Underwater Blu-ray review how I
assumed that that would be the last official 20th Century Fox title I'd be reviewing, since The Call of the Wild 4K was branded with the "new, improved" 20th Century Studios moniker, and that disc
carried Disney/Buena Vista distribution credits. Well, I lied. This Blu-ray only has the "old style" 20th Century Fox branding, though the disc itself
does have the frequent Disney authoring gambit of choosing a main language first before the menu appears.
Downhill features an enjoyable immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that derives good surround activity from expected moments like the thundering "almost fatal" avalanche, as well as some the hustle and bustle at various locations the characters visit. A late scene with Pete getting pretty drunk with Zach features some pounding trance music that emanates through the side and rear channels quite forcefully. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track.
Many of you are probably familiar with the "Karen" meme that has been proliferating, and I'd be prone to say that if Billie weren't named Billie in this film, she might very well be the paradigm of what many think of as a "Karen". This is a peculiar film, to be sure, and my hunch is it's not going to appeal to those who want an out and out comedy. I laughed very heartily at several key moments in Downhill, but it was often laughter created by incredibly awkward interactions between people in general and a married couple in particular. I found Ferrell and Louis- Dreyfus quite winning, especially considering the fact that their characters are not exactly lovable. Technical merits are solid, and for those willing to take a chance on something a little different, Downhill comes Recommended.
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