Downhill is Will Ferrell’s best screen performance for a decade

IF you are expecting yet another goofy Will Ferrell comedy, think again. While funny, it is also steeped in poignancy and is his best screen performance for a decade.

In this remake of the excellent Scandi drama Force Majeure, Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are Pete and Billie Staunton on a ski holiday with their two kids.

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As the plot unfolds, a brief yet terrifying event causes the pair to question their loyalty and marriage.

What should have been a fun few weeks on the slopes becomes a drawn-out ordeal that any of us who have experienced a domestic on holiday can relate to.

The sniping, the gritted teeth, forced fun, kids who would rather be on the iPad, the finger-pointing . . . you know the drill.

Sprinkle with a surprise visit from a work colleague and you will be chewing the inside of your mouth out. While not holding a torch to the original – do seek it out if you can – I think this has been unfairly mauled (other critics have not enjoyed this very much).

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I laughed out loud throughout and enjoyed the chemistry the two leads share on screen. They are excellent. This is more Curb Your Enthusiasm than Elf and it is all the better for it.

A lot of that can be put down to the script co-written by Jesse Armstrong, the showrunner of Succession, on which Ferrell is executive producer.

But the cast made this bitter-sweet comedy dance for me.

Downhill (15) 86mins

★★★★☆

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