Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other.
An American expat tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.
Director:
Guy Ritchie
Stars:
Matthew McConaughey,
Charlie Hunnam,
Michelle Dockery
A searing look at a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful executive. As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position.
Director:
Kitty Green
Stars:
Julia Garner,
Matthew Macfadyen,
Makenzie Leigh
"Til death do us part" wasn't nearly long enough for Max and Abby as his ghost returns to help her get over him. But with a second chance to be together, neither will ever want to say goodbye again.
Director:
Faleena Hopkins
Stars:
Patrick Zeller,
Faleena Hopkins,
Frances Mitchell
A long time ago in a distant fairy tale countryside, a young girl leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.
Director:
Oz Perkins
Stars:
Sophia Lillis,
Samuel Leakey,
Charles Babalola
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. Inspired by the motion picture FORCE MAJEURE by Ruben Östlund.Written by
Fox Searchlight Pictures
IN A NUTSHELL:
Inspired by the 2014 Swedish movie Force Majeure by Ruben Ostlund, this depressing comedy is directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Jesse Armstrong helped them write the English version of the aftermath of a family who experienced a brush with an avalanche while on a ski vacation. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month and is being released by Searchlight, with the previous name of Fox missing from the title since the Disney purchase.
I love movie titles with double meanings, but in this case, it's not a good thing. While the movie features a family on a downhill ski trip in the Alps, the title of the film best describes the direction the marriage is going in throughout their adventure. Timed perfectly for a Valentine's Day release, it really isn't the fun rom-com you're thinking it should be with comedy giants Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In fact, it's a bit of a DOWNer for the most romantic day of the year.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Crude language, profanity, F-bombs
Talk of being nude in a spa
Talk of intimate relationships.
A woman tries to pleasure herself.
Alcohol, bad drunken behavior
THEMES:
"Every day is all we have." - Pete (Will Ferrell)
Relationships, marriage, perceptions of other people's relationships
Expectations
Survival
Family
Live for self or live for others
Aging
Identity
THINGS I LIKED:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was outstanding in her role. She is a talented comedienne who is very believable in a drama too. The nuances on her face were perfect and spoke volumes.
My husband and I saw the movie together and both felt sorry for Will Ferrell's character, who is a complete wuss during the story. My husband was especially frustrated that the character was never able to quite redeem himself.
Miranda Otto, who plays Charlotte, will look familiar to you but you won't quite know where you've seen her before. Suddenly, you'll remember it was in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers franchise where she played Eowyn. Her character in this movie doesn't have an ounce of integrity like Eowyn did in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Fans of The Office: The Complete Series will get a kick out of seeing Zach Woods. What's funny is his character's name is Zach in this movie.
When Kirstofer Hivju first appeared on the screen in the movie, you could immediately tell there were Game of Thrones:Season 1-2 fans in the audience. There were some laughs and even a few quiet cheers, as his character, Giantsbane, was always a fan favorite.
When the movie ended, the lady sitting behind me in the theater said, "That's it?" but I actually thought it was an insightful ending.
You get to see some beautiful Austrian mountains.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I haven't seen the original movie that this is modeled after, but everyone who has, says the first one is sooo much better.
Sooooo much bickering. That's neither enjoyable, nor funny.
It definitely needed more humor to balance out the drama and depressing moments.
The actors who played the sons did a good job, but they sure aren't like most realistic, rambunctious boys that age that I know. Instead, these boys are super mellow. They're played by Julian Grey and Ammon Jacob Ford.
Lots of awkward moments.
You can see my full movie review on Movie Review Mom (dot) com and on my Movie Review Mom YouTubee channel.
7 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
IN A NUTSHELL: Inspired by the 2014 Swedish movie Force Majeure by Ruben Ostlund, this depressing comedy is directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Jesse Armstrong helped them write the English version of the aftermath of a family who experienced a brush with an avalanche while on a ski vacation. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month and is being released by Searchlight, with the previous name of Fox missing from the title since the Disney purchase.
I love movie titles with double meanings, but in this case, it's not a good thing. While the movie features a family on a downhill ski trip in the Alps, the title of the film best describes the direction the marriage is going in throughout their adventure. Timed perfectly for a Valentine's Day release, it really isn't the fun rom-com you're thinking it should be with comedy giants Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In fact, it's a bit of a DOWNer for the most romantic day of the year.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Crude language, profanity, F-bombs Talk of being nude in a spa Talk of intimate relationships. A woman tries to pleasure herself. Alcohol, bad drunken behavior
THEMES:
"Every day is all we have." - Pete (Will Ferrell) Relationships, marriage, perceptions of other people's relationships Expectations Survival Family Live for self or live for others Aging Identity
THINGS I LIKED:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was outstanding in her role. She is a talented comedienne who is very believable in a drama too. The nuances on her face were perfect and spoke volumes. My husband and I saw the movie together and both felt sorry for Will Ferrell's character, who is a complete wuss during the story. My husband was especially frustrated that the character was never able to quite redeem himself. Miranda Otto, who plays Charlotte, will look familiar to you but you won't quite know where you've seen her before. Suddenly, you'll remember it was in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers franchise where she played Eowyn. Her character in this movie doesn't have an ounce of integrity like Eowyn did in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Fans of The Office: The Complete Series will get a kick out of seeing Zach Woods. What's funny is his character's name is Zach in this movie. When Kirstofer Hivju first appeared on the screen in the movie, you could immediately tell there were Game of Thrones:Season 1-2 fans in the audience. There were some laughs and even a few quiet cheers, as his character, Giantsbane, was always a fan favorite. When the movie ended, the lady sitting behind me in the theater said, "That's it?" but I actually thought it was an insightful ending. You get to see some beautiful Austrian mountains.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I haven't seen the original movie that this is modeled after, but everyone who has, says the first one is sooo much better. Sooooo much bickering. That's neither enjoyable, nor funny. It definitely needed more humor to balance out the drama and depressing moments. The actors who played the sons did a good job, but they sure aren't like most realistic, rambunctious boys that age that I know. Instead, these boys are super mellow. They're played by Julian Grey and Ammon Jacob Ford. Lots of awkward moments.
You can see my full movie review on Movie Review Mom (dot) com and on my Movie Review Mom YouTubee channel.