'Windfall' A Review

Windfall is a home invasion thriller about a mysterious man "Nobody"(Jason Segel) who breaks into the vacation home of tech billionaire "CEO"(Jesse Plemons) and "the wife"(Lily Collins). Nobody is caught when preparing to leave after squatting for an unspecified amount of time when he then takes the couple "hostage" although he does not have a weapon nor behaves particularly threateningly. The trio spend the next day and a half together as CEO attempts to get cash delivered per Nobody's demand. The three meander around the property and talk while they wait.

Plemons gives it his all and that's commendable, he's an amazing talent but despite all his effort the character comes off as mostly flat and misses whatever satirical mark aimed for. Collins is given very little to do which is unfortunate, she has talent and she has presence, but here she is relegated to some regressive trophy wife role, which, even if realistic in some broader societal sense, is unjustified in its inclusion within the narrative. Segel, who has is charms, is in full on brood mode and it simply does not work. He is clearly trying very hard to be mysterious and layered but the result doesn't go beyond middle school truculence. All in all, not a fault of the cast but the script, the characters are boring. Like their "names" they speak in vagaries with the intent of allegory or satire but the result is simply muddled uncompelling ineffective storytelling.

The location, at least, is quite striking and there is a pleasing crispness to some of the production elements however the script is painful, pretentious, psuedo artistic, unrealistic, meandering and just all around immature. The tension, such as it is, is so devoid of stakes and so detached from reality it is no surprise it was conceived by a group of privileged white men who, ultimately(or at least apparently), have no real knowledge of socio-economics or class, who have never been in a situation of real threat or violence. Director/co-writer Charlie McDowell recreates many of the irritates from his previous movie The One I Love ie unlikeable/unreal characters engaging in protracted sophomoric discussion while unjustifiably meandering around a relatively nice rental property. In the end the question is what does it offer? And unfortunately the answer is virtually nothing. There is no insight, there is no truth, there is no action, there is no pleasure to be had. 

It fails as art because it tries to hard to be that, it fails as entertainment because nothing much actually happens.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.