|
|
|
|
|
There’s just something about the lives of the ultra-rich that the rest of us normal people find fascinating. We take it all in—from TV shows to tabloid photos—imagining what that life must be like. But when one man decides to experience it for himself in Netflix’s Windfall, nothing goes as expected.
Windfall explores the life of the super-rich with a typical nobody of a guy (Jason Segel), who breaks into a tech billionaire’s secluded retreat and makes himself at home. But just when he’s grabbed a Rolex and some cash and is about to wander off, his home invasion is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of the owner and his wife (Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins). And instead of making a quick getaway, he finds himself stuck in the middle of nowhere with a couple of rich hostages, whose lives clearly aren’t as perfect as they’re supposed to be.
As this awkward intruder tries to figure out what to do with his captives, he quickly learns a lot about the couple and their lives as this difficult situation brings out their character and puts a strain on their relationship. Jesse Plemons plays his character with perfect arrogance and condescension. He almost revels in the opportunity to show this worthless nobody how rich and powerful he truly is. His wife, meanwhile, is frustrated by her lack of a voice in their marriage—that every aspect of her life seems to be ruled by her husband. It’s clear that they rarely see eye to eye, which plays out in some comical ways—as in the moment when they decide that the amount of money their intruder requested is not nearly enough for him to start a new life, so they debate each other to determine the necessary amount.
Despite its humorous moments though, Windfall is more than just a comedy. From the beginning, it’s set up like a classic thriller, its score and filmmaking style feeling more like something from an old Hitchcock film than a Netflix original. That gives it an eerie tone from the beginning that makes everything feel perfectly precarious. Even through the intruder’s bumbling and the couple’s debates and the moments where very little happens at all, viewers will be waiting for that moment when everything spirals out of control. And though, when those dark twists do come, they may not be entirely surprising, but they do bring this quiet thriller to a fitting end.
Windfall may not exactly be an action-packed film, but everything works together to make it a classic-feeling thriller with the right touches of humor. It’s an eerie way to spend a Friday night at home.
You can watch Windfall on Netflix starting on March 18, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
|
|
|
|
