On 18th March 2022, yet another dramatic thriller made its way to Netflix. The title of the movie is Windfall and is directed by Charlie McDowell and starring Jason Siegel, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons. The new film joins other recent Netflix releases such as Black Crab and The Weekend Away, the latter of which has been a great hit since its March 3 release date. Windfall appears to be the latest Netflix movie to generate a lot of anticipation and a big first weekend.
The writer and director of the film Charlie McDowell described the film as a “Hitchcockian thriller” where a rich tech billionaire and his wife walk into their vacation home for a quiet getaway. To their surprise they are not alone. They find that their home is amidst a robbery and then a series of events follow.
Plot
Besides being a thriller, the movie may also be termed as a home invasion film. The windfall cannot be termed as a straight-up thriller but rather has some suspenseful moments. The script seems quite tight and is familiar with the kind of thriller movies that we found in the 70s. The camera work is quite engaging and editing of the film is quite solid.
The movie opens with Jasen Siegel playing the role of nobody, entering into the vacation home. He makes himself feel like home and is seen drinking orange juice or sitting beside the pool or taking a piss into the shower. Something had happened with his character which caused him to what he does in the first place.
A few moments later enter the rich tech billionaire played by Jesse Plemons and his wife played by Lilly Collins enters the scene. They begin to have some quality time with one another but not later enough do they realize they are in the middle of being robbed. As it is in most of the robberies, the duo is tied up and has to abide by the rules of the robber.
The audience can here sense a range surrounding the elite or something of that sort. There are several philosophical questions that surround Jason Siegel and Lilly Collins’ character. At one point they might seem to be switching mentalities.
The first couple of acts are played quite realistically but then the film starts to go downhill. There are quite a few scenes where the director has tried to infuse humor but seems a bit flaky at his choice. There are moments where we see small talks happening between the trio.
They are seen talking about the Mad Helm movies or simply sitting around the fir or just having drinks or watching Three Amigos on a big screen. Scenes like these make the audience see them as close pals rather than hostages and a robber.
In some instances, it feels that the film is being pulled like chewing gum. One such scene was when the robber demanded millions from the CEO and he was explaining how it was impossible to just get millions and stack them into a bag. Even after that long explanation, they decided to have the money and it was explained how they would still have 36 hours to kill as logistics would take time.
Cast
You think you know Lily Collins, the star of Emily in Paris, but you don’t! The Golden Globe-nominated actress stars in one of Netflix’s finest guilty pleasure programme, and she’s back in the new thriller Windfall.
Lily Collins, who has appeared in films such as Emily in Paris, Mirror Mirror, To the Bone, The Mortal Instruments, and many more, is undoubtedly one of the prominent cast members. For their first endeavor together, Collins and her husband, Charlie McDowell, collaborated.
Nobody, also known as the robber, is played by Jason Siegel in the film. He has quite humorous scenes and plays a serious role which is quite different from what he has done in his previous films. He is able to bring the element of relatability into the movie. Freaks and Geeks, How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man, The Muppets, and more films and television programs have starred Siegel.
Jesse Plemons, an Academy Award contender, plays Collins’ character’s spouse in Windfall. Plemons got his start on Friday Night Lights and has since gone on to feature in films including Fargo, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Jungle Cruise, and Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
Conclusion
All in all, it can be said that the film had an outstanding cast and could have delivered a bit more. The ending was quite rash and did not make it quite worth a watch. It seems like much a Covid era movie without any mention of it as the writer decides to just have a cast of three and complete the film.
A few people might be disappointed with the pacing of the film. The movie could have flown a bit more smoothly and conversations could have been better. A bit here and there makes the audience think before watching it.
