A man (Jason Segal) breaks into a billionaire’s remote vacation home only to have his plans go sideways when the owner and his wife (Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins) arrive.
Windfall is a stripped down neo-noir hostage drama that is well acted and clever despite its tonal imbalances and simplistic scripting.
It had such potential to pull off a minimalist Hitchcockian thriller, but instead fizzles out into a clunky character study. I wanted to be thrilled. But instead I just sort of waited it out, just like the characters to get to the finale, which despite its total unexpectedness is satisfying for the most part.
What did keep me invested in Windfall is its powerful score (something that is super reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Vertigo) and performances.
The ensemble does a solid job despite its shallow script. It’s nice to see Lily Collins expand outside of her vapid Emily in Paris role she’s become known for and it’s just nice to see Jason Segel on screen again. It’s been a hot minute. But Jesse Plemons just acts circles around them all. If that’s any shocker.
Overall, Windfall could have been so much more than what it was. I kind of wish this film got a “do over” chance.
But I guess we’re not that lucky.
Final Thoughts: Windfall has a lot of potential put falls flat. If you’re looking to be thrilled, pass on this.
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