In other unneeded remake news, domestic audiences are getting a new take on Force Majeure.
The 2014 Swedish black comedy Force Majeure about a husband who abandons his wife and kids to
save his own ass from an impending avalanche is currently being remade in the
United States less than a year after its theatrical debut here. In talks for the role of the wife whose anger
towards her husband’s momentary act of selfish cowardice is Seinfeld regular Julia
Louis-Dreyfus. Much like the comic
timing of Larry David, Force Majeure
is among the few imports perfectly suited to American sensibilities.
While I’m not fond of the idea of modern
classics of original works of cinema getting the US redux, as it tends to cater
to viewers not accustomed to reading subtitles through a film, I can see why
this tightrope walk of a movie between lighthearted humor and jet black
observations of marital strife would be getting remade with a popular comic
actress in the lead role. As far as
locations, that’ll also be interesting.
Hopefully whatever ski-resort they choose will be a real one and they
won’t have to resort to shameful CGI avalanches, as the original’s epic
snowfall looked every bit as real as the Alps they were filmed in. Like all of the countless movies, old and new,
being remade as modern cinematic experiences for American filmgoers, we shall
see if this will be a curse or a blessing in disguise.
Read our review of 2014's Force Majeure here.
-Andrew Kotwicki