TLDR: Windfall (2022)
The quarantine movies just keep coming.
Plot: A man breaks into a tech billionaire’s empty vacation home, but things go sideways when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last-minute getaway.
Performances: I turned this movie on for the cast: Jason Segel, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons. These three are like an All-Star team in our household. Well, I can’t exactly say that Taylor has any love for Jesse Plemons, but I think he’s great. This thriller has its usual twists and turns, but the real focus is the acting. All three give great performances with them all finding the qualities of their characters outside of their normal types: Jason’s impotance, Jesse’s prickliness, and, of course, Lily’s dominance. It’s fun to see them do things outside of their normal box.
Direction and Screenplay: Lily’s husband, Charlie McDowell (The One I Love, The Discovery) leads this one. Jason Segel pitched him this idea two months into lockdown as a quarantine-friendly project. He, Segel, and two others, Justin Lader and Andrew Kevin Walker, are credited as writers. Yes, this film has four writers for a 90 minute movie with four characters. They’ve put together a competent thriller with enough surprises to stand out. Many will find issue with the film’s resolution, but I thought it was justified and quite interesting.
Cinematography: DP Isiah Donté Lee uses natural light perfectly here. He not only uses it for the film’s uncomfortable naturalness, but as a great harbinger of time. For a film that is a ticking time bomb, you can feel the day turn to night turn to day with his excellent use of lights. I haven’t seen any of his other work, but this alone makes him one to watch.
Best moment: Anything with the gardener.
Fun fact: Jesse Plemons wears YEEZY 500s. It’s a sight to see.
Imaginary accolade: 2022 Movie Where the Funniest Moment in the Movie Is Actually Just When They Watch a Scene From Another Movie
Everything is too long. Is it too long? Nope! 92 minutes!
Rating: Three and a half Yeezys out of five.
Credit: Plot synopsis from Letterboxd via TMDb.
