The opening credits and the sepia-type filter on the new film, “Windfall” streaming on Netflix gives you the sense of an old Hollywood thriller. When I settled in to watch Charlie McDowell’s latest, I hoped I might be getting something with a bit of a Hitchcockian flavor, but the credits were basically the end of that hope.
The movie begins promisingly, starting with a man (Jason Segal) meandering around a beautiful country home. We watch him quietly drinking fresh orange juice while sitting in the same orange grove, lounging in the simple elegance of the lovely home, sitting behind an elegant desk. We realize that he is not the owner of the home, but rather a burglar about to make his escape, just as the silence is broken when the wealthy CEO (Jesse Plemons) and his wife (Lily Collins) show up unexpectedly.
The setup here is fine. Burglar surprised in the act is a fairly common movie theme. Unfortunately, this movie felt like it couldn’t quite decide how it wanted this to unfold.
At first, it’s a little bit of a comedy. The burglar is just there for money, so his attempts to be threatening are largely underwhelming. The CEO has amassed his fortunes by being level headed, so he manages to keep his cool through the entire process. They locate all of the money stashed at the house, and send him on his way, only for the burglar to notice a security camera discreetly tucked away in a tree as he’s leaving. He returns, and there is a scene where the three of them hash out what an appropriate amount of money would be to escape. Not too little, but not too much to be able to carry or to trigger suspicion. The conversation is amusing, to be sure.
And then the tone shifts, and this was my problem with the movie, because I never felt like I knew what it was trying to do. While a stark shift from light comedy to thriller is something that can be engaging and interesting, it takes a deft hand to be able to pull that off seamlessly, and this never quite worked for me.
Another thing that struck me was the decision not to name any of the characters. I’m fine with this technique, because it can allow them to become almost caricatures, rather than real people. But again, this felt more like flash than substance, because the movie seemed to me to be unable to decide if the characters were blank slates or if they were to be fleshed out.
The performances from the four actors were all good, there just didn’t seem to be much substance for them to work with.
When the movie was over, I felt unsatisfied. The message was weak, the characters were uninspired, the story was forgettable. There wasn’t really a windfall for any of the characters in the movie, and honestly, I don’t think there is for any of the viewers either.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
