Stylish, clever, but ultimately inconsistent
As the two men start to get to know one another, they quickly realize that their differences are only a surface level. The wife is beautiful and wealthy, while the tech mogul is a control freak who can’t help but be impressed by her. But as they get closer, they begin to realize that their differences may not be so different after all. The wife is actually quite lonely and has been searching for someone to share her life with. The tech mogul may have been too busy building his empire to find time for a wife, but he has found someone who can make him happy- his beautiful and wealthy wife.
The film’s premise is a little too convoluted to be fully understood from the get-go, but once it’s revealed that the main character, a struggling writer (Jason Segel) has won a large sum of money in a lottery, his life takes on an entirely new meaning. He must now find ways to use the money quickly and without causing too much trouble for those around him. The film does well in its early moments as Segel sells his story convincingly and Collins is a strong presence as his wife. However, McDowell struggles to keep the story moving and by the end it feels like he was just trying to cram in as many plot points as possible without really explaining anything.
When the CEO and Wife are kidnapped while on vacation, Nobody is the only one who knows how to handle a hostage situation. He decides to barricade them in their sauna to give himself a head start before they can raise the alarm. But when the thief spots a security camera that has recorded his every move, the stakes become significantly higher. ..
The CEO of a company agrees to take five-hundred thousand dollars in cash to run away and start a new life, but he has one condition: the money must be delivered within 24 hours. If his assistant doesn’t bring the money within that time, the CEO will have to leave and start all over again. This is an intense and dangerous situation, as resentments and alliances could quickly form if the CEO is not able to get the money before his assistant does.
In Windfall, McDowell takes on a unique and often confounding story about a group of people who are suddenly given an enormous windfall. Though the money is good, the people who receive it are not so lucky. As they try to figure out what to do with it, they find themselves in conflict with each other and with the government. This is a complex and compelling film that will leave you thinking long after its final credits have rolled.
The film is set in the fictional town of West Egg on Long Island, and follows the story of a group of criminals who rob a local bank. While the film does have a straightforward heist plot, it is also full of social commentary on wealth and power. The characters are well-drawn and the dialogue is engaging, making for an enjoyable watch.
The film is probably most effective as a suspenseful, old-fashioned thriller. The director’s classic noir influences are evident in his visual texture and perspective, which create an impressively cinematic style not just for a Netflix feature, but for the genre itself.
The setting and small cast create an air of oppressive dread, despite arising from practical necessity as opposed to artistic choice. ..
“The whole idea of how to make this film and just what we wanted to explore in the film came out of the restrictions of shooting at this time,” McDowell told Hollywood Reporter. ..
The four friends, Jason Segel, Justin Lader, Andrew Kevin Walker and myself got together on a Zoom camera to write and shoot a short film in one location. We pitched the idea to the crew and they loved it. We kept the cast small and the crew small by shooting the film in one location.
Regardless, the story works. Not only does this bare-bones storytelling intensify the suspense of the situation, it reinforces some of Windfall’s key themes - privacy, seclusion, and celebrity status - as potential vulnerabilities and luxury lodgings become a prison. Apparently, being a billionaire isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. ..
The film does not seem to have a clear focus, with the middle third feeling unnecessarily slow and the climax being too explosive. However, just as the film seems to be losing its momentum, it ramps back up again for an explosive twist ending some viewers will love, others hate, and none will expect.
On the other hand, the film’s rushed and choppy editing feels like it could have been tightened up for a more polished product. Additionally, some of the more outlandish plot points (like Nobody’s sudden transformation into a murderous psychopath) feel like they were shoehorned in simply to pad out the running time. Nevertheless, Windfall is an entertaining and often hilarious ride that will leave audiences eager for its sequel. ..
Segel’s portrayal of Nobody as a fumbling, decidedly un-hardened criminal introduces a whole other layer of uncertainty and intrigue to the psychological standoff with viewers never quite sure of the threat being posed. Is it all just a bluff? Or could Nobody’s obvious inexperience and unrehearsed gamer plan make him all the more dangerous?
The game provides much of Windfall’s humor. A ransom negotiation between Nobody and CEO is, for example, mined for absurdity as Nobody’s arbitrary and increasingly frustrated demands are slyly ridiculed by the billionaire (“One hundred and fifty thousand?” CEO condescends. “You’re going to blow through it like that.”). ..
Despite its many strengths, Windfall ultimately falls short in its execution. The humor is often dry and the characters are one-dimensional, resulting in an overall lack of emotional resonance. In addition, the plot twists are often predictable and the social commentary is superficial at best. ..
The CEO, wife, and nobody in particular have potential but unfortunately become less interesting as they become more known. The details of their lives and personalities are not very interesting, which makes them less interesting to read.
Thematically, Windfall feels like it’s missing a lot of the nuance that makes good stories great. For example, there’s not much room for ambiguity when characters are unequivocally awful (CEO), anachronistic Stepford Wives (Wife), or mouthpieces for the film’s vague, working-class politics (the self-righteous Nobody). This makes it difficult to care about what happens to them, as we’re instead left with a one-dimensional view of characters who are only interesting because they’re bad.
Though Windfall falls short of its potential, there’s still a lot to like about this off-centre, tightly wound ride. Steadily enjoyable (if not entirely memorable) and far more sophisticated than the average Netflix original, Windfall is best enjoyed when not taken too seriously. But like the lifestyle of a billionaire, below the surface is an unfortunate case of style over substance.
A windfall ending is a situation in which a person or organization receives an unexpected financial benefit, typically as a result of an event such as a sale, investment, or lottery win. In some cases, the windfall can be large enough to change someone’s life for the better.
