April 22, 2026
DOWNHILL
By Doug Brunell | September 2, 2008
https://filmthreat.com/uncategorized/downhill/?fbclid=PAAaadnf-j5SNt-
_YUeil8yFIBQyRaSKNBySLLFyBqIOz_HXbwLvVirS6wfXY
Nobody is ever going to call “Downhill” a classic or even a great film, but I’m
going to go out on a limb and say it is a worthy dark comedy with moments of
pure genius. The problem is that it skirts that fine line between memorable and
utter garbage so precariously that you can… read the rest.
DOWNHILL
By Doug Brunell | September 2, 2008
https://filmthreat.com/uncategorized/downhill/?fbclid=PAAaadnf-j5SNt-
_YUeil8yFIBQyRaSKNBySLLFyBqIOz_HXbwLvVirS6wfXY
Nobody is ever going to call “Downhill” a classic or even a great film, but I’m
going to go out on a limb and say it is a worthy dark comedy with moments of
pure genius. The problem is that it skirts that fine line between memorable and
utter garbage so precariously that you can’t ever really be sure of which side it
has staked a claim. Considering that it was made for $1100 by film students
helps place it into the memorable column.
The plot is not exactly something we’ve seen before, and much of the action that
motivates it comes from left field, yet still fits. Jonah (Joe Gariffo) is a high school
student who loves two things: boxcar racing and Dana (Jessica Kienzle). Dana is
with another guy, but that doesn’t stop Jonah from making a bet (for $5.00) with
his best friend that he will be dating the girl very soon. How does he plan on
winning that bet and the girl’s heart? By murdering her boyfriend. As if that isn’t
enough, Jonah decides to kill anyone who blocks his path to true love.
Gariffo, quite simply, is Jonah. He plays the character exactly right. Bordering
between sympathetic and psychotic, you never know which side you are going to
see. The guy can’t fight (as witnessed at the beginning of the film in a hilarious
moment in a pool hall) and often screams like a girl when being attacked. His
friends are few and far between, but girls seem to find him tolerable. He’s in love
with a “slut” (who does nothing to dispel that label) while a perfectly suitable
female is right in front of his face. In other words, he’s the kind of confused
teenager we all were, but with a really sinister side that is quickly getting out of
control.
The film’s strengths are crippled with problems, however. The plot is often too
silly to actually work, but there are inspired segments so spot-on that it’s hard to
believe this is a first film. The actors, for the most part, are perfect for their roles,
though they all display that hint of amateurism that seems concomitant with this
type of budget and project. That said, it’s hard to picture a more seasoned actor
being able to pull off these moments with the same air of realism.
Action comedies are big right now, with “Pineapple Express” and “Tropic
Thunder” showing that there is an audience for them. “Downhill,” which was
made in 2006, takes action (most notably a group fight scene at the end involving
baseball bats, swords, tire irons and a gun) and comedy and combines it with a
nasty streak like that which can be found in “Heathers,” and makes it work ...
most of the time. The results aren’t often pretty, but when it works it makes you
think that with a few more films under their belts, these folks will be turning
heads.
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