Perfect Netflix Original Comedy Thriller Has Everything Go Wrong

By Robert Scucci
| Published 13 seconds ago

I’m fortunate enough at this point in my life to have never experienced a break-in. I’ve never had intruders in my home, and I’ve never been in a desperate enough position to be an intruder myself. After watching 2022’s Windfall, billed as a Netflix Original even though production was completed before the streaming giant acquired distribution rights, I think this is exactly how I’d handle a break-and-entering if I belonged to either party, for reasons I’ll get into shortly.

Windfall is often described as a Hitchcockian crime thriller, and that isn’t an incorrect assessment. It has all the beats you’d expect from that description, but the label alone tragically undersells just how funny this movie actually is. About 10 minutes in, I stopped feeling tense altogether because I realized it plays far better when treated as a dark comedy above anything else.

If you decide to stream Windfall, I strongly recommend going in with that expectation. It gets dark, sure, but Jason Segel and Jesse Plemons bring their absolute A game by playing everything completely straight while navigating one of the most ridiculous hostage situations I’ve seen in a hot minute.

A Simple Setup So We Can Immediately Escalate

Windfall begins with Jason Segel’s character, simply billed as Nobody because his name is never mentioned once in dialogue. Nobody takes his sweet time getting the lay of the land on what’s revealed to be the sprawling compound belonging to Jesse Plemons’ character, billed only as CEO, and his Wife, portrayed by Lily Collins. Nobody raids the fridge, pees in one of the many showers, eats a fresh orange straight from a tree, and then gets down to business by searching for cash and valuables before planning to leave for good. It’s a simple break-and-enter sequence that’s intentionally prolonged because Nobody is absolutely awestruck by the property he’s stealing from.

Those plans get derailed quickly when the CEO and his Wife arrive unexpectedly. Nobody assumed they’d be gone for the entire day, which completely torpedoes his exit strategy. With the B&E now escalated into a hostage situation, the stakes are suddenly much higher. Nobody locks them in the CEO’s sauna and flees, only to return after realizing a hidden camera in a tree outside the property has documented his crime. Now he has to deal with the tape. Unfortunately for Nobody, the CEO and his Wife have already escaped the sauna by the time he returns. He manages to recapture them, but the situation has escalated further, and his demands grow now that he understands just how serious his predicament really is.

Here’s what makes Windfall a cut above your typical home invasion plot. Nobody is not a criminal. Or, if he is, he’s certainly not a good one. His planning never went beyond stealing some cash and bouncing, and he never considered the possibility that he’d actually cross paths with CEO or his Wife. As for why Nobody chose this specific house, we get the familiar explanation. The CEO invented an algorithm that helps companies downsize their staff, making him a multi billionaire, while people like Nobody face poverty because the algorithm deemed roles like his redundant.

Where Windfall really earns its status as a comedy is in the dynamic between Nobody, CEO, and Wife. Nobody is constantly on edge because he’s in way over his head, holding two incredibly wealthy and very public figures hostage in their own home. The CEO, on the other hand, is visibly bored by the entire ordeal. Nobody doesn’t even have his own gun, and CEO carries himself with the kind of confidence reserved for people who almost certainly have security details nearby even when you can’t see them. He smirks his way through the situation as Nobody digs himself deeper into disaster. Things get even more amusing when the Gardener (Omar Leyva) shows up to put in a full day’s work.

Segel and Plemons’ relationship is inherently antagonistic in Windfall, yet it constantly feels like they’re on the verge of broing down. CEO is suspiciously chill about the home invasion unfolding around him, and it creates a bizarre tonal tension that’s endlessly watchable. The stakes are obviously high, but everyone remains, at least on the surface, oddly polite as they bunker down and plan their next moves.

Watch It As A Comedy

Jesse Plemons yelling “no more running” after being chased through an orange grove by Jason Segel, and Jason Segel agreeing with him, is why you should call Windfall a comedy. Jason Segel struggling to figure out how to handle the Gardener while Jesse Plemons and Lily Collins silently facepalm in the other room is why you should call Windfall a comedy. Both men tensely watching The Three Amigos on an outdoor projector while waiting for the next day’s cash drop, as Lily Collins quietly laughs along, is why you should watch Windfall as a comedy.

I’m not saying Windfall isn’t a perfect Hitchcockian crime thriller by any stretch, but what kept me watching was how fully its comedic opportunities are realized and embraced. From the upbeat score to Jason Segel’s borderline Looney Tunes approach to robbing a tech billionaire, there’s a lot to enjoy here precisely because the film refuses to stay locked in the crime thriller lane. It’s far funnier than it has any right to be, and for that reason alone, it’s worth your time.

Windfall is streaming on Netflix.