Demolition

Name: Demolition
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: April 8, 2016
Duration: 101 min
Rating: 49
Cast: Chris Cooper, Heather Lind, Jake Gyllenhaal, Judah Lewis, Naomi Watts

2016

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 168 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 168 Ratings

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Demolition

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Movie Details & Credits

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: April 8, 2016 | R

Starring: Chris Cooper, Heather Lind, Jake Gyllenhaal, Judah Lewis, Naomi Watts

Summary: Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal), a successful investment banker, struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. Despite pressure from his father in law Phil (Chris Cooper) to pull it together, Davis continues to unravel. What starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns into a series of letters revealing startlingDavis (Jake Gyllenhaal), a successful investment banker, struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. Despite pressure from his father in law Phil (Chris Cooper) to pull it together, Davis continues to unravel. What starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns into a series of letters revealing startling personal admissions. Davis’ letters catch the attention of customer service rep Karen (Naomi Watts) and, amidst emotional and financial burdens of her own, the two form an unlikely connection. With the help of Karen and her son Chris (Judah Lewis), Davis starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew. [Fox Searchlight]… Expand

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 101 min

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Critic Reviews

Steve Persall

Apr 7, 2016

Vallée's movie itself begins falling apart after being so artfully put together. Yet Gyllenhaal's performance is the center that holds, making Davis' melancholic obsession and irrational acts seem like the sanest things anyone could do. His disintegration is the actor's triumph. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Sep 10, 2015

Gyllenhaal grounds Davis’ wildly unraveling psyche, finding both the humor and heart in a man who admits to having spent the past 10 to 12 years incapable of feeling. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Apr 7, 2016

Demolition, written by Bryan Sipe is, like director Jean-Marc Vallée’s previous films “Wild” and “Dallas Buyers Club,” a tale of interior repair sought through obsessive and near-penitential acts, but it’s stranger and at times more interesting than those other two. Read full review

Michael Phillips

Apr 7, 2016

Gyllenhaal certainly holds the screen; at this point in his career, he has found a way to rise above whatever needs rising above. But midway through Demolition, I longed for a sequel to "Nightcrawler" instead. Read full review

Anthony Lane

Apr 11, 2016

There is much to savor here, especially the unforced performance of Judah Lewis — one more recruit to the terrific roster of younger actors who are streaming into the movies. Yet the film lacks the courage of its affliction. Read full review

The Film Stage Daniel Schindel

Apr 6, 2016

Demolition might just be this year’s poster child for disaffected faux-indie insincerity. Read full review

The Playlist Kevin Jagernauth

Sep 10, 2015

The film’s attempted cathartic payoff is inauthentic and unearned, and it’s a shame considering that Gyllenhaal once again gives a committed turn. Read full review

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User Reviews

tpab

Apr 9, 2016

First off, I don't understand the bad critic reviews. The movie had a very original idea about a man that lost his wife but did not seem to realize it. The film had great foreshadowing so the directors added great details to marvel about. The comedy at times was strange but funny. The end ofFirst off, I don't understand the bad critic reviews. The movie had a very original idea about a man that lost his wife but did not seem to realize it. The film had great foreshadowing so the directors added great details to marvel about. The comedy at times was strange but funny. The end of the movie was cool because Davis Mitchell finally has emotion towards his wives death. I will certainly get this on dvd.… Expand

12 of 13 users found this helpful121

Stagger74

Jul 15, 2021

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》¡
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0 of 0 users found this helpful00

xXClutchDutchXx

Feb 10, 2020

Good film. My view varied between 7 and 8 a lot as it does take time to establish and set of a few points. If you don't enjoy the suttle building a dry humor then this movie might not be for you but I enjoyed it. Jake Gyllenhaal does it again.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

BrianMcCritic

Aug 28, 2016

The first half of this film really set a great tone that the second half doesn't quite live up to. All the performances were great I just felt the film lost some steam at the end. Still a good film though. B

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JunelKean

Jul 5, 2017

In “Demolition”, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a New York investment banker who becomes emotionally disturbed after he loses his beloved wife in a car accident. Everything becomes metaphorical after he demolishes many of his things including his house to then realize that he needs to rebuildIn “Demolition”, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a New York investment banker who becomes emotionally disturbed after he loses his beloved wife in a car accident. Everything becomes metaphorical after he demolishes many of his things including his house to then realize that he needs to rebuild himself.

Gyllenhaal continues his streak of terrific performances after “Southpaw” and “Nightcreawler”. The supporting actors include Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper who are also great, but the film lacks in story and the screenplay is convoluted. Moreover, it is easily forgotten through some mediocre scenes of the movie.

It is directed by Jean Marc-Vallèe who did “Dallas Buyers Club” with Matthew McConaughey and “Wild” with Reese Witherspoon which happens to be both movies that deal with human behavior and Oscar-worthy in performance categories. Demolition may not be as good as two of his films, but still, it offers an effective dark tone to dramedies.

VERDICT: At the end of the day, Demolition cannot decide what path it is going due to screenplay issues, but Gyllenhaal and his co-actors certainly hold praiseworthy performances.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NightReviews

Aug 23, 2016

Grief is a funny thing; its affects on people change not only the person experiencing such a powerful and life-altering emotion, but it changes the way people around you view you, and the choices people make around you. One of the many emotions and reflections that the film allowed me toGrief is a funny thing; its affects on people change not only the person experiencing such a powerful and life-altering emotion, but it changes the way people around you view you, and the choices people make around you. One of the many emotions and reflections that the film allowed me to analyze was, thankfully for myself, the lack of grief that I have had to experience in my life thus far, and the amount of grief stricken in the world around me, with numerous people who have directly dealt with lose first-hand in my life everyday.

Jean-Marc Vallée, the director of many heavy-handed drama films like C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria, The Dallas Buyers Club, Café de Flore and Wild, really loves to make movies with heavy use of symbolism. In his newest directorial effort, Demolition, the symbolism for the deconstruction of Davis’ life, played unflinchingly by the always stellar Jake Gyllenhaal, really doesn’t hold back its explicit nature. Living an overall numb life from the moment we meet him, Davis seems to live each and everyday with very little to almost no real, pure emotions. Rather, explaining the paths of his life with monotone vigour, including the timeline of his wife’s life, their meeting, and ultimately, her tragic death, Davis becomes avery difficult man to like, in all aspects of his life.

What’s funny about Demolition is, the film’s life begins with Julia’s (Heather Lind) death. In some of the very first and brief scenes of the film, we see Julia and Davis interact, almost as any other couple would; comfortable, passively and without much conviction. What starts off as a simple conversation in the car between husband and wife, quickly turns deadly, as the car is hit, Davis is bloody in a hospital waiting room with his in-laws Fil and Margot (Chris Cooper and Polly Draper) waiting on the news of his wife’s fate. As we see in the trailer, Julia never makes it. Fortunately for us, Vallée has an amazing way of allowing audiences to see an obscure and unexplored perspective on so many moments we come to expect to see in film, and turns them on its head. For example, after the news of Julia’s death, Davis makes his way into the operating room where his wife once laid. The room, empty and full of blood on the floors, white operating sheets and medical tools used to attempt to save her life, is one of the first very poignant images Vallée has become famous with offering, giving perspective on the very real images of life, more specifically, on a moment many people never really see or associate with death on a hospital bed; an empty bed with nothing but blood and shattered prayers.

As the early reviews of this film began to flood online after its initial premiere and choice as the opening night film for TIFF 40 in 2015, Demolition has seem to be one universally accepted film to divide people. Going into the film, I was wondering why. I mean, Gyllenhaal is one of the supreme acting forces of our young generation, Vallée is an excellent storyteller and director, and the supporting cast and crew is nothing short of talented, yet, the film, scripted by Bryan Sipe tells a very discombobulated tale of one many’s very operatic struggle to cope with one of two things; the death of his wife, or the realization that he was never in love with the woman he was married to. The film begins to show, not why, but, all the if’s in Davis’ life.

At times, do not get me wrong, Vallée’s film is nothing short of emotional. But the emotions cannot be ignored to being very manipulative, using scenes of loss and confusion to justify erratic behaviour of characters whose backstories are mostly absent to us. For one, Davis, we come to the understanding early, suffers from common emotional displays of affection and genuine love, yet, without spoiling the ending of the film, does offer many questions to the audiences. Why does he choose a path of destruction for answers? What are his obsessions with others? Why is he fascinated with certain people and not others? The film, which is suppose to be a very realistic, post-trauma film humanizing the loss and pain people feel during times of distress and disbelief, becomes a very segregated film about the pains and struggles about real people, living very real lives, doing very cinematically pleasing things. One of my biggest peeves with the film is showing too much about the stress and grief of Davis’ loss,and less with the understanding why he is like this, who he was before and what he was like when he was married.

Among his loss, Davis begins a courtship with a vending machine early on, well, maybe not with the machine itself, but with the people behind the operating and handling of the vending machine services. After a slew of personal letters that are suppose to help him express his emotions on paper, Davis begins writing personal complain letters to Champion Vending due to the lack of delivery of his M&M’s ten prior to his wife’s death.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

greatjumel08

Aug 4, 2016

At first I thought I wont get the story why the heck he's destructing things and keep on doing that. But I understood the story but I do not like it. It is not something that thrills you at the end or shocked you. No, its only like that don't expect too much at the end. Maybe that'sAt first I thought I wont get the story why the heck he's destructing things and keep on doing that. But I understood the story but I do not like it. It is not something that thrills you at the end or shocked you. No, its only like that don't expect too much at the end. Maybe that's creative and unique idea of showing the emotions of a man after losing a wife. I rate 3 because it portrays curiosity, confusion, losing mind maybe,. It tells the viewers to be observant about things and to appreciate how things work.… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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