User Reviews

I'm the kind of guy who buries everything deep down. If someone close to me died, you wouldn't know it unless I told you. If I got fired or failed a class, my general demeanor wouldn't change enough to be noticeable. I internalize everything, burying it deep down inside and doing my best to ignore until eventually, it just goes away or the world solves the problem for me. It's a quietly destructive system of dealing with hardships, but from my experience I think I would prefer it to the alternate, more vocal and public approach. People often deem this method unhealthy, something I vehemently disagree with. I'm a put together individual, relatively mature and pretty steadfast in my fundamental beliefs and morality, especially considering I'm 19. Demolition is one of the first films I've seen that seemed to reflect my methods for dealing with stress (on some level anyways) that didn't ultimately indict them. I loved it.

As a film, Demolition is a quiet powerhouse of emotion. Jake Gyllenhaal continues to justify his standing as one of the finest actors working right now, giving a quiet and darkly comedic performance that is absolutely fundamental to the success of the film. Naomi Watts, an incredible actress in her own right, seems a bit off kilter and awkward, but so is the character she is playing so I have no issues with her work here either. Jean-Marc Vallee's direction here is great as well, weaving a sort of confused story together through effective editing and a fundamental loyalty to the subdued mentality of it's protagonist. A quick look at RottenTomatoes and I see that many are calling this a "slog", or a film that doesn't necessarily reflect the tragedy of it's narrative. But Demolition takes place within Gyllenhaal's head, attempting to cinematically represent the process of internalizing grief and strife, which I feel inherently lends itself to a subdued atmosphere.

But the moments that need to land do, mostly consisting of another character desperately trying to salvage any sort of emotional response from Gyllenhaal. I found the film to be profoundly relatable, perhaps the most I've ever seen in it's interpretation of grief and loss. Now let me make a few things clear. I'm 19, so I've never lost a wife, a child or a parent. I've never torn down my house or taken apart my fridge, and I've never really dealt with any stress outside of relationships (romantic and platonic), grandparents passing or dogs dying, school related stress or financial concerns. But stress is relative, and I saw myself in Gyllenhaal's journey. There was no scene with him crying himself to sleep, or breaking down at the deceased's gravestone. No constant screaming, anguish or turmoil. Life went on, and only those around him aroused any emotion following his wife's death.

It's a fundamentally human film, masquerading as an absurdist comedy while dealing with some of life's most confounding scenarios. It's a film that tracks Gyllenhaal's breakdown, bravely painted with humor and melancholy alone. And amidst that insincerity the film finds some beauty in the breakdown, as Gyllenhaal eventually finds his answers within the rubble of his old life. I can sympathize with Demolition's detractors, but personally I found something really beautiful that I hope to cling to and appreciate further as I mature. I found a film that doesn't malign my mentality towards adversity, but rather explores it and tries to understand it. It's a film with sympathy for it's conflicted protagonist, and subsequently I found sympathy for myself in there as well.

A personal favorite.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Opens with a car crash that takes the life of Jake Gyllenhaal's character's wife. From there this movie swung in a different direction than I thought. For me it seems to be about how someone deals with grief. Everyone around his character wants/expects him to be acting in a certain way. His wife's death has changed his outlook on life and those around him eventually become less comfortable with his behaviour. I really enjoyed Jake's performance. His character is weird (Not Nightcrawler weird), funny, angry and ultimately just figuring out how to grieve. For a movie I was expecting to lean into the sentimentality it played out in a different way that I feel is a bit more true to real life. It didn't win him any awards but I think the acting in this places it as one of the better movies Jake has done.

Don't go into this expecting a comedy, even though that is one of the tags on the IMDb page. Though it does have elements of dark comedy.

This is not a lighthearted movie, to say the least; yet I would describe it as powerful and very "real." It is the complete opposite of a fairy tale and the complete opposite of romantic comedies - and that is very refreshing. It will cause you to think long and hard about your own relationships. You will continue to think about the movie long after you have left the theater.

If you like thought provoking movies that have very authentic characters and story lines, then I recommend this movie for you. The movie isn't all dark, it does have it's lighthearted moments and I felt it did a great job building the emotion as the movie went on.

We must destroy in order to rebuild: the message of the picture is clear, I would say very physically clear, since there's much physical destruction, and I found it a very empathetically convincing message, since who has never felt like destroying a place, just to get rid of the past, of something we hate or no longer stand?

The story develops with a steady and quick pace, but is also intertwined by dreamy moments, which soften the overall realistic attitude of the movie. The incisive soundtrack is also wisely chosen to give more value to some emotionally intense moments or to enliven the atmosphere. The cast does a great job, Jake Gyllenhall truly inhabits his difficult and at times incomprehensible character, and is worthily supported by a never disappointing Naomi Watts, and the little boy offers a good performance, too.

On the whole an enjoyable and also thought provoking picture, which leaves much to think about what could lie beneath the ruins if we had the courage to deconstruct the more or less frail scaffold of our existence.

I went to see this movie without really knowing its pitch or genre. Increasingly, I feel this is the best way to enjoy a feature film, as trailers reveal more and more of the story, going as far as basically spoiling major plot points and leaving nothing to the imagination. A movie trailer should reveal as little as possible but still tease your interest. Good trailers are works of art in their own right : they have their own story and may even use footage that won't appear in the finished movie.

Anyway, all I knew about "Demolition" was that it tells the story of a guy who has to cope with the loss of his wife and, because of that title, I supposed that he was going to loose his mind and that his life was slowly going to spiral out of control. Kind of like 1993's "Falling Down" with Michael Douglas.

While it is true that there is a fair bit of demolition (literally) and quirkiness involved, ultimately this movie is about a man deconstructing his life, demolishing his prejudices in order to find his true self. Once again, Gyllenhaal truly inhabits his character and delivers a remarkable performance, almost as good as his Oscar-worthy role in "Nightcrawler" (which was inexplicably snubbed by the Academy). Gyllenhaal is slowly becoming one of the most talented actors in Hollywood these days! Although the rest of the cast is quite good -- especially the young Judah Lewis -- I'm not sure this film would have worked without him.

All in all, a strange yet interesting film. 7 out of 10.

I am observing closely Jake Gyllenhaal's acting career and he's giving the best performances in all his films. He's one of top 5 best actor of our generation. So technically I love all his films, especially in the recent years and tell me who won't if they love good stories and performance. I expected this to be another excellent film and yes it was, but not that great.

What he has given to his fans and film viewers is the promise and fulfilled it all the way. So even an average film can automatically become a better one. This film was based on the one of the blacklisted script, but Gyllenhaal's presence made all the difference along with the wonderful director.

It was the story of a man who lost his wife in a car accident. His way of grieving is what the film narrates. He realises that he's not able feel a thing when everyone around does, so he decides to make search for the answers and so the bizarre journey begins. The casting was good, but it was all about the Gyllenhaal's role. I like Naomi Watts, but for the first time she looked old to me. And the others did not have much screenspace, except that new face boy who was decent.

I think not everyone would enjoy it, it is a weird story of almost a weird person, so you would easily get it. You must need to be a patience, besides it is a dark comedy. You might wonder why the title was named 'Demolition', the films gives a strange demonstration for that in a good way. It is not like a must see, but totally worth for Gyllenhaal alone. I can't say it should have been better, because there's nothing to get better, everything was at its best.

7/10

It is heavy, it is depressing in bits and clever the other times and it flows. There isn't a dull moment it doesn't pace up or pace doesn't. It only has dialogues where necessary.

What you do see is a man dealing with the death of his wife and understanding his relationship and life. Not the way most of us do, but by destroying everything.

I love jake Gyllenhaal more with every new film of his, no one could have played the better than him.

I feel like it had so much potential in the story and characters. As it is, it's just a very jumbled mess, with some really questionable editing. I do find Jake Gyllenhaal's character really intriguing though, and I thought he did some really strong work. I just wish it had a better grasp on the characters. I can't say I didn't find it very watchable though, and I would say it's better than many of the reviews suggest. I hope Jake can get some end-of-the-year traction for this, but I really doubt it. He's endlessly fascinating and very mesmerizing, and definitely carries the film more than the screenplay does. Not sure, perhaps this is a film only a select few will enjoy.

Choppy editing issues, But superb.

For starters the film has some incredible acting...Jake is utterly convincing in his role as a selfish and seemingly heartless individual devoid of emotion until tragedy entails. The pick up in his thought process is a slow but necessary approach as his mental health issues pick up subtle but convincing time frames and the viewer is left a 50/50 decision on whether you actually like him or not. This is no mean feat for an actor with such a tragic story line and he pulls it off brilliantly.

I would however of liked the mental health issues that surround the process of grief further explored and a stronger message to go out to the audience that grief manifests in so many individual ways that you are never wrong with the way you feel...Its a very precious and intimate individual process.

Naomi Watts character is a little bizarre and almost unnecessary in my view but I will not spoil anything here.

A good just under two hours spent in my opinion with a a lot of thinking to continue for the rest of the evening. A solid 7/10 from me.

As the film begins, Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his wife are in the car and she's driving. Their conversation seems mundane...when suddenly there's an accident and she's killed.

How Davis responds to her death is really strange...though not completely hard to believe. Instead of focusing on his feelings, Davis is mechanical in how he looks at things....analyzing and thinking with zero emotion. A few of his quirks include taking apart machines around the home and office...just to see how they work as well as sending a string of long meandering letters to a vending machine company...because he lost $1.50 in one of their machines! He obviously is compartmentalizing....in other words, locking away his feelings and closing the door on them in his mind. This does not mean he doesn't think about his wife...but when he does, it's in a very disconnected and strangely analytical fashion.

During the course of this strange nervous breakdown, his letters have an impact on the customer service rep who has been receiving them. Out of the blue, she calls him and they form a friendship....a very tentative and strange friendship. And, you start to realize that both of them are damaged souls...as is her very odd son. What's next? See the film.

Like so much of Jake Gyllenhaal's work, this film is incredibly strange and hard to predict. This actually is why I sought out this film.... I love how this actor takes risks and plays the most unusual actors. If you don't believe this, consider SOURCE CODE, NIGHTCRAWLER and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. These are NOT typical Hollywood releases and almost defy description...which I appreciate. After all, with over 26,000 reviews to my credit, there does often seem to be a sameness to a lot of films.

Apart from being different, is it worth seeing? And, is it any good? Yes, though I don't see the film as the type everyone would like, that's for sure. In many ways, the movie actually reminds me of Adam Sandler's REIGN OVER ME, a highly neglected film about a man who lost his family and simply refuses to come to terms with it. Both movies really make you think...both are also a bit unpleasant to watch but well worth seeing.

I think this is a brave movie...one worth watching. However, it doesn't have a nice, clean, happy ending....and I could understand folks not enjoying the movie as a result.

This guy is great, his career got of to a bit of a slow start with some of his early work but he still seem to catch a few decent ones. Now it seems he will disappear for a while then come out with a smash. This guy is up there with the best of them and he is in my top 10 favorites.

Normally i don't fallow movies very close, i spend time tinkering or reading on line and if a movie catches my attention then i get into it. This one grabbed me from the start and held on to the end.

They kept the suspense with the station wagon and it kept me wondering on who it my be and their intent but it wasn't what i thought and was a nice surprise.

"Together, they would watch everything that was so carefully planned collapse, and they would smile at the beauty of destruction." Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Sometimes all you need is one piece to fall off the seemingly perfect construct you've built around yourself. Only then, you'll realize what's been long buried beneath and almost forgotten. That one piece was the tragic death of Davis' wife in a car accident in the revelatory opening sequence of Demolition.

Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a young banker who is married to Julia, his boss's daughter, and, from an outsider's point of view, seems to have his life all figured out. Davis' subsequent emotional numbness and irrational behavior become a source of persistent annoyance to everyone around him, leading him to realize his own metaphorical death which is brought about by Julia's tragic, yet necessary, death – it is the one piece that had to come apart so that Davis would notice the malfunction of his ostensibly ideal life, just like the leaking fridge in his kitchen. And this is when he decides to take everything in his life apart to get to the bottom of who he really is and how he really feels. On his journey of self- exploration, Davis crosses paths with Karen (Naomi Watts), a customer service representative of a small vending machines company, and her rebellious 15-year-old son, Chris (Judah Lewis).

I don't think I ever wanted this movie to end. I've watched it twice so far and I'm still overwhelmed by the emotional genius of both screen writer Bryan Sipe and director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild). Following Davis' course of thinking, I've been trying to take things apart in this movie to understand why I loved it so much and why I end up crying like babies every time, but I just can't put my hand on one thing – it's simply everything. Not a single scene nor a single line in Demolition felt redundant or slightly detaching; they are all beautifully connected like notes in a musical piece, all leading up in an emotional crescendo to an inevitable coda that lingers way after the film ends. And despite the excessive use of montage, it all felt natural and poetic in a way. This is one film made with passion.

Peering into the nature of human relationships is extremely difficult, not to mention trying to dismantle them. That's why Davis' fumbling through his existential ordeal changes from irrational to funny to understandable to incredibly relatable. We don't only take pleasure in watching Davis taking his life apart but we envy him for this melancholic yet euphoric realization of the truth that usually comes after destruction, and which we all yearn for in one way or another. Destroying entails thinking in retrospect, necessarily resulting in painful regret but one that is usually accompanied by blissful realization. Few are the movies that manage to go that deep into human relationships and come back with a bittersweet sense of salvation. Also, the unlikely relationship between Davis, Karen and her son Chris becomes a psychological shelter for the three emotionally misled characters where they get to nurture their empathy and readjust their inner compasses.

The chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Judah Lewis is undeniable, and is highlighted by Sipe's witty script and both actors' topnotch performance. Gyllenhaal's growing acting skills are literally getting out of control (and I mean it in a good way). I don't think anyone could have portrayed Davis as harmoniously as he did, putting you in tears while bringing a smile to your face. After Enemy, Nightcrawler, and Southpaw, Gyllenhaal is slowly and steadily becoming one of the smartest and most talented actors today.

One more thing that makes this experience unforgettable is the music. I've mentioned before that this is a film made with passion, and nothing can give voice to passion as much as music does. I will not talk about the brilliant choices of songs and the perfect song-scene synchronization because that will only make sense when you watch the film.

Demolition will leave you miserably heavy-hearted but spiritually elevated beyond words.

I give it 10 out of 10

Demolition

The simplest way to demolition your home is to rent it out on Airbnb.

Mind you, the widower in this drama finds it more cathartic to raze it himself.

Unable to cope with the death of his wife, or the guilt his father-in-law is projecting towards him, ridged investment banker Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes out his frustrations in a series of complaint letters to a vending machine company.

Touched by his confessions, a customer service rep (Naomi Watts) makes contact. Eventually Davis befriends her and her sexually confused son, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Davis is also busy dismantling his dream home in hopes of finding some closure.

While it's a well-intentioned work of post-mortem inspiration with a moving performance from Gyllenhaal, Demolition's unconventional relationships and forced profundity come off as unrealistic and manipulative.

Besides, instead of destroying your dead's wife's wardrobe just re-marry someone her size.

Yellow Light

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This wasn't bad, it definitely delivers on the demolition but also felt flat, simple, boring, over-rated, pointless. And just dragged on for me. I don't know if I missed something but I don't care enough to rewatch to find out.

This film tells the story of a rich man in finance, who loses his wife in a car accident. As he overcomes his trauma and sorrows, he takes on unusual projects to heal himself, infuriating the father law but touching the hearts of a single parent family.

The plot beautifully and captivating depicts a man who goes through a healing process. The tragic and untimely loss of life is affecting but bit sensationalised, And the balance between comedy and drama is just right. And I'm so glad to see Jake Gyllenhaal finally getting rid of the full beard, he looks so much better in this film. His acting is good as well, and the interaction with the teenager in the hardware store is memorable. I enjoyed watching "Demolition". Sometimes life is happier when it's simpler!

Neither inherently comedic nor as captivating as 'Nightcrawler,' with less depth and suspense as 'Enemy,' 'Demolition' doesn't hold up to Gyllenhaal's previous efforts. Regardless, even in playing a more traditional character, the actor fully committed to the role over the film's mere 30-day shoot. The drama is weakened by the comedy and the comedy is weakened by the drama, and the whole tone is made more confusing as a result, but in a handful of scenes the terrific cast is able to click with each other as well as the competing tones. Strengthened by an energetic pace and score in addition to engaging superimposed reflections in a series of frames, 'Demolition,' with it's thought-provoking script and committed cast still manages to craft one of the most intricate insights into the inner insurgency of contemporary purpose and strife.

FULL REVIEW HERE: http://indieadam.com/2015/09/12/demolition-review-indieadam-tiff- 2015/

Decent story line. Watchable content, but seems like the content and the idea of the story was stronger than the actual script. Enjoyed it for some it's scenes were symbolic, Jake Gyllenhall's acting on point. Overall offbeat

Demolition is grief at high-speed, a bumpy road of a fantastic character study held together by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Gyllenhaal plays Davis Mitchell, a man struck by the sudden loss of his wife. Following his passage of grief we learn a lot about him and his emotions towards his wife. Gyllenhaal does a phenomenal job, I consider myself a fan of everything he's done but here he brings alive a character that's hard to sum up on paper, a man lost in a state of being so foreign to him.

Other than Gyllenhaal's performance the film follows a lot of predictable points, a few walking cliché characters and a hell of a lot of letter writing. Nothing unbearable, just a little bit too on the nose. Although the editing is very commendable and felt different to the usual expectation, although it does make the film seem slightly too fragmented at points in which more clarity would have helped.

While parts of Demolition may be somewhat average it's still worth the watch for Jake Gyllenhaal and another one of his wonderful acts alone.

FYI: I don't review a lot of movies, except when I feel like I need to tell the world about how they would be missing out if they decided not to watch it. That's how I feel about Demolition. Plus, I've never voted for a 10/10.

Jake Gyllenhaal steals the show, once more. His performance astounds me in every single movie, and just when I thought, oh this may be the first movie I'll watch where he'll disappoint; he does the opposite. I also think that the trailer is way less exciting than the movie.

This story is so honest, refreshing, naked, thrilling, and yet dreamy at the same time. Most of the movie I was sort jealous of them, of the way they are dealing with life. It's disturbing and quite wacky to be honest, but still. The way Naomi Watts and Jake Gyllenhaal portray the characters is phenomenal. Great casting. Also the kid does an amazing job.

This movie portrays how people are far from perfect, and not in a way we've all seen before. It's original, moving, and a pleasure to watch.

I'm happy that Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't fall in the "teen heartthrob" way of living, his choices of roles are eclectic and he really comes across as a seasoned actor way beyond his age of 35.

I was touched by Chris Cooper, you really felt the depth of his emotions portraying the father losing a child. I loved the line where he says (paraphrasing here): "A child losing parents, they are called orphans, a husband losing a wife, they call him a widow, but a parent losing a child, there is no name for it,..." My heart broke when I heard that, so real and deep.

Otherwise, the movie feels like a "connecting the dots" game, predictable and really annoying with having the little boy struggling with his sexuality too obviously reminiscent of the "C.R.A.Z.Y." movie premise,... That going back in time part was unnecessary.

All in all, the movie is saved by Gyllenhaal and Cooper. Hats off to you sirs!

I was invited to this film at the last minute and had no idea what it was about. I was surprised to find it was about relationships and loss, not action and adventure. Jean- Marc Vallée sets the scene with a haphazard, dated Technicolor palette, even in the hospital and contrasts it with the cold tones, shapes and the crispness of Davis' house. The coldness is a kind of veneer or ice that has settled on the main character and the complex stages of reaction to loss that Davis (Gyllenhaal) goes through are the heart of this film. It has a kind of edgy subtlety that slides into crazy in just the right way. I loved the "rock and roll" soundtrack as Vallée put it.

A strong cast and story has made an entertaining and thought provoking film.

I went into watching this movie with no expectations, without even seeing the trailer and trust me that's the best way of seeing this film. Demolition shocks you in the beginning and then you can follow a numb recovery mixed with dark humour, where someone has to deal with losing a person closest to them. While trying to move forward the Davis also has to look back into his life and relationship to make sense of it all.

The acting is superb especially on the part of Jake Gyllenhaal and it engulfs you in a sea of varying emotions where sometimes you're laughing and then you might be crying.

"He's probably a crackhead. Crackheads don't give people $200. They suck dick for $20."

A film about the grieving process of a successful businessman after losing his wife in a terrible car accident. This isn't exactly the right ingredient for an entertaining or funny movie. To be honest, it took me some effort to watch the whole movie. Actually, I wasn't eager to watch another metaphorical film full of symbolism with Jake Gyllenhaal. Something similar as "Enemy". It's like Davis himself says in the film : "For some reason, everything has become a metaphor". Just admit it. The next situation really sounds absurd. Someone gets the news of his wife's death, while sitting in the waiting room of a hospital. It was a car accident and he doesn't have a scratch on him. The first thing that comes to his mind after hearing this, is getting a bag of M&M's from a vending machine. Unfortunately,it gets firmly stuck in the machine, which in turn leads to a correspondence between him and Karen (Naomi Watts), an employee of the vending machines company who works at the customers service department.

And you think this sounds already strange and absurd? Wait till you see how Davis follows the advice of his father in law Phil (Chris Cooper). He interprets it very literally. Phil's advice was: "If you wanna fix something ... You have to take everything apart ... and figure out what's important". Before you know it, he begins to disassemble certain not so well-functioning devices. He takes it even a step further and starts working free of charge for a demolition company. Afterwards he seeks rapprochement to Karen and gets acquainted with her son Chris (Judah Lewis). Now his behavior becomes even more extreme. Chris seems to be a kindred spirit because of his doubts about his true sexual orientation. By the way, you can also enjoy a dazzling conversation between the two of them about the semantic meaning of the F-word.

Among aspiring philosophers and future psychiatrists, debates can flourish about the symbolism in this film. Is Davis's behavior a reflection of his current situation? A slowly disintegrating personal life ? A defect in his mental machinery? Or is it a kind of "Tabula rasa" reaction, to start a new life? Again Gyllenhaal plays a slightly kooky character. Everyone assumes that a psychological short circuit is the cause of his eccentric behavior. Indisputable this kind of movie character is suitable for an actor like Gyllenhaal. After watching "Nightcrawler" I called him already the chameleon of Hollywood. This masterful actor has a natural flexibility to find the balance between a light manic mood and a natural relaxing moment with that amused and wondering gaze. A brilliant actor.

Besides Jake Gyllenhaal, also Judah Lewis was a colorful figure. Even the father in law was an interesting character, despite his rather limited role. The only one who didn't have a high enough profile was Naomi Watts. A somewhat dull and colorless woman. A bit introverted due to some personal problems. I don't know whether this was because of Watts or the script. What surprised me most was the way the film succeeded in keeping me captivated more and more. What started as a totally absurd and crazy story, gradually evolved into a gloomy (and touching) story filled with cynical humor. Only the corny ending, full of forgiveness and repentance, was slightly disappointing. Ultimately, this wasn't a bad film (perseverance at the beginning is a must) with Gyllenhaal as a wacky individual. I wonder if he'll continue in this direction in his future projects.

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There were some parts that made me laugh but for the most part this movie was slow and lacked depth.