
Demolition
Following his Oscar-nominated films Wild and Dallas Buyers Club, filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée directs Jake Gyllenhaal in this comedic drama about an investment banker struggling to deal with the recent death of his wife. His grieving plan: demolishing and rebuilding his house. Co-stars Naomi Watts, Heather Lind (Broadwalk Empire) and Oscar-winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation).
- Director:
- Jean-Marc Vallée ('Wild', 'Dallas Buyers Club', 'Cafe de Flore')
- Writer:
- Bryan Sipe
- Cast:
- Jake GyllenhaalNaomi WattsHeather LindChris CooperJudah Lewis


Reviews & comments

Flicks, Liam Maguren
flicksYou don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. That might mean your wife. And that might make you realise that you don’t give a shit about your marriage. That’s the issue Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) faces as he remains emotionally numb to the fact while everyone else mourns like a ‘normal’ person. He recognises his apparent apathy, but doesn’t know where it stems from, triggering an obsession with deconstructing things – his fridge, his boss’s lamp, the F word – in the lead-up to pulling the plunger on his identity.

Variety
pressGyllenhaal 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.

The Washington Post
pressThe oddball grief drama Demolition proves that an actor who could easily be dismissed as just another watchable face is actually possessed of subtle, fascinatingly protean chops.

The Telegraph
pressDemolition is mainly casting about for a point, when it doesn’t feel like a wrecking ball aimed squarely at itself.

The Guardian
pressA frustratingly aimless soul-search that veers uncomfortably between quirk and melancholy.

Stuff
pressThanks to Vallee's surefooted and witty direction, a passel of very good performances and a handful of terrific songs on the soundtrack, I finished up liking Demolition probably far more than I should have.

New Zealand Herald
pressThere are genuine, moving moments and some hilarious ones but overall it tries too hard to put a new spin on an age-old topic.

Hollywood Reporter
pressIt’s a unique take on what could otherwise be a morbidly depressing tale of loss and grief...

Herald Sun
pressNot for everyone, but will mean a lot for those who can stay on the same select frequency of feeling as its star throughout.

FilmInk
pressAn incredibly humane film. It does not judge its characters, and it refuses to have villains.

Flicks, Liam Maguren
flicksYou don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. That might mean your wife. And that might make you realise that you don’t give a shit about your marriage. That’s the issue Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) faces as he remains emotionally numb to the fact while everyone else mourns like a ‘normal’ person. He recognises his apparent apathy, but doesn’t know where it stems from, triggering an obsession with deconstructing things – his fridge, his boss’s lamp, the F word – in the lead-up to pulling the plunger on his identity.

Variety
pressGyllenhaal 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.

The Washington Post
pressThe oddball grief drama Demolition proves that an actor who could easily be dismissed as just another watchable face is actually possessed of subtle, fascinatingly protean chops.

The Telegraph
pressDemolition is mainly casting about for a point, when it doesn’t feel like a wrecking ball aimed squarely at itself.

The Guardian
pressA frustratingly aimless soul-search that veers uncomfortably between quirk and melancholy.

Stuff
pressThanks to Vallee's surefooted and witty direction, a passel of very good performances and a handful of terrific songs on the soundtrack, I finished up liking Demolition probably far more than I should have.

New Zealand Herald
pressThere are genuine, moving moments and some hilarious ones but overall it tries too hard to put a new spin on an age-old topic.

Hollywood Reporter
pressIt’s a unique take on what could otherwise be a morbidly depressing tale of loss and grief...

Herald Sun
pressNot for everyone, but will mean a lot for those who can stay on the same select frequency of feeling as its star throughout.

FilmInk
pressAn incredibly humane film. It does not judge its characters, and it refuses to have villains.
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