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Cast & Crew
Davis Mitchell
Karen Moreno
Phil
Chris Moreno
Carl
Margot
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Critic Reviews for Demolition
All Critics (206) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (96)
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Who knows where his displaced emotions will take him? Who cares?
November 8, 2016 | Full Review… -
Demolition is a cinematic deconstruction of expectation and cliché, all of which results in a moving marvel of self-actualization I think I just might be in love with.
August 11, 2016 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
The story of a bereaved man who starts to dismantle household appliances and, later, buildings, the whole movie is a laboured metaphor: we get it, he's falling apart.
May 1, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
The film is utterly annihilated by its stylistic contrivance and ludicrous self-importance
April 28, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
A moving account of how the process of grief can take on strange forms.
April 28, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Gyllenhaal continues his post-Nightcrawler upgrade with another vivid performance in the key of strange.
April 21, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Demolition
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Apr 04, 2017A harrowing and complex guide to how the mind copes with trauma. The story goes through the motions of loss and finding yourself in a slowly paced and painfully uneventful series of events. Ultimately it fails to deliver any real compelling narrative.Drake T Super Reviewer
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Mar 22, 2017A disappointing character drama, Demolition explores a man's journey through the grief process and attempt to find his personal truth. When Davis Mitchell loses his wife in a car accident he finds an unlikely means of catharsis by writing to a vending machine customer service agent; meanwhile he becomes obsessed with tearing things apart, wanting to see beyond the surface. Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, and Chris Cooper lead the cast and give fairly strong performances. But the writing is weak and the plot is a mess. Also, the ending is rather unsatisfying and leaves a lot of things open-ended. Disjointed and unfocused, Demolition meanders about and never really comes together.Dann M Super Reviewer
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Dec 08, 2016It's not the typically structured or impeccably written piece that Gyllenhaal usually takes on. Heck, what would you expect with a title of 'Demolition'. But peeling back the layers of this character and film make for an interesting watch, to say the least. Jean-Marc Vallée directs this as his follow-up to Wild and Dallas Buyers Club, and it's yet another interesting character study in his filmography. Vallée does a nice job of getting the most out of Jake Gyllenhaal, because I'm not sure this movie works without his performance. In fact, seeing the recent 'Nocturnal Animals' makes Gyllenhaal's performance here even more impressive. Both characters deal with grief and loss in a completely different way and watching him create an entirely separate persona for each, and still have it seem real, shows his immense talent. Along with Gyllenhaal (Davis), the film stars Naomi Watts, Judah Lewis, and Chris Cooper. All of them contribute to the arc of grief to recovery for Davis throughout the movie. At its core, the film is about breaking down Davis' consciousness, or lack thereof, and his attempt to rekindle emotion in any sort of way. The film is downright strange, and probably unlike anything I have ever seen, but I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. There's something about the passionless and quirky nature of Davis that was fascinating. Especially, when he's up against Watts, who plays a similarly peculiar character. Ultimately, the story is only going to end one way. So as much as the film's portrayal of grief and sorrow is unique, we know where it will eventually end up. It's not a film that was especially entertaining, or emotionally powerful, but I definitely found it to be unique. So props to Vallée and others involved for at least making a different film. +Gyllenhaal & Watts +Peeling back his emotions was portrayed uniquely -Not necessarily the most entertaining or profound story, however 6.7/10Thomas D Super Reviewer
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Oct 08, 2016Okay. Nothing really special. Gyllenhaal's acting is solid, as is the supporting cast's. But the story doesn't really pan out as well as it could. You're supposed to feel some sort of empathy for Heather Lind's character throughout the film, when the film doesn't do a good job of explaining who she is. You have no idea what kind of person she is by the film's conclusion (and I get that this is kind of the point because Gyllenhaal's character doesn't really know her either...but still, this is lazy character development).Stephen S Super Reviewer
Demolition Quotes
Davis Mitchell: | There was love between me and Julia. I just didn't take care of it. |
Davis Mitchell: | We're taking apart my marriage. |
Davis Mitchell: | I get up every morning at five thirty. I never thought I'd be one of those people that have a brief case. We handle quite a bit of money. I don't want to say how much as it would be inappropriate. OK, it's six billion. |
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