Demolition: DVD Review
The Movie:
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 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.
Gyllenhaal has made a career out of playing unique characters and this movie gives us one more interesting one. The film looks at a man and how he deals with grief but that’s not something that you really see at first. I spent the first half of the movie not really liking Davis and then the other half realizing what he was going through. This movie really shows the fact that some people deal with things differently. It was almost like he was in this state of shock the entire film and Gyllenhaal swallowed himself in that role. His performance made go along for the emotional rollercoaster that his character endured. The other part of the film that I really liked was the connections that Davis made with all the other people in the movie. Although it seemed like he was being callous he was actually helping people through their rough times without even knowing it and at the same time healing himself. This was such a great movie that caught me a bit off guard and every performance in this is a fantastic one. From Watts to Cooper to Lewis, each one gave their all and fell into their roles with enormous believability. This is an easy recommendation to give so I suggest everybody go out a pick this up when you get a chance. 8/10
Special Features:
None on this DVD release which a bummer. I would’ve liked to have seen some interviews regarding the production.
