“Demolition” – but not destroyed [MOVIE REVIEW]
Jake Gyllenhaal as “Davis” in Demolition. Photo by Anne Marie Fox. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved
“Demolition,” written by Bryan Sipe and directed by Jean Marc Vallée, is saved from destruction by an outstanding cast led by an incomparable Jake Gyllenhaal.
Davis, a successful investment banker working for his father-in-law Phil, has his world turned upside down in the split second it took for a car accident to disappear his wife Julia. One moment teasingly nagging him about a leak in the refrigerator and the next, nothingness. Alone in the hospital corridor, blood on his shoes and collar, Davis distractedly puts coins in a vending machine for a package of M&M Peanuts and is overtaken by frustration and perplexity when the package becomes jammed in the machine. Numb to his tragedy, he instead focuses on the loss of his candy. It is his obsession with the mechanically defective vending machine that leads him to write a letter of complaint, one letter cascading into an avalanche of correspondence to an anonymous recipient, letters recounting the annoyances of his now wifeless life.
Davis returns to work almost immediately, much to the shock and horror of his colleagues and father-in-law. He seems untouched and unaffected by the tragedy. Davis feels fine, or more to the point, feels nothing. He has discovered a new outlet, triggered by his wife’s last request that he repair the leak in the refrigerator. Going at it hammer and tongs, he has soon dismantled and destroyed his Subzero – parts scattered all over the kitchen floor. He is soon dismantling the other household appliances and moves on to his company computer and the corporate men’s room. His need to dismantle and, presumably, put back together everything in his path blooms into a full-fledged need to demolish anything he comes in contact with.
His life is jarred again late one evening when he receives a phone call from the vending machine customer service lady, Karen. She has read his letters and is intrigued with the disconnect that is apparent between the complaint and the life story. Davis now has a new obsession, to meet Karen.
The metaphor of demolition as it relates to catastrophic loss would be excellent were it not for Vallée’s and Sipe’s lack of subtlety. Not only do they have Davis discuss how his life is a metaphor for destruction but they pound the demolition metaphor repeatedly using bigger and bigger sledge hammers, dragging the film down with it. More and bigger clearly don’t work here and, using the aforementioned metaphor, threaten to completely dismantle the film.
Luckily, as could be surmised almost from the beginning, Davis emerges from his numbness to recognize his grief and loss and gives the movie an ending of satisfaction, albeit inevitability.
Jake Gyllenhaal as “Davis” and Chris Cooper as “Phil” in Demolition. Photo by Anne Marie Fox. © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved
What makes this trip worthwhile despite the heavy-handed repetition is a cast led by the remarkable Jake Gyllenhaal, an actor of such range and empathy that he is capable of elevating mediocre material. He is truly one of the great actors of his generation and any director, especially this one, should give thanks at the altar of Gyllenhaal’s craft. He has become an actor worth watching regardless of the film and he is the savior of this one.
Naomi Watts as Karen, the customer service lady, is excellent in a role that defies credulity; and Judah Lewis as Karen’s son is a real find. In writing these characters, Sipe did only part of the heavy lifting necessary. The character development was certainly accomplished but integrating them properly into the substrate of redemption was a stretch.
Chris Cooper as Davis’s father-in-law made the most of what was, actually, a well-written role. He is at once sympathetic, tragic, angry and confused. Luckily he anchors the character of Davis when his erraticism threatens to pull the film apart.
Like many films, probably most, one of the acts is lacking. Lucky for “Demolition,” it has a great first act and a good (if somewhat predictable) last act, and as flawed structure goes, that’s the best outcome.
Opening Friday, April 8 at the Century City AMC, Sundance Sunset 5, Cinemark 18, Playa Vista 9 and the Landmark Theatre. Rated R.