Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
TIFF 2015 Movie Review: Demolition
Demolition is a drama/comedy from director Jean-Marc Vallée, the director of Wild and Dallas Buyers Club. The film follows a guy coping with the death of his wife, although instead of therapy sessions or anything one would normally expect, his coping mechanism appears to be taking things apart, destroying parts of his house, and breaking things wherever he can find them. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, and Judah Lewis.
Jake Gyllenhaal has been established for a while as one of the best actors currently working today, so the fact that he was absolutely brilliant in Demolition shouldn't come to much of a surprise to anyone. The character of Davis Mitchell is an incredibly three dimensional character, with a wide emotional range throughout the film, and Gyllenhaal plays all of them perfectly. Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper are as good as ever, both playing interesting characters with lots of emotional depth. However, the big standout (aside from Gyllenhaal) was Judah Lewis. Now, normally kid actors are forgettable, bland, or just annoying. And at first I was concerned this would be the case here. However, to my surprise, this guy managed to pull off a really complex role, so props to him.
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| I know, I'm using this photo a lot. The movie doesn't come out until 2016, I don't have much to work with here. |
Demolition is the kind of drama/comedy I love seeing, although it's usually rare. Usually drama comedies will start out a comedy, and slowly become a drama. However, much like 50/50 or Me & Earl & the Dying Girl, Demolition is a perfect blend of drama and comedy, with most scenes having a mixture of both funny and emotional moments. The comedy part of this movie was surprisingly good. I say surprising because after Dallas Buyers Club and Wild were two very emotional films, it's a surprise to see a comedic side to his films. The humor worked, the writing worked, and this movie had this kind of deadpan sense of humor I really enjoyed.
As for the emotional parts of the film, this movie really hits you where you live sometimes. At its core, Demolition is about grief, loss, and moving on. That's something I'm sure just about anyone can relate to on some level, be it a family member, a friend, or a Game of Thrones character. So, with that, this movie has some really heart-breaking moments. This movie had me tearing up at some points, others turned me into a blubbering baby.
Final Rating
Demolition is a powerful, emotional, hilarious, and heartbreaking movie. It tells a story I'm sure many will be able to relate to in some way. Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of the most effective performances since Donnie Darko, and his most emotional role since Brokeback Mountain. We'll probably see more of Judah Lewis in future films, as he's one of the better young actors I've seen in some time. When Demolition officially releases, I recommend everyone go see it.
Demolition officially releases in April 2016
Next TIFF Review: The Martian
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