Jake Gyllenhaal has been doing some incredible work as of late. For the most part, he always was (well, except for THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and PRINCE OF PERSIA), but when you take a look at his last few films, it is one dynamite performance after another. SOURCE CODE. END OF WATCH. PRISONERS. ENEMY. NIGHTCRAWLER. SOUTHPAW. Gyllenhaal seems to get better and better each time out, which is why I have high hopes for him in Jean-Marc Vallée’s DEMOLITION.
After losing his wife in a car accident, Gyllenhaal is going to go on a journey of reflection, taking a good look at his own life, his past marriage and everything in-between, and we’re along for the ride. It’s a scary thing to take apart your life piece by piece in trying to find meaning in what you’ve built. That’s why a movie like this offers us a glimpse at how it’s done from a safe distance.
But maybe every once in awhile, we should take stock of our priorities and figure out what is important for ourselves. Man, I didn’t expect this to get so deep. Have a look at Gyllenhaal’s DEMOLITION efforts as you start to examine what’s going on with you these days. It could help.
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.
DEMOLITION opens in select theaters on April 8, 2016, but Jake Gyllenhaal can be seen next in EVEREST, which you’ll climb mountains to see in IMAX on September 18.