Demolition (2015 film)

Demolition

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Produced by
Written by Bryan Sipe
Starring
Cinematography Yves Bélanger
Edited by Jay M. Glen
Production
company
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 10, 2015 (2015-09-10) (TIFF)
  • April 8, 2016 (2016-04-08) (United States)
Running time
 101 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $10 million[1]
Box office $4.1 million[2]

Demolition is a 2015 American drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Bryan Sipe. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, and Judah Lewis. The film opened the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival[3] and was theatrically released on April 8, 2016, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Plot

Davis, a successful investment banker at a firm founded and run by his father-in-law Phil, is involved in a car accident that kills his wife, Julia. Recovering in hospital, he attempts to purchase some candy from a vending machine which malfunctions. Davis drafts a complaint to the vending machine manufacturer that includes some venting of his personal experiences. This leads to a series of anonymous conversations with a customer service representative, Karen Moreno, in which they end up sharing details of each other's life burdens. Davis eventually meets Karen in person on a train, and they part as friends after she's helped him manage the burden about grieving his lost wife. Davis is sufficiently moved to try to track her down at home, where she lives with her boyfriend and boss, Carl, and her 15-year old troublemaker son, Chris, and they begin spending time together as friends. Chris initially dislikes Davis, but later grows not only to like him but to help Davis cope. Carl, however, believes that his girlfriend and Davis are having an affair, much to his chagrin.

Davis' changing emotional state causes him to behave erratically. He notices that he is being followed by a green station wagon. In the aftermath of Julia's death, Davis' company started a foundation in her name that will award an annual scholarship; Davis behaves disrespectfully towards one of the award candidates, and Phil forces him to sign a letter nullifying the scholarship. Later, Davis purchases demolition tools from a hardware store and begins destroying his house with the assistance of Chris. When Davis finds an ultrasound of Julia's from the previous year, he is devastated that she failed to inform him.

At a party for the scholarship winner, Julia's mother tells him his wife was seeing someone, and the child was not his and she took her to get an abortion.

Carl's animosity for Davis comes to a head due to the content of the latter's letters to Karen, and he punches Davis. Karen leaves Carl for good. Meanwhile, Chris is beaten by six boys.

Davis visits his wife's grave and the green station wagon arrives and a man carrying flowers gets out of the car. He is Michael and is the driver of the car in the side collision that killed his wife. Davis forgives Michael and he experiences flashbacks of his wife and him together and he cries, bringing closure. He realizes he loved his wife.

Davis refurbishes a carousel as a memorial for his wife which allows a reconciliation with his father-in-law.

Later, Davis receives a letter from Chris saying that he must be at a pier to witness the demolition of some waterfront buildings. Chris watches Davis through binoculars from a different vantage point.

Near the credits end, we hear the voice-through of Davis concluding a new letter he is writing "Warmest regards, Davis C. Mitchell."

Cast

Production

In May 2013, director Jean-Marc Vallée was set to direct Demolition, for a 2015 release date.[6] On October 9, 2013, it was announced that Black Label Media would finance the film, and would co-produce along with Mr. Mudd.[7] On June 6, 2014, Jake Gyllenhaal was in early talks to star in the film.[8] On July 21, Naomi Watts was in talks to join the film.[9] On September 4, Watts was confirmed cast in the film to play the female lead.[10] On September 10, Chris Cooper was set to star in the film.[4] On October 18, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Fox Searchlight Pictures had acquired the US rights to the film, and director Vallée said, "I'm thrilled and excited to be back in business with Fox Searchlight. They have been wonderful, creative partners on Wild. I look forward to collaborating again on Demolition."[11] Judah Lewis' role as the son of Watts' character Karen Moreno was confirmed on July 15, 2015.[5]

Filming

Filming began on September 15, 2014, in New York City.[10] On September 24, Gyllenhaal was spotted on the set while filming some scenes at John F. Kennedy International Airport.[12] On October 6, Gyllenhaal and Watts were spotted on the shores of Coney Island.[13] On October 8, filming was taking place on Greenwich Street in NYC.[14]

Release

On July 15, 2015, Fox Searchlight Pictures set the film for a wide release on April 8, 2016.[5]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $2–3 million from 854 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing fellow newcomers The Boss ($20–24 million projection) and Hardcore Henry ($7–10 million projection).[15] It ended up grossing just $1.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing 15th at the box office.[16]

Critical response

Demolition received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 53%, based on 171 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's consensus reads, "Demolition benefits from a stellar cast, even if their solid work isn't always enough to prop up a confused story that aims for profundity but too often settles for clichés."[17] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Demolition (2016)". The Wrap. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Demolition (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Toronto Film Festival 2015: Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore aim for double Oscar success". BBC News. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Fleming Jr, Mike (September 10, 2014). "Toronto: Chris Cooper Joins Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts In 'Demolition'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Pedersen, Erik (July 15, 2015). "Jake Gyllenhaal-Naomi Watts Drama 'Demolition' Gets Spring Release Date". deadline.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Jean-Marc Vallee Set To Helm 'Demolition' For Mr. Mudd". deadline.com. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  7. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (October 9, 2013). "Black Label Media To Fund 'Dallas Buyers Club' Helmer's 'Demolition'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 6, 2014). "Jake Gyllenhaal in Talks to Star in Jean-Marc Vallee's 'Demolition'". variety.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (July 21, 2014). "Naomi Watts in Negotiations to Join Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Demolition'". thewrap.com. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Naomi Watts Joins Jake Gyllenhaal In Jean-Marc Vallee's 'Demolition'". deadline.com. September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  11. ↑ McClintock, Pamela; Kit, Borys (October 18, 2014). "'Wild' Director Sets Next Film at Fox Searchlight". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  12. ↑ Carpenter, Cassie (September 25, 2014). "Jake Gyllenhaal looks dreamy in a tartan blazer on the New York set of his film Demolition". Daily Mail. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ Soldani, Bianca (October 7, 2014). "Hold on tight! Naomi Watts straddles Demolition co-star Jake Gyllenhaal for a piggyback ride as they goof around on set". Daily Mail. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Look out for Jake Gyllenhaal filming 'Demolition' in New York City this month". onlocationvacations.com. October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Melissa McCarthy Will Try To 'Boss' Around 'BvS' At Box Office; Will 'Hardcore Henry' Sway Audiences? — Preview". deadline.com.
  16. ↑ "'Batman V. Superman' Likely To Cross $300M Early Next Week; 'The Boss' Cashing In $21M Paycheck – B.O. Update". deadline.com.
  17. ↑ "Demolition". Rotten Tomatoes.
  18. ↑ "Demolition". Metacritic.

External links

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