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    Demolition

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    On a different day “Demolition” might have felt clichéd and very artificial, but not today. Sometimes you’re just in the mood to see an indie-drama-feeling story with this weird kind of quirky “solution” to a very specific human problem. As a bonus the film has some solid performances from it’s cast and the ending brings it all home very nicely.

    After a car crash kills his wife, Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) struggles with his identity. Not because she meant the world to him, but because he doesn’t feel any sense of loss. When he writes a complaint letter to a vending machine company, he befriends a customer service rep named Karen (Naomi Watts) and her teenaged son Chris (Judah Lewis)

    You hear about the premise of this movie and you think to yourself “is this one of those dramedies set in a fantasy world where you talk to someone at a bus stop and it will change your life, or where one little boy’s social studies class project will go on to move the world? ” Yeah, it basically is. The film never goes for the desperate avenue of creating an all-out villain for the movie, but it aims to be profound without really dealing with real-life problems. Davis has ample funds to take as many days off as he wants to find himself and there’s very little resistance from the real world to prevent him from doing this, save for his father-in-law (Chris Cooper) who has a separate storyline that needs to be wrapped up by the end of the film. As I wrote earlier, on a day when you’re feeling cynical, this will not be for you.

    Maybe it’s the mood I’m in today that made me enjoy “Demolition”, but that’s a valid reason. Watching a horror movie alone, in a dark room while a thunderstorm brews outside hits home. A romantic drama is best viewed on a day where you’ve had plenty of water to drink and are ready to let the damns burst. For the first half of the film I felt that this story is enjoyable to watch, but not particularly deep and that the problems and their solutions aren’t applicable to my life. Then we start getting the story of the friendship between Davis, Karen and her son Chris. That’s when it turned around. I liked the frank discussions between the two guys and the moments of discovery between the adults. The comedy works to create some nice ups and downs/variety in the tone. I’m sure that on a certain level we can all relate to Davis’ problems, even if we’re not so consumed by them that we’d be willing to demolish our home appliances. The ending of “Demolition” is where it really struck home; it’s not too clean, but very satisfactory. You combine that with talented actors doing their thing and the great chemistry between all of them, and in my boat, you have a movie that’s fun to watch. More than once? I don’t think so, but that’s ok.

    If you’re interested in “Demolition”, I say wait until you’re in the right temperament for it. The picture is not one you can just view anytime. You have to be thirsty for some drama that’s not too dramatic, if that makes any sense. Something that won’t make you cry, is quite safe, but will make you think a bit. “Demolition” worked for me and I’m sure I won’t be the only one. (Theatrical version on the big screen, April 17, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  20.4.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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