Review of Demolition (2016) by Dan A — 03 May 2016

This may very well be my favourite film of the year so far, tied with 'Anomalisa'.

What can I say? I never thought a film about grief could be so fun! Jake Gyllenhaal is brilliant as always. He seems to be exceptional at playing detached men going through a mental breakdown.

This is a very funny film, despite being about grief. It would have been easy for it to surrender to cliches, but it stays the course and carves its own path. I was waiting with dread for the inevitable romantic sub-plot to rear its ugly head, but it never did. This movie satisfied me on every level.

My only negatives are; it felt a bit lethargic towards the end of the first act, I think it could have went full steam ahead into the meat and gravy a little sooner. I also think Naomi Watts was a little awkward in her performance, especially in the early parts of the film. A little wooden I thought. However, this isn't harmful to the entire film as a whole.

Overall; an interesting concept, funny, and a great central performance by Gyllenhaal.