Demolition
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: April 8, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
25
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallApr 7, 2016
Vallée's movie itself begins falling apart after being so artfully put together. Yet Gyllenhaal's performance is the center that holds, making Davis' melancholic obsession and irrational acts seem like the sanest things anyone could do. His disintegration is the actor's triumph. Read full review
83
HitfixGregory EllwoodSep 11, 2015
This sort of storyline could go wrong very quickly, but thanks to some fortuitously funny moments, Vallee’s assured direction and Gyllenhaal’s spectacular performance it’s surprisingly compelling. And, let’s be absolutely clear: it’s Gyllenhaal who keeps it all together. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorApr 7, 2016
The trouble here is that neither Bryan Sipe, who wrote this highly original script, nor Vallée, remain true to the bitter whimsy with which they began. Read full review
75
ConsequenceSarah KurchakApr 7, 2016
Much like the characters themselves, all of these off-kilter and seemingly disparate elements come together far better than they should and something just a little beautiful happens as a result. Read full review
70
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeApr 8, 2016
Demolition strikes a tricky balance; it’s a comedy of manners that never judges its hero’s bizarre behavior. Had it stuck to its emotional guns, it would stand much taller, but even its ultimate flaws can’t erode its sturdy foundation. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 10, 2015
Gyllenhaal grounds Davis’ wildly unraveling psyche, finding both the humor and heart in a man who admits to having spent the past 10 to 12 years incapable of feeling. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerSep 10, 2015
It’s a unique take on what could otherwise be a morbidly depressing tale of loss and grief, dishing out tons of energy and spats of devilish humor, though not always fitting its numerous parts into a succinct whole. Read full review
67
IndieWireKate ErblandSep 10, 2015
Demolition spends its goodwill early on, eventually giving itself over to cheap-feeling twists and a problematic final act. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayApr 7, 2016
The oddball grief drama Demolition proves that an actor who could easily be dismissed as just another watchable face is actually possessed of subtle, fascinatingly protean chops. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 7, 2016
What keeps you interested in Demolition is accompanying Davis as he solves the mystery of himself. What keeps you checking your watch is that the character’s not terribly interesting to begin with. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle SmithApr 7, 2016
Demolition, written by Bryan Sipe is, like director Jean-Marc Vallée’s previous films “Wild” and “Dallas Buyers Club,” a tale of interior repair sought through obsessive and near-penitential acts, but it’s stranger and at times more interesting than those other two. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenApr 7, 2016
By the end, it’s falling apart under the weight of all the extraneous divergings, but thanks to Gyllenhaal’s performance, Demolition stands out as a powerful meditation on the unhinging effects of deep grief. Read full review
60
EmpireIan NathanApr 18, 2016
Vallée’s post-traumatic stress comedy is more scientific than genuinely moving. Nevertheless, Gyllenhaal continues his post-Nightcrawler upgrade with another vivid performance in the key of strange. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfApr 8, 2016
As scripted by Bryan Sipe, Demolition buries its lead actor under a rubble of clichés. Read full review
60
Village VoiceBilge EbiriApr 7, 2016
Gyllenhaal and Watts's yin-yang performances help things along. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottApr 7, 2016
It feels very much like part of a big-screen franchise. Couple it with such films as "Donnie Darko" and "Nightcrawler," and you've got a series that collectively could be titled "Inside Jake Gyllenhaal's Head." Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzApr 7, 2016
Unfortunately Jean-Marc Vallée’s film doesn’t measure up to Gyllenhaal’s performance. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyApr 8, 2016
Jake Gyllenhaal’s wild-card performance is the only reason to bother with "Dallas Buyers Club" director Jean-Marc Vallée’s manipulative downer. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerApr 8, 2016
The best I can say is that it’s another tour de force for Gyllenhaal, although his intensity isn’t matched by the movie itself, which sacrifices much of its power by too often settling for easy, nut-brain effects. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyApr 6, 2016
Despite a few electric moments, the movie never makes anything of its stylized displays of frustration, ending in a whiff of narrative and emotional cop-outs. Say what you will about "American Beauty," but at least it had a climax. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 13, 2016
It’s an indulgent movie, drifting through grief on a sea of cliches. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony LaneApr 11, 2016
There is much to savor here, especially the unforced performance of Judah Lewis — one more recruit to the terrific roster of younger actors who are streaming into the movies. Yet the film lacks the courage of its affliction. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyApr 8, 2016
While Watts is reliably vulnerable, it’s Judah Lewis as her son Chris who does the heavier emotional lifting. Read full review
50
TimeStephanie ZacharekApr 7, 2016
Vallée, working from a script by Bryan Sipe, packs in too many symbols and potent signifiers – some are harmless, others are literally sledgehammer heavy. The movie doesn’t need all that when it’s got Gyllenhaal. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversApr 7, 2016
When humor is served black, they call it dramedy. When it's done in this movie, I call it indigestible. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonApr 7, 2016
Offbeat and unpredictable, Demolition takes a wrecking ball to audience expectations. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsApr 7, 2016
Gyllenhaal certainly holds the screen; at this point in his career, he has found a way to rise above whatever needs rising above. But midway through Demolition, I longed for a sequel to "Nightcrawler" instead. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanApr 7, 2016
Demolition is a rarity: A film with a profound emotional truth at its heart that lies to us, scene by scene, from start to finish. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoApr 7, 2016
There’s nothing wrong with stretching audience credibility, but, to quote another movie that dabbles in the highly improbable, these things must be done delicately. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenApr 6, 2016
The filmmakers insert their own bulldozer midway through the story, rendering the metaphoric literal and the literal absurd. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChristopher GrayApr 4, 2016
It takes its literalism to such an extreme that, at points, it's difficult to determine whether or not the film is operating with a semblance of irony. Read full review
42
The Film StageDaniel SchindelApr 6, 2016
Demolition might just be this year’s poster child for disaffected faux-indie insincerity. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranApr 7, 2016
Demolition is a well-meaning misfire, terribly earnest but unconvincing for all of that. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Apr 6, 2016
Demolition is a wreck. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 11, 2015
Though it’s laudable that Vallée and his cast tried not to make just another story about someone wallowing in his grief, their alternative coddles Davis’s mourning with a rampant colourfulness that’s suffocating. Read full review
40
The TelegraphTim RobeySep 11, 2015
Stuffed with so many strenuous editing ideas you suspect the influence of something illegal, Demolition is mainly casting about for a point, when it doesn’t feel like a wrecking ball aimed squarely at itself. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin LeeSep 11, 2015
A frustratingly aimless soul-search that veers uncomfortably between quirk and melancholy. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 9, 2016
Demolition founders and its overt symbolism feels forced instead of organic. The production is uncomfortable and artificial, lacking internal logic and tonal consistency. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperApr 7, 2016
What a mess. What a pretentious, uneven, off-putting, not-nearly-as-clever-as-it-thinkd-it-is MESS. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezApr 7, 2016
Demolition is so busy trying to be profound, the film doesn’t have much use for humor. Read full review
30
The New York TimesStephen HoldenApr 7, 2016
Mr. Gyllenhaal’s strong performance still doesn’t add enough substance to a film that is hollow at the center. It’s mostly the fault of Mr. Sipe, who seems to believe that saying nothing is saying something. Read full review
25
The PlaylistKevin JagernauthSep 10, 2015
The film’s attempted cathartic payoff is inauthentic and unearned, and it’s a shame considering that Gyllenhaal once again gives a committed turn. Read full review
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