Jean-Marc Vallee has been a fixture of the Oscar race for the last couple of years. His film Dallas Buyers Club was nominated for Best Picture and earned Matthew McConaughey his first win, while last year's Wild got Reese Witherspoon into the race. And the expectations were the same for his next film, Demolition, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts. However, Fox Searchlight has other plans as the film won't be an awards season factor this year at all.
Demolition has been set for release on April 8th 2016, and while that may seem like a forgettable, thowaway date, it doesn't necessarily write the film off completely. A number of strong dramas made quite a splash last spring, and let's not forget that The Grand Budapest Hotel hit theaters in March and was still fresh in peoples' minds come Oscar season. It all depends on the strength of the material. Here's the Demolition synopsis:
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.
