Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Davis Mitchell an investment banker who’s wife Julia (Heather Lind) is killed in a car accident from which he escapes without a scratch. While in the hospital he uses a vending machine which takes his money without giving him the goods and he writes a complaint letter to the manufacturers which becomes almost confessional in content. Davis is struggling to come to terms with the passing of his wife but rather than being overcome with grief Davis can’t understand why he is feeling no grief which makes him begin questioning his own life and thoughts. His father in law Phil (Chris Cooper) is concerned and advises him to try and break down his life and examine it advice which Davis takes far too literally as he starts to dismantle his, and others if he can get away with it, material possessions to find out how they work in the  hope that it will give me some guidance as to how to find out how he ticks.

In the meantime he finds some solace in the letters to the vending company so he continues to put this thoughts and feelings down and sends the letters on a frequent basis to the customer service department, that is managed by Karen (Naomi Watts) who is touched by the honest outpouring of emotion she is receiving on paper and decides to reply. Karen has her own issues that she is struggling to cope with so they begin a relationship that makes them both rethink their concept of friendship but it’s Davis’ relationship with Karen’s son Chris (Judah Lewis) who finds a father figure of sorts in Davis despite, or perhaps because of, Davis’ unusual take on life’s expectations and he becomes a willing accomplice in the deconstruction of Davis life, that serves as the most interesting piece of the movie.

Part drama, part black comedy the movie is held together by Gyllenhaal’s ability to switch back and forth between both without ever looking like he is amending his performance which elevates the film into more than it is. Far funnier than I thought it would be given the material it reminded me a little of Silver Linings Playbook but it never reaches the heights of that movie. Credit can be given that it does not try and hit the usual drama clichés but attempts to do something different, unfortunately it fails in most cases but don’t be fooled by the trailer, there is enough humour in the movie to keep you entertained and Gyllenhaals performance, as always, is worth a watch alone.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10