Quick Review: The Details (2012)

THE DETAILS

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Putting my dislike for Tobey Maguire aside, “The Details” remains entertaining despite a constant shift between quirky comedy and thoughtful drama. The question burning on my mind was how Jeff Lang (Macguire) could have gone so long before this film’s events without messing everything up completely, because “The Details” is that film where the lead character falls down a rabbit hole of mistakes. Sexually frustrated and boyish ignorant, Jeff cheats on his wife twice, gets his neighbor’s cat killed, and loses a ridiculous amount of money, all to keep his wife from finding out. In this film, the only difference is that all the characters are equally bad, and the eventual conclusion is original in that most “rabbit hole” films don’t take the higher road where those affected understand the predicaments at hand.

Elizabeth Banks does a decent job remaining likable as the stuffy stay-at-home mom. Macguire does nothing to change my slanted opinion about him. In minimal roles, Kerry Washington and Dennis Haysbert blow me away with their impeccable ability to embody their characters and instantly garner emotions toward them. Haysbert’s style is by far the best thing about the film and produces most of the severe emotions brought on throughout the film, which makes his final arc much more sad and disturbing. Had the entire movie focused on a level of passion like this, it would have stood entirely apart from any quirky comedies today. Instead, its absurdity brings it to the same base level that comes from most swept-under-the-rug comedies.