The Details (film)
The Details is a 2011 American independent black comedy film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes.[2] It stars Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, and Kerry Washington.
| The Details | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jacob Aaron Estes |
| Produced by | Mark Gordon Bryan Zuriff Hagai Shaham |
| Written by | Jacob Aaron Estes |
| Starring | Tobey Maguire Elizabeth Banks Dennis Haysbert Ray Liotta Kerry Washington Laura Linney |
| Music by | tomandandy |
| Cinematography | Sharone Meir |
| Edited by | Madeleine Gavin |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RADiUS-TWC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $63,595[1] |
Plot
Jeff Lang (Tobey Maguire), an OBGYN, and his wife Nealy (Elizabeth Banks), who owns a small shop, live in Seattle with their two-year-old son. Considering a second child, they decide to enlarge their small home and lay expensive new grass in their backyard. Worms in the grass attract raccoons, who destroy the grass, and Jeff goes to great lengths to get rid of the raccoons, mixing poison with a can of tuna. Their neighbor Lila (Laura Linney) tells Jeff that her cat Matthew is missing, and Jeff does not yet realize he may be responsible.
After arguing with Nealy over his raccoon obsession, Jeff asks his childhood best friend Becca (Kerry Washington), who is married to Peter (Ray Liotta), for advice. After drinks at a bar, they walk to Becca and Peter's house nearby. Becca shows Jeff the collectible car that is her husband's pride and joy, and they have sex in the garage. Later, Lila, desperate to talk to Jeff, chases him to his office. Peter is waiting, and confronts Jeff about his affair with Becca, which Lila possibly overhears and she leaves without talking to Jeff.
After work, Jeff visits Lila, who shows him proof that he accidentally poisoned Matthew. Distraught, she tells Jeff that she knows of his affair, and blackmails him into having sex with her immediately. Jeff is unable to disengage before the act is completed, but is confident the chances of Lila becoming pregnant are slim.
Jeff returns home, where Nealy tells him Peter stopped by. Meeting Peter at his restaurant, Jeff is offered the choice between calling Nealy to admit the affair, or paying Peter $100,000.
Rendezvousing with Peter on a bridge, Jeff gives him the $75,000 he was able to get, having taken out a loan. Peter tosses the money into the river and chastises Jeff, warning that if he keeps making the same poor decisions, his life will be ruined. Jeff is inspired to reevaluate his life.
Jeff learns that his friend Lincoln (Dennis Haysbert), a basketball star in his youth until a car accident ruined his chances of an athletic scholarship to college, is dying of kidney failure. Determining that he is a perfect organ match, Jeff offers Lincoln a kidney. Recuperating from the surgery, a groggy Jeff is visited by Lila, who giddily reveals she is pregnant with his child. Dazed, Jeff does not immediately react, but later meets Lila in a coffee shop, telling her he will not be a father to the child. Lila says she just wants Jeff to be around for the baby's sake.
Jeff reveals all this to Lincoln, also telling him about a strange dream in which Lila was killed by an arrow. Lincoln, feeling beholden to Jeff for saving his life and landing him a dream job as a basketball coach, takes it upon himself to eliminate Lila. He buys an archery set and hunts her down in a park.
Nealy calls Jeff with news that police are interviewing everyone on their block about Lila's death. Lincoln's church honors Jeff with a special ceremony, during which Jeff shares a silent exchange with Lincoln, knowing he killed Lila. On the way home, a guilt-stricken Jeff tells Nealy everything, but not before he intentionally kills a raccoon crossing the road. A hysterical Nealy laughingly tells Jeff of her own infidelity, and they decide to put everything behind them and start fresh.
Some time later, their grass has been replaced with flowers, solving the raccoon problem, and Nealy is pregnant. Jeff laments that though things have turned out for the better, he will always worry about being found out.
Cast
- Tobey Maguire as Jeff Lang
- Elizabeth Banks as Nealy Lang
- Kerry Washington as Rebecca Mazzoni
- Ray Liotta as Peter Mazzoni
- Laura Linney as Lila
- Dennis Haysbert as Lincoln
Reception
The film has a rating of 46% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 35 reviews.[3] Reviewing the film for the New York Times, film critic Stephen Holden commented, "At certain moments, the male characters’ decisions bring to mind those turning points in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors, when your breath catches in your throat, and your impulse is to cry, 'Oh no!'"[4] Reuters said of Maguire's performance, "the 37-year-old actor is finally growing up on screen."[5]
References
- The Details Box Office Mojo
- The Details All Movie
- The Details Rotten Tomatoes
- Holden, Stephen. Relentless Raccoons and Other Suburban Problems Money Can’t Always Fix. The New York Times. January 25, 2018.
- Kit, Zorianna. In "The Details," a grown-up role for Tobey Maguire. Reuters. January 25, 2018.