Gone Girl (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Those who have not read the page-turning novel 'Gone Girl', & those who have seen the trailers for this film version (directed by David Fincher, Se7en, The Social Network, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, & adapted by Gillian Flynn from her own novel), might think that they know what they're getting themselves into: a missing person/murder mystery that wraps-up as any Law & Order episode might. To that, I say ... not so fast. On the morning of his 5th wedding anniversary, bar owner Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) returns home to find that his coffee table has been smashed to pieces, and that his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), is nowhere to be found. Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) descends upon the Dunnes' upper middle class Missouri neighborhood to try & make sense of this situation.
But soon enough, all eyes are fixed on Nick, who doesn't appear too distraught, & hasn't exactly been a wonderful husband (we're shown a myriad of flashbacks to the couple's pristine courtship, as well as their increasingly problematic marriage) -- but then, Amy hasn't exactly been a model wife, either. Nick has his twin sister Margo (Carrie Coon) on his side through the media circus that is the "Rah-Rah-help-find-Amy" show. But after some late-breaking evidence makes Nick a suspect, he enlists a slick lawyer (Tyler Perry) who is known for defending the indefensible. Everyone (Nick, detectives, Amy's parents, Amy's "friends", media outlets, the public) is desperate to know: Where is Amy? Is she alive? Is Nick responsible for her disappearance? You think you may know ... but you haven't a clue.
See, the question about Nick is whether he's just an oafish husband with some skeletons in his closet, or whether he's hiding something more alarming; more sinister. Also, after hearing Amy's voice-over narration of her diary entries throughout their relationship ... is everything we're seeing to be taken at face value? Around the midpoint of the film, director David Fincher shifts from the He Said, She said/coinciding police procedural narrative and swerves over into Basic Instinct territory, complete with psychosexual horror elements. Some people consider this to be David Fincher's Hitchcock movie: a seemingly innocent man accused, an enigmatic platinum blonde, unreliable narration, complex characters who cannot be trusted, multiple perspectives, plot twists, & a mystery that both unfolds AND evolves.
Ben Affleck is the perfect choice for Nick; a boorish-but-handsome, somewhat sympathetic, somewhat bewildered, somewhat dangerous guy who is in way over his head with the whole PR side of this missing wife case. Though she's been around for a while, Rosamund Pike gives a star-making turn as the icy cool, perplexing, inscrutable Amy. It's virtually impossible to understand or interpret what's going on in that pretty head of hers at any point through the proceedings. And that's EXACTLY as her character should be executed. I loved Kim Dickens as the no-nonsense detective. Carrie Coon provides comic relief & a good moral center as Nick's concerned sister. Tyler Perry acquits himself well as the lawyer who thinks that the parties involved in his case are simply nuts. Missi Pyle made me laugh as the Nancy Grace-like journalist who loves to amp up the missing person story for high TV ratings. And Neil Patrick Harris is suspiciously creepy as Amy's ex.
I really enjoyed 'Gone Girl', despite having minor issues with it. While I empathize with Amy's emotionally-scarred childhood, I wanted to understand her better as an adult. The film is a tad long (145 minutes). And the ending felt rushed. Still, this is an undoubtedly entertaining motion picture. I already mentioned the cast. The whodunit clues & perspective-shifting structure of the story engaged me. Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography showers everything in a yellow/green-ish hue that suits the story's somewhat sickening tone. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' score is an enticing, dread-building aural cacophony of ticks, hums, groans, & moans. And David Fincher successfully turns this noir novel into quite the creepy, unsettling cinematic venture where viewer loyalties shift & people shock us.
There are 2 distinct themes in 'Gone Girl'. 1) Manipulation. The media manipulates how the public thinks. Likewise, the lawyers/detectives/victims twist facts & withhold information to manipulate the media. It all makes you wonder ... at what level can the truth ever be attained? And 2) Marriage can be a trap. Sure, faking-it-to-make-it during courtship can lead to marriage. But once you're IN, a series of passive aggressive behaviors, surface niceties, lies (to your partner and to yourself), & self-deflating compromises can snowball into a monster; making you rue the day you decided to take your vows. And in this movie, masquerading as "happy" can lead to disaster. 'Gone Girl' did not wow me as much as Fincher's most recent efforts. I felt more immersed in those films; more drenched in their atmosphere/milieu. But 'GG' is still a smart, twisted, darkly funny, and macabre take on sociopathic marriages. I doubt I'll ever marry now, haha.
But soon enough, all eyes are fixed on Nick, who doesn't appear too distraught, & hasn't exactly been a wonderful husband (we're shown a myriad of flashbacks to the couple's pristine courtship, as well as their increasingly problematic marriage) -- but then, Amy hasn't exactly been a model wife, either. Nick has his twin sister Margo (Carrie Coon) on his side through the media circus that is the "Rah-Rah-help-find-Amy" show. But after some late-breaking evidence makes Nick a suspect, he enlists a slick lawyer (Tyler Perry) who is known for defending the indefensible. Everyone (Nick, detectives, Amy's parents, Amy's "friends", media outlets, the public) is desperate to know: Where is Amy? Is she alive? Is Nick responsible for her disappearance? You think you may know ... but you haven't a clue.
See, the question about Nick is whether he's just an oafish husband with some skeletons in his closet, or whether he's hiding something more alarming; more sinister. Also, after hearing Amy's voice-over narration of her diary entries throughout their relationship ... is everything we're seeing to be taken at face value? Around the midpoint of the film, director David Fincher shifts from the He Said, She said/coinciding police procedural narrative and swerves over into Basic Instinct territory, complete with psychosexual horror elements. Some people consider this to be David Fincher's Hitchcock movie: a seemingly innocent man accused, an enigmatic platinum blonde, unreliable narration, complex characters who cannot be trusted, multiple perspectives, plot twists, & a mystery that both unfolds AND evolves.
Ben Affleck is the perfect choice for Nick; a boorish-but-handsome, somewhat sympathetic, somewhat bewildered, somewhat dangerous guy who is in way over his head with the whole PR side of this missing wife case. Though she's been around for a while, Rosamund Pike gives a star-making turn as the icy cool, perplexing, inscrutable Amy. It's virtually impossible to understand or interpret what's going on in that pretty head of hers at any point through the proceedings. And that's EXACTLY as her character should be executed. I loved Kim Dickens as the no-nonsense detective. Carrie Coon provides comic relief & a good moral center as Nick's concerned sister. Tyler Perry acquits himself well as the lawyer who thinks that the parties involved in his case are simply nuts. Missi Pyle made me laugh as the Nancy Grace-like journalist who loves to amp up the missing person story for high TV ratings. And Neil Patrick Harris is suspiciously creepy as Amy's ex.
I really enjoyed 'Gone Girl', despite having minor issues with it. While I empathize with Amy's emotionally-scarred childhood, I wanted to understand her better as an adult. The film is a tad long (145 minutes). And the ending felt rushed. Still, this is an undoubtedly entertaining motion picture. I already mentioned the cast. The whodunit clues & perspective-shifting structure of the story engaged me. Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography showers everything in a yellow/green-ish hue that suits the story's somewhat sickening tone. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' score is an enticing, dread-building aural cacophony of ticks, hums, groans, & moans. And David Fincher successfully turns this noir novel into quite the creepy, unsettling cinematic venture where viewer loyalties shift & people shock us.
There are 2 distinct themes in 'Gone Girl'. 1) Manipulation. The media manipulates how the public thinks. Likewise, the lawyers/detectives/victims twist facts & withhold information to manipulate the media. It all makes you wonder ... at what level can the truth ever be attained? And 2) Marriage can be a trap. Sure, faking-it-to-make-it during courtship can lead to marriage. But once you're IN, a series of passive aggressive behaviors, surface niceties, lies (to your partner and to yourself), & self-deflating compromises can snowball into a monster; making you rue the day you decided to take your vows. And in this movie, masquerading as "happy" can lead to disaster. 'Gone Girl' did not wow me as much as Fincher's most recent efforts. I felt more immersed in those films; more drenched in their atmosphere/milieu. But 'GG' is still a smart, twisted, darkly funny, and macabre take on sociopathic marriages. I doubt I'll ever marry now, haha.