Gone Girl
2.5/4
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Fugit
Rated R for A Scene of Bloody Violence, Some Strong Sexual Content/Nudity, and Language
David Fincher was a respected music video director in the early 90's before moving into film. By all accounts, his version of "Alien 3" was butchered by the studio, and while the movie wasn't good, it was weird enough to be compelling. Fincher was given a second chance by directing "Seven," which shocked and terrified audiences in 1995. From then on, he's been making one good film after another, earning a Best Director Oscar nomination for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and another for "The Social Network."
I like Fincher's work. Known for his careful (almost obsessive) attention to detail and demanding many more takes per scene than is par for the course, the director has been behind some of the most innovative and suspenseful thrillers of the past two decades. Lately, however, he's been in a bit of a slump. At least that's my opinion. Critics and audiences loved "The Social Network," but it's been since "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" that he did something really great. "Gone Girl" isn't a reversal of that trend. Actually, despite being positioned as an Oscar contender, it's his weakest film.
Nick (Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Pike) are a happily married couple living in Anytown, Missouri. At least that's what everyone thinks. But like many couples, the cracks begin to show when things get really tough. Previously upwardly mobile New Yorkers, they were victims of the Great Recession and had to move to Missouri when Nick's mother got sick (actually, it was Nick's decision and Amy wasn't consulted). Now, their marriage is on the rocks and they are probably heading towards a divorce. Suddenly, Amy has gone missing in an apparent kidnapping. Tough as nails detective Rhonda Boney (Dickens) and her partner Jim Gilpin (Fugit) are on the case. But strange things are going on that cause everyone to wonder if this is really a kidnapping, or if Nick killed Amy.
The film's biggest problems are the sluggish first hour and the ending. There's some worthwhile material here, but it's book-ended by disappointment and occasional boredom.
"Gone Girl" does something interesting with the manipulation of the audience's perception (this is not meant to be a criticism, since a story like this relies upon it and it's skillfully done). While Nick is the protagonist, Fincher and Gillian Flynn (who wrote the screenplay based on her bestselling novel) construct the film in such a way that we don't know if we can trust him. It works, but it would have worked a lot better had Ben Affleck given a better performance. Affleck is a good character actor, and shines in low-key material such as "Good Will Hunting" and "The Company Men" (although he was frighteningly vicious in "Boiler Room"). Nick is meant to be an exhausted everyman who acts in ways that make us not trust him, but Affleck overshoots the mark. Affleck is too low-key, and in a movie like this, it leaves him without much of a personality. Nick is hard to empathize with, which limits the power of the first hour. His co-stars are much more impressive. Rosamund Pike gives a much more balanced portrayal, allowing us to see who everyone says Amy is and what Nick says she is without losing a connection between them. Carrie Coon provides solid support as Nick's twin sister Margot, and Tyler Perry shows talent when he's working with a script and a director that is not himself.
The real surprise is Kim Dickens. When I saw her name in the opening credits, I groaned. Her wretched performance in "Hollow Man" and her not-much-better bit part in "The Gift" convinced me that she is a terrible actress. I was proven wrong. Boney is a great detective with fire and spunk, but also smarts. She doesn't match up to Marge Gunderson in "Fargo," but who could? Boney is easily the most interesting character in the movie, and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Dickens. I wished she were in more scenes.
"Gone Girl" reveals what really happened to Amy about halfway through the movie, but that doesn't mean that the film loses its energy and momentum. On the contrary, that's when things start getting really interesting. I love movies that are able to continually surprise me, and that's the case here. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, the movie proves you wrong.
Fincher's approach to the film is too serious. "Gone Girl" is a mystery and not much more. But Fincher takes it with such deadly serious that it appears that he thinks it deeper than it actually is. There are themes and ideas about how relationships can go sour and how love can turn into hate, but these aren't exactly new or revolutionary. They're pretty common place, and it makes the film seem a little pretentious. Worse, it magnifies the film's plot holes (of which there are at least three). Fincher does take some time to make some telling points about the media and trash journalism (Missi Pyle does a dead-on impersonation of Nancy Grace), but that's it.
The worst part of the film is the ending. It's not believable and it is certainly not satisfying. Fincher gets us ready for something we weren't expecting, but the film concludes on a whimper. Flynn wrote a different ending than the one she used in the book to keep viewers interested and to avoid spoilers. She probably should have kept the one she had.
I was hoping that Oscar season had started with "Gone Girl," Sadly, it appears we will have to wait a little bit before the really good stuff comes out.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Fugit
Rated R for A Scene of Bloody Violence, Some Strong Sexual Content/Nudity, and Language
David Fincher was a respected music video director in the early 90's before moving into film. By all accounts, his version of "Alien 3" was butchered by the studio, and while the movie wasn't good, it was weird enough to be compelling. Fincher was given a second chance by directing "Seven," which shocked and terrified audiences in 1995. From then on, he's been making one good film after another, earning a Best Director Oscar nomination for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and another for "The Social Network."
I like Fincher's work. Known for his careful (almost obsessive) attention to detail and demanding many more takes per scene than is par for the course, the director has been behind some of the most innovative and suspenseful thrillers of the past two decades. Lately, however, he's been in a bit of a slump. At least that's my opinion. Critics and audiences loved "The Social Network," but it's been since "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" that he did something really great. "Gone Girl" isn't a reversal of that trend. Actually, despite being positioned as an Oscar contender, it's his weakest film.
Nick (Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Pike) are a happily married couple living in Anytown, Missouri. At least that's what everyone thinks. But like many couples, the cracks begin to show when things get really tough. Previously upwardly mobile New Yorkers, they were victims of the Great Recession and had to move to Missouri when Nick's mother got sick (actually, it was Nick's decision and Amy wasn't consulted). Now, their marriage is on the rocks and they are probably heading towards a divorce. Suddenly, Amy has gone missing in an apparent kidnapping. Tough as nails detective Rhonda Boney (Dickens) and her partner Jim Gilpin (Fugit) are on the case. But strange things are going on that cause everyone to wonder if this is really a kidnapping, or if Nick killed Amy.
The film's biggest problems are the sluggish first hour and the ending. There's some worthwhile material here, but it's book-ended by disappointment and occasional boredom.
"Gone Girl" does something interesting with the manipulation of the audience's perception (this is not meant to be a criticism, since a story like this relies upon it and it's skillfully done). While Nick is the protagonist, Fincher and Gillian Flynn (who wrote the screenplay based on her bestselling novel) construct the film in such a way that we don't know if we can trust him. It works, but it would have worked a lot better had Ben Affleck given a better performance. Affleck is a good character actor, and shines in low-key material such as "Good Will Hunting" and "The Company Men" (although he was frighteningly vicious in "Boiler Room"). Nick is meant to be an exhausted everyman who acts in ways that make us not trust him, but Affleck overshoots the mark. Affleck is too low-key, and in a movie like this, it leaves him without much of a personality. Nick is hard to empathize with, which limits the power of the first hour. His co-stars are much more impressive. Rosamund Pike gives a much more balanced portrayal, allowing us to see who everyone says Amy is and what Nick says she is without losing a connection between them. Carrie Coon provides solid support as Nick's twin sister Margot, and Tyler Perry shows talent when he's working with a script and a director that is not himself.
The real surprise is Kim Dickens. When I saw her name in the opening credits, I groaned. Her wretched performance in "Hollow Man" and her not-much-better bit part in "The Gift" convinced me that she is a terrible actress. I was proven wrong. Boney is a great detective with fire and spunk, but also smarts. She doesn't match up to Marge Gunderson in "Fargo," but who could? Boney is easily the most interesting character in the movie, and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Dickens. I wished she were in more scenes.
"Gone Girl" reveals what really happened to Amy about halfway through the movie, but that doesn't mean that the film loses its energy and momentum. On the contrary, that's when things start getting really interesting. I love movies that are able to continually surprise me, and that's the case here. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, the movie proves you wrong.
Fincher's approach to the film is too serious. "Gone Girl" is a mystery and not much more. But Fincher takes it with such deadly serious that it appears that he thinks it deeper than it actually is. There are themes and ideas about how relationships can go sour and how love can turn into hate, but these aren't exactly new or revolutionary. They're pretty common place, and it makes the film seem a little pretentious. Worse, it magnifies the film's plot holes (of which there are at least three). Fincher does take some time to make some telling points about the media and trash journalism (Missi Pyle does a dead-on impersonation of Nancy Grace), but that's it.
The worst part of the film is the ending. It's not believable and it is certainly not satisfying. Fincher gets us ready for something we weren't expecting, but the film concludes on a whimper. Flynn wrote a different ending than the one she used in the book to keep viewers interested and to avoid spoilers. She probably should have kept the one she had.
I was hoping that Oscar season had started with "Gone Girl," Sadly, it appears we will have to wait a little bit before the really good stuff comes out.
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