GONE GIRL – At The Movies With Kasey

October 10, 2014 Kasey Butcher

When I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, I read it in one sitting. I read a lot, but it’s relatively rare that I lose myself so much in a book that it consumes my whole day. But, there I sat “one more chapter”-ing myself over and over until the book and the day were done. It was engrossing, suspenseful, funny, and sexy. And the plot twists were bonkers. I couldn’t wait for the movie.

In Gone Girl, Nick (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) are set to celebrate their anniversary after five years of marriage. The recent years of that union have been tested by the recession, a death in the family, and a move from New York City to Missouri. Amy, a New York native whose parents wrote Amazing Amy, a series of successful children’s books that “plagiarized her childhood,” feels lost in Missouri. She doesn’t fit the role of the Midwestern housewife. Nick is happy to be home with his family and running a bar with his twin sister, Margo (Carrie Coon), but he senses his wife’s dissatisfaction and it gnaws at him. On the morning of their anniversary, Nick receives a call from a nosy neighbor telling him that the front door of his house is standing open. He returns home to find signs of a struggle, but no sign of Amy. Quickly, Nick finds himself at the center of a murder investigation conducted by Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens), in which the clues don’t add up, or add up too perfectly, depending how you look at it.

At some point I read that the ending of Gone Girl was rewritten by Gillian Flynn for the film, so that readers of the book would still enjoy a final twist. Although that is a genius idea, it is not true. Moviegoers who did not read the book will no doubt enjoy all the twists. As someone who knew what was coming, I still really had fun watching the movie, but there was a noticeable lack of depth to the story as Amy takes up less narrative space in the movie than she does in the book.

The adaptation, however, does highlight the best parts of the mood of the book. The mood balances between being so Midwestern it could be your neighborhood and appropriately dark and foggy for a mystery novel. I was particularly impressed by the little details, too, as they captured the essence of the writing. For example, the Dunnes’ cat moves throughout the scenes at their house, like a silent witness, the only one who knows what really happened. The film also has a lot of fun with the portrayal of the media circus that surrounds certain missing persons cases. I was impressed by how Sela Ward and Missi Pyle captured the essence of broadcast news and Nancy Grace types without doing out-and-out caricature.

Click to advertise on this website

The other performances are also outstanding. Ben Affleck was cast perfectly as Nick Dunne, a man whose face is an untrustable brand of handsome. In the book, Nick notes that he has a face that makes people want to punch him. Affleck plays up the more smarmy elements of the character while still making him relatable enough that the audience cares what happens to him. Rosamund Pike is eerily good in her role. I wish that the film had played more with the dual narration of the book to give her more to do, but when she really gets to flex her muscles she’s marvelously complex. The supporting cast, including Neil Patrick Harris, Kim Dickens, Carrie Coon, and Tyler Perry help capture the difficult relationships and circumstances Nick finds himself stuck with.

Overall, the experience of watching Gone Girl was as taut and compelling as reading the novel was. The film is at times a little too glossy, but overall it’s a solid adaptation of a really fun reading experience. I rate it 4/5 stars.

Gone Girl was written by Gillian Flynn, based on her novel, and directed by David Fincher. It runs 149 minutes (but actually doesn’t feel that long) and is rated R for a scene of bloody violence, some strong sexual content/nudity, and language.

Author
Recent Posts

Kasey Butcher

She is proud to be a Ft. Wayne native, a graduate of Homestead HS, Ball State University & Miami University.She became involved with journalism editor-in-chief for her high school magazine. She authors the "At The Movies with Kasey Butcher" review.

> Read Full Biography
> More Articles Written By This Writer