From Ben Affleck's per-usual astronomically bad performance, to the constantly heavy-handed dialogue (much of it voiceovers, the epitome of lazy exposition), Gone Girl tries to paint elements of a psychological thriller onto the vast canvas of a political drama and fails miserably in delivering the emotional weight of either.
I had a terrible time watching this movie. Possibly because I was reading the script at the same time (which I do not deny easily could have affected my viewing experience), or possibly just because the script was really boring. I had a hard time comprehending Fincher's muted and ugly color palette here, and his typically stylized portions of quick cuts and a rising score feel contrived and amateurish.
Not to credit most of the failure to Fincher, though. His prowess behind the camera is undeniable, and though he delivers possibly his worst effort yet, his direction is nowhere near as catastrophic as the root problem of this film: the writing.
While learning to embrace toxic relationships is certainly a theme becoming more relevant in the modern age of cinema, there seems to be a common misconception among mediocre writers about what the word "embrace" exactly means. Approximately five minutes from the end of our movie, Nick, our protagonist who goes through an enduring journey to answer the dramatic question, "Will he stay truthful to himself?", declares that he will, and leave right after. Yet after a quick one-minute dialogue with her wife, he decides maybe it is best to stay in this relationship, no matter how toxic, and present himself as a shining family man to the media.
This is an example of STAYING in a toxic relationship for the sake of the plot's resolution, not an example of EMBRACING it, which has so much more depth and meaning. For example, take Phantom Thread, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or Arrival. In each, we see the characters go through a journey (all told in narratively unique ways) that allows them to embrace the inherent toxicity that underlies their romantic relationship. Phantom Thread explores a power dynamic between domination and need of a nurturing figure (which Reynolds lacks due to his mother's purposefully emphasized passing), Eternal Sunshine considers the philosophical theory that pain and toxicity is necessary to avoid making the same mistakes again (to add another layer to it, with the same person), and Arrival poses the truly gigantic question: "If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?"
Whereas in each of these, the ironic moral compass never bends either way (rather, choosing the mature approach of simply presenting the consequences), Gone Girl settles for middle-of-the-road entertainment that rarely offers anything under its already barren surface. If you like insubstantial edgy stuff that is entertaining, good for you. Unfortunately, for me, the movie was a bore to sit through. If I wanted to watch something entertaining, I'd have watched Dumb and Dumber 2.
C-
I had a terrible time watching this movie. Possibly because I was reading the script at the same time (which I do not deny easily could have affected my viewing experience), or possibly just because the script was really boring. I had a hard time comprehending Fincher's muted and ugly color palette here, and his typically stylized portions of quick cuts and a rising score feel contrived and amateurish.
Not to credit most of the failure to Fincher, though. His prowess behind the camera is undeniable, and though he delivers possibly his worst effort yet, his direction is nowhere near as catastrophic as the root problem of this film: the writing.
While learning to embrace toxic relationships is certainly a theme becoming more relevant in the modern age of cinema, there seems to be a common misconception among mediocre writers about what the word "embrace" exactly means. Approximately five minutes from the end of our movie, Nick, our protagonist who goes through an enduring journey to answer the dramatic question, "Will he stay truthful to himself?", declares that he will, and leave right after. Yet after a quick one-minute dialogue with her wife, he decides maybe it is best to stay in this relationship, no matter how toxic, and present himself as a shining family man to the media.
This is an example of STAYING in a toxic relationship for the sake of the plot's resolution, not an example of EMBRACING it, which has so much more depth and meaning. For example, take Phantom Thread, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or Arrival. In each, we see the characters go through a journey (all told in narratively unique ways) that allows them to embrace the inherent toxicity that underlies their romantic relationship. Phantom Thread explores a power dynamic between domination and need of a nurturing figure (which Reynolds lacks due to his mother's purposefully emphasized passing), Eternal Sunshine considers the philosophical theory that pain and toxicity is necessary to avoid making the same mistakes again (to add another layer to it, with the same person), and Arrival poses the truly gigantic question: "If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?"
Whereas in each of these, the ironic moral compass never bends either way (rather, choosing the mature approach of simply presenting the consequences), Gone Girl settles for middle-of-the-road entertainment that rarely offers anything under its already barren surface. If you like insubstantial edgy stuff that is entertaining, good for you. Unfortunately, for me, the movie was a bore to sit through. If I wanted to watch something entertaining, I'd have watched Dumb and Dumber 2.
C-