Steampunk Granny Reviews Gone Girl

                                                              

       

The other week, my daughter and I went to a matinee showing of Gone Girls, staring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris. Neither one of us had read the book, by Gillian Flynn, but hearing great reviews about the film, we figured this was a perfect time to see the much raved about story.

                                                              

It was pouring rain and freezing that day, which made for a perfect day to sit in a dark theatre munching on our favorite candies. Did we like the film? Did it live up to all the hype?

Plot

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) are celebrating their fifth anniversary. Amy is part of a franchise, “The Amazing Amy”, a series of books written about her childhood by her cold and publicity seeking parents.

Nick heads off to the bar that he co-owns with his twin sister Margo (Carrie Coon). We haven’t seen Amy as of yet, but we know that Nick doesn’t look to happy. When Nick returns home, he is surprised to find the house a mess and his wife missing. He calls the police and this is where the story leads us down an “Alice in Wonderland” tunnel into the seedy side of marriage.

                                                                        

The film starts with the voice over of Nick saying that he would like to crack open his wife’s head to learn what she’s thinking and then we jump from past to present in a series of revelations that make you wonder if Nick is a killer.

Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Gilpin (Patrick Fugit) argue over whether the scene of kidnapping and possible murder is a setup and if Nick is a cold blooded killer. Maybe it's because Nick is acting so strangely and not at all like the loving husband he claims to be.When Amy’s diary is found in Nick’s childhood home’s furnace, the police are shocked by Amy’s claim that she fears for her life and that her husband is going to kill her.

                                                                 

In a series of twists that reveals not only how the neighborhood women adored Amy and hated Nick to statements by two of Amy’s former disgruntled boyfriends like Desi Collings (Neil Patrick Harris) who paint a slightly different picture of Amy. Are you confused yet? Good! Because it’s this back and forth revelation of who is the more depraved partner in this story book marriage that kept my daughter and I on the edge of our seats.

Conclusion

This is a film that I’m highly recommending. It’s a peek into a marriage gone sour and a mirror for those of us who are planning on getting married, or...are already married. It makes us want to ask our partners, “What are you thinking?”

We may not want to know.