Where viewed: Holland 7 Theater, opening night, which I never do.
Experience with Film: read book recently, first time viewing.
Spoiler Alert: Of course. And if you haven’t read the novel, this might be less interesting for you.
Writer: Gillian Flynn
Director: David Fincher
Principal Actors: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike
Going into the movie, I had no hope that it could capture the expansive interior of the characters as developed in the novel. I wasn’t looking for that despite Gillian Flynn adapting her own novel–screenplays are an entirely different beast what with their focus on action and exteriority and visuals. Rather than looking for an “accurate” adaptation, I was curious about what/how Flynn would adapt. What would she streamline, cut, alter, emphasize in order to transform her nerve-fraying novel into a big-budget Hollywood feature? (Thus it would be disingenuous to pretend that I watched GONE GIRL in a critical vacuum. If there is such thing. There’s not.) Let’s talk about Ben Affleck. Both physically and his character. I was struck by the top-heaviness of Mr. Affleck. A buoyant coiffure atop a massive head that settles, neckless, onto broad shoulders. The thick simian dangle of the arms. Hunched and beefy. This is where the potential violence and menace of Nick Dunne rests. Not in action (aside from a shove at the end) or dialogue. As written by Gillian Flynn, directed by David Fincher, and acted by Ben Affleck, movie Nick Dunne is the hero. Novel Nick Dunne simmers with rage, confusion, hatred. On the inside. In his head. Movie Nick Dunne gets the hunched simian potential violence of Ben Affleck’s physique. It’s not laid bare. My experience with novel Nick Dunne is regarding him as a shit, a damaged shit just barely holding back his fists of misogyny. It’s disappointing and exhausting and perfect when he rejoins with Amy at the end of the book. Movie Nick is an inherently good, if disloyal and imperfect, man caught in his evil wife’s sick web. He seems to rejoin her out of paternal duty to his unborn child rather than realizing his monstrosity matches Amy’s. Movie Nick is doing the decent difficult thing, whereas novel Nick throws decency out the window and commits to Amy again because, eventually, he wants to. He wants to be with a psychotic, treacherous murderer. (For me, this was the biggest twist in the novel, not the reveal that Amy was alive.) Novel Nick is not a hero. Not even close. He embraces his final circumstances. Movie Nick is trapped by them, unfortunate victim of a black widow. Because of this, he is much less compelling.
FADE OUT 