Gone Girl is a beautiful rendition of an ugly story. Like so many couples Nick and Amy Dunne can’t stand each other. Nick’s a lazy schlub, teaching writing part-time at a college, managing a failing bar, and neglecting and ignoring his wife.  Amy is an ice queen, cold and manipulative, trying to twist Nick as she sees fit. The two live on together - Nick due to his lifestyle being paid for courtesy of Amy’s rich parents, and Amy for more dubious reasons. And while they might once have been in love, it’s clear that has long passed.

 

The fifth anniversary of their wedding is just an ordinary day for them, with Nick going off to his bar, leaving Amy alone again at the house. However, this time he comes home to find the house a mess and Amy gone. And as the days pass, Nick begins to look even more suspicious. Was Amy murdered by him, kidnapped by another, or something else entirely? To answer that question would be to spoil the movie, but it soon becomes clear that nothing is clear and that all these characters float on both sides of the line.

 

First and foremost, the acting in Gone Girl is phenomenal, pulling career defining performances out of stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, and even Tyler Perry, in a rare role without his trademark wig and fat suit.  Rosamund as Amy is truly an unlikable hag, pecking and harassing poor Nick until one wonders if the poor guy really did kill her. She’s smart and calculating, but also ruthless and manipulative. But Nick isn’t so innocent himself. He drinks too much, works too little, and engages in plenty of ill-advised activity. Affleck portrays him perfectly as just that sort of goofy guy everyone knows-- fun to hang around with but someone better in small doses.  Even if he’s not a murderer, he’s certainly not a good husband, or even really a good guy. Perry’s role is perhaps the most shocking. His work here, especially compared to the Madea films, is surprisingly subtle and nuanced. Playing attorney Tanner Bolt, he comes across as confident, a bit smug, but above all intelligent and aware of his situation. He knows he’s good and he’s not afraid to express it.

 

In terms of casting, the film’s only real misstep is Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collings, a former admirer of Amy who never really got over her, now a successful business man.  Harris’s acting isn’t the issue, with him managing to get a good mix of anxiety and pleasure out of his performance, but he just doesn’t seem right for the role. Harris’s good looks and normal charm just seem strange in the body of a nasty creeper like Collings. His is a strange character; however, and if the movie wanted the uncomfortable tension brought on whenever Harris is on screen, then casting him might’ve been the smartest choice.

 

The story of Gone Girl is memorable and twisted for reasons both good and bad. Several scenes stuck with me days after I had seen them, playing over and over again in my head. The downside of all these twists, however, is the absence of believability. Overall, if you really examine the basic plotline of the movie, an incredible amount of luck and some baffling police stupidity are required to keep it chugging along. The editing and speed at which the film presents its self largely fixes this problem on a first viewing, and I tend to over analyze things anyway, so others might not have this problem.

 

But even without realism, the ideas in Gone Girl are absolutely stunning. Twists that come out of nowhere, and scenes of abrupt action that end as quickly as they start keep one’s heart racing, all with the mystery of Amy and her disappearance an ever present puzzle in the background looming over everything. Gone Girl clocks in at over two hours, but feels like a film half that length.  Despite the frantic pace, however, there is still room for little scenes that add a lot. Watching Tanner throwing gummy bears at Nick to get him prepared for an interview is just one example of many. These provide a much needed break and a chance for the audience to catch their breaths, while still contributing to developing the characters. It’s a mix that works nearly flawlessly.

 

Gone Girl is often a sick movie, but also a great one. The failing marriage of Nick and Amy may be its rotten core, but the real meat is in more than just their tale. The acting is nearly flawless, and the story, even at its darkest and least coherent, is riveting. It’s a film worth watching, then watching again to truly understand what you’ve seen because Gone Girl is one of the best films of the year.

 

4 ½ stars out of 5