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'''''Gone Girl''''' is a 2014 American ] ] directed by ]. It was adapted by ] from ]. It stars ], ], ], ], and ]. The film had its ] on opening night of the 52nd ] on September 26, 2014. It had its ] on October 3 and received positive reviews from critics. '''''Gone Girl''''' is a 2014 American ] ] directed by ]. It was adapted by ] from ]. It stars ], ], ], ], and ]. The film had its ] on opening night of the 52nd ] on September 26, 2014. It had its ] on October 3 and received positive reviews from critics.


The film examines dishonesty, the media, the economy's effects on marriage, and appearances. Flynn has said that it deviates from the novel.<ref name="TheEcon" /> The film examines dishonesty, the media, the economy's effects on marriage, and appearances. Flynn has said that it deviates from the novel.<ref name="TheEcon" />

Revision as of 02:32, 7 October 2014

2014 American film
Gone Girl
A man in a blue shirt standing by a body of water, wispy clouds in the blue sky above. A woman's eyes are superimposed on the sky. Near the bottom of the image there are horizontal distortion error lines.Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Fincher
Screenplay byGillian Flynn
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJeff Cronenweth
Edited byKirk Baxter
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • September 26, 2014 (2014-09-26) (52nd New York Film Festival)
  • October 3, 2014 (2014-10-03) (United States)
Running time149 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$61 million
Box office$62.1 million

Gone Girl is a 2014 American mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher. It was adapted by Gillian Flynn from her 2012 novel of the same name. It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon. The film had its world premiere on opening night of the 52nd New York Film Festival on September 26, 2014. It had its nationwide theatrical release on October 3 and received positive reviews from critics.

The film examines dishonesty, the media, the economy's effects on marriage, and appearances. Flynn has said that it deviates from the novel.

Plot

On the day of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Affleck) returns home to find that his wife Amy (Pike) is missing. Her disappearance creates a media frenzy, and his awkward behavior and lies surrounding the marriage are interpreted by the media and public as characteristics of a sociopath, implicating him for her apparent murder. Flashback sequences told from Amy's perspective reveal the disintegration of their once-happy marriage: They both lose their jobs during the recession, and Amy has to move away from her beloved New York City home to stay in Nick's hometown of North Carthage, Missouri when his mother is diagnosed with cancer. Nick, meanwhile, has become lazy, distant, and unfaithful to Amy. Detective Rhonda Boney (Dickens) finds that Nick knows surprisingly little about his wife's day-to-day life, including that she is pregnant. She also uncovers evidence indicating financial troubles and domestic disputes, as well as a report indicating Amy wanted to purchase a gun. As this evidence mounts against him, Nick becomes the prime suspect.

Amy is revealed to be alive and to have staged her murder to frame Nick as revenge for his infidelity. Her diary also incriminates him. Hastily mopped-up blood on the floor, traces of blood splatter in the surrounding area, and a crushed coffee table all were arranged by Amy on the day of her disappearance to suggest that Nick killed her during a struggle. Amy also befriended a pregnant neighbor, Noelle Hawthorne, and stole her urine in order to fake her own pregnancy. Hiding at a distant motel under the guise of 'Nancy', Amy has changed her appearance to start anew, believing Nick will get the death penalty for killing her.

Just as it appears that her plan has succeeded, Amy is robbed in her motel room, losing the thousands of dollars in cash she intended to use to start a new life. Left with only her car and no place to stay, she frantically calls her wealthy ex-boyfriend, Desi Collings (Harris), against whom she filed a restraining order years before. Amy convinces Desi that she ran from Nick because she feared for her life. Desi believes he has finally won her heart and agrees to hide Amy in his luxury lake house.

Nick finds evidence of Amy's plot against him and convinces his twin sister Margo (Coon) of his innocence. As the media continues to antagonize Nick, the siblings hire a defense attorney, Tanner Bolt (Perry), who specializes in defending husbands accused of killing their wives, to improve Nick's public perception. After Nick's ex-student and mistress, Andie (Ratajkowski), reveals their year-long affair at a press conference, Nick appears on a talk show to tell his side of the story. He apologizes for his failures as a husband and claims that all he wants is for Amy to come home. His story is convincing enough to turn around the public's perception and rekindle Amy's feelings for him.

Amy plans her escape, taking advantage of the security cameras to act as if Desi had raped her, as well as penetrating herself with a wine bottle to simulate forced entry. The next day, Amy seduces Desi and slices his throat with a box cutter during sex. She returns home covered in blood, in view of the television crews parked outside, and tells the press that Desi kidnapped and raped her, clearing Nick of all wrongdoing. Tanner can no longer help Nick, and while Boney finds the circumstances suspicious, Amy's story arouses enough sympathy that the police believe the case is settled.

After stripping Nick naked and talking in the shower to avoid bugging devices, Amy admits to the murder and her reasons for her return. She tells Nick that the man she watched pleading for her return was the man she married and that she wants him to be that person again. Nick intends to leave her, and expose her lies.

Before a television interview Amy reveals she is pregnant, having used sperm Nick stored at a fertility clinic. Nick reacts violently, slamming her against the wall, but he feels responsible for the child. Despite the objections of his sister, Nick decides to stay with Amy, and they announce on television that they are expecting a baby together.

Cast

Production

Gone Girl is a film adaptation of the 2012 novel of same name by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the adapted screenplay. One of the film's producers, Leslie Dixon, read the manuscript of the novel in 2011 and brought it to the attention of Reese Witherspoon in December of that year. Witherspoon and Dixon then collaborated with Bruna Papandrea to develop it. With Flynn's film agent, Shari Smiley, they met with film studios in early 2012. Flynn submitted her first draft screenplay to 20th Centrury Fox in December 2012, before Fincher became the director. Flynn enjoyed the experience of making the film, and appreciated that in Fincher she had "had a great director who really liked the book and didn’t want to turn it into something other than what it already was" and that Fincher reassured her even when she second guessed herself.

On September 11, 2013, the crew began filming establishing shots. Principal photography began on September 15 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and was scheduled to last about five weeks. Some scenes were also filmed in Los Angeles.

According to producer Ceán Chaffin, Fincher took, on average, as many as 50 takes for each scene.

Music

Main article: Gone Girl (soundtrack)

On January 21, 2014, Trent Reznor announced that he and Atticus Ross would provide the score, marking their third collaboration with Fincher, following The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. David Fincher was inspired by music he heard while at the chiropractor, the music "inauthentically trying to make him feel OK", and tasked Reznor with creating the musical equivalent of an insincere facade. The music mixes soothing sounds with staccato electronic noises, resulting in an unnerving and nerve-racking sound. The soundtrack album was released on September 30, 2014.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs sang a cover of the song "She", which was used in the teaser trailer for film.

Reception

Box office

The film opened the 52nd New York Film Festival, receiving high profile press coverage and early positive reviews. ComingSoon.net predicted an opening weekend box office take of $30–35 million, possibly higher, and that the film would be a $100 million hit. Fandango reported that Gone Girl accounted for 66% of its advanced sales and outpaced the sales for Annabelle (18%), and could land at number one at the box office during its opening weekend.

North America

The film was released on October 3, 2014 in North America in 3,014 theaters and earned $13.2 million on its opening day (including the $1.3 million it earned from Thursday late-night showings). In its opening weekend the film earned $38,000,000 ($12,608 per theater) from 3,014 theaters and debuted at number one at the North American box office after a neck-and-neck competition with 20th Century Fox's Annabelle ($37.2 million). Commenting about the heat of the competition between Gone Girl and Annabelle Phil Contrino, Vice President and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com said, "we were due for some breakout performances,” and added, "The market has the ability to expand if there are two quality films in it, even if both are R-rated thrillers.” The film is the biggest debut of Fincher’s, surpassing Panic Room's gross ($30 million). It is also the third biggest opening weekend for Affleck, behind Pearl Harbor ($59.1 million) and Daredevil ($40.3 million) and Rosamund Pike’s second biggest opening behind Die Another Day ($47 million). The film is the tenth biggest October debut overall. It is the first time since August that two films have generated more than $30 million in ticket sales when Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles earned $65.6 million and $94.3 million on their opening weekend respectively. The film played 60% female and 75% over-25 years old.

International

In other territories Gone Girl earned $24.6 million from 5,270 screens in 39 international markets on its opening weekend, which is 26% higher than expected. The highest debut came from the UK ($6.9 million from 950 screens), Australia ($4.6 million from 350 screens), Russia ($2.95 million from 1,049 screens), and Germany ($2.85 million from 511 screens).

Critical response

Gone Girl received critical acclaim from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 87%, based on 216 reviews, with a rating average of 8 out of 10. The site's consensus states: "Dark, intelligent, and stylish to a fault, Gone Girl plays to director David Fincher's strengths while bringing the best out of stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike." Metacritic gave the film a score of 79 out of 100, based on 49 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a B grade.

According to Kenneth Turan, "For once, however, all the fuss is justified. Superbly cast from the two at the top to the smallest speaking parts, impeccably directed by Fincher and crafted by his regular team to within an inch of its life, Gone Girl shows the remarkable things that can happen when filmmaker and material are this well matched."

Anthony Lane wrote: "At first blush, Gone Girl is natural Fincherland... so why doesn’t the movie claw us as The Social Network did? Who could have predicted that a film about murder, betrayal, and deception would be less exciting than a film about a website?"

The Economist called the film a "brilliantly glacial adaptation": "the book's foreboding is recaptured here in full.... What the film naturally loses in ambiguity as a result of having to show its protagonists rather than just describe them, it gains from the two remarkable central performances. Ms Pike, as the insecure Manhattan trust fund princess constantly outdone by the children’s book character—Amazing Amy—she inspired her parents to write, is a frosty, neurotic nightmare. As Nick, with his square-jawed, alpha-male insouciance, Ben Affleck is just the antithesis she’s been looking for. For both actors, a blank look that has in the past made critics question their acting ability now serves them well." The Economist concludes:

Gone Girl isn’t Mr Fincher's best film. It suffers from too many of the same flaws as the novel: a tendency towards absurdity that undermines its granular observations about the reality of domestic life. And yet this could be Mr Fincher's most exemplary film. He is known for his cold, clever precision, and Gone Girl is ever so cold, ever so precise. It is drowning in muted colours and a sense of inevitability. Like Ms Flynn's novel, its cleverness lies in the fact that it is so raw and yet so empty at the same time. This may not be the perfect film—but it is a perfect adaptation.

References

  1. ^ Pond, Steve (July 16, 2014). "David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' to Open New York Film Festival". thewrap.com. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  2. "GONE GIRL (18)". British Board of Film Classification. September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  3. ^ "Gone Girl (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. October 5, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
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  5. ^ F.S. (October 3, 2014). "A perfect adaptation". Prospero: Books, arts and culture. The Economist. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  6. ^ Lane, Anthony. "Theydunnit". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  7. Cohen, Stefanie (July 19, 2013). "A Surprise Hit Spawns a Movie Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
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  10. "Gone Girl movie filming scenes in Cape Girardeau". KansasCity.com. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Producer: Gone Girl filming here". semissourian.com. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  12. http://lasvegas.informermg.com/2014/10/01/gone-girl-movie-review/
  13. "Twitter / trent_reznor: and yes, Atticus and I are". Twitter.com. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
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  15. "'Gone Girl' Trailer With Ben Affleck: 5 Things to Know". Hollywood Reporter. 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  16. http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/first-gone-girl-trailer#g5zptw
  17. Douglas, Edward (September 30, 2014). "The Weekend Warrior: Gone Girl, Annabelle, Left Behind". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved September 30, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. Bowles, Scott (October 2, 2014). "Box Office Preview: 'Gone Girl' & 'Annabelle' To Dominate Weekend". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  19. Scott Mendelson (October 4, 2014). "Friday Box Office: 'Annabelle' Nabs $15.5M, 'Gone Girl' Nabs $13.2M". Forbes. Retrieved October 5, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. Maane Khatchatourian (October 4, 2014). "'Gone Girl' Headed for $38 Mil Weekend Win, 'Annabelle' Tops Friday Box Office". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. McClintock, Pamela (October 3, 2014). "Box Office: 'Annabelle' Beats 'Gone Girl' Thursday Night, Both Off to Strong Start". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 3, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. McNary, Dave (October 3, 2014). "Box Office: 'Annabelle' Tops 'Gone Girl' with $2.1 Million Thursday Night". Variety. Retrieved October 3, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. Brent Lang (October 5, 2014). "Box Office: 'Gone Girl,' 'Annabelle' Stun With Big Debuts". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. Derrik J. Lang (October 5, 2014). "'Gone Girl' Barely Edges 'Annabelle' At The Box Office With $38 Million Debut". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  25. Pamela McClintock (October 5, 2014). "Box Office: David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' Tops 'Annabelle' With Career-Best $38M". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. Kristen Acuna (October 6, 2014). "Gone Girl' Dominates Theaters With A Huge Opening Weekend". Business Insider. Retrieved October 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. Scott Mendelson (October 5, 2014). "Weekend Box Office: 'Gone Girl' Scores $38M, 'Annabelle' Nabs $37.2M". 'Forbes. Retrieved October 6, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. Ray Subers (October 5, 2014). "Around-the-World Roundup: Strong Overseas Debuts for 'Gone Girl,' 'Annabelle'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  29. Nancy Tartagloine (October 5, 2014). "Int'l Box Office Update: 'Breakup Buddies' In Huge China Debut; 'Gone Girl' A Beaut With $24.6M; 'Bang Bang' Holsters $25.4M; More". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
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  34. Turan, Kenneth. "'Gone Girl' finds David Fincher at delightfully twisted best". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-09-30.

External links

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