David Fincher's Gone Girl still worth watching
"No major spoilers, but if your husband cheated on you with a college student, visited a strip club on your anniversary, and lost the charm he had when you first met, you too would despise him."
Posted January 2021
By T Gedi
Staff Reporter
Academy award-winning director David Fincher brought New York Time’s best selling 2012 novel Gone Girl to life in a sexy, dark, and intense 2014 film that had viewers on the edge of their seats in every scene.
The book and film adaptation both succeed in telling a compelling story. Amy Dunne, the lead character portrayed by Rosamund Pike, is a complex and refreshing character. In the public eye, she’s rich, white, suburban and the star of a children’s book (written by her parents). Behind closed doors, however, Amy Dunne is trapped in a loveless marriage, despises her husband, and wants revenge—and gets it. She’s calculated, intelligent, and charming. Amy utilizes her femininity as a shield and commits heinous crimes, but in her story it’s justified.
Good for her.
The mixture of a complex female character and evil, misogynistic men getting what they deserve easily explains why it’s a favorite amongst women. No major spoilers, but if your husband cheated on you with a college student, visited a strip club on your anniversary, and lost the charm he had when you first met, you too would despise him. Amy’s husband, Nick Dunne, is the villain. Played by Ben Affleck, Nick Dunne is the epitome of a misogynistic, clueless, and incompetent man-child. Honestly, most of what Amy did was lightwork. Her plan mostly worked off the strength of Nick Dunne’s idiocy. Amy Dunne’s iconic Cool Girl monologue reveals how all women truly feel about societal pressures. It’s exhausting when society constantly tells us to shape ourselves into our boyfriend/husband’s dream girl when he isn’t even pulling his weight of the relationship. Pro tip? Dump your loser boyfriend.
Gone Girl received a rating of 79% from Metacritic, 8.1 on IMDb, and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally, it’s a solid 11/10, and the film all women need to watch at least once in their lives. Just a heads up: the movie is rated R and includes mentions of rape, blood, murder, drowning, domestic violence, and guns.