[7]

Ben Affleck stars as a man whose wife appears to have been violently abducted from their home. Due to his unusually calm demeanor, the local law enforcement and the public both begin to think he might have killed her, but the truth is something a little more complicated than that. All the fun in this David Fincher movie (based on the novel by Gillian Flynn) comes from the constant plot twists and reversals. It’s a well-made film that keeps you on your toes and flips your expectations more than a few times. But neither Affleck’s character nor his wife (seen in constant flashbacks for a while) are likeable people. They’re both snobby elitists whose idea of love is nothing more than mutual snarkiness and one-upmanship. Once you realize what giant assholes both of them are, you stop caring about either one of them. So about midway through, I lost any emotional connection to Gone Girl. But I still enjoyed seeing the plot outcome, and there are some provocative (and controversial) notions about gender roles and domestic abuse floating around in Flynn’s story. Affleck and Rosamund Pike do decent jobs in the lead roles, but the supporting cast members are far more interesting (and human) — especially Carrie Coon as Affleck’s sister and Kim Dickens as the detective in charge of the local investigation. Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris round out the noteworthy cast.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress (Pike)