David Fincher's new film Gone Girl is based on the best-selling book of the same name that stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as a troubled married couple. Their relationship takes a turn when Pike's character vanishes and Affleck's character is suspected of killing her. We've seen this before on the news: a handsome husband suspected of killing his pretty wife"”but there's a twist! The pretty wife is also pregnant"”cue suspense music"”dum-dum-duuuummmm!
This movie instantly reminded me of the infamous Laci Peterson case back in December 2002. The story made global headlines and took a turn when Laci's husband, Scott, was arrested for the murder of her and their unborn child. It's really eerie how Affleck looks a lot like Scott Peterson in Gone Girl. I remember watching Scott getting interviewed on various news shows. He always maintained his utmost love for his wife, his wish to find her, and his innocence of any involvement in her disappearance. This is also the defense of Affleck's character in the movie.
Although Gone Girl isn't a biopic of the Laci and Scott Peterson saga, it tries to act as a commentary on how the media and society reacts to domestic violence. So is it a good one? In the film, we learn Affleck's character has some questionable behavior traits, and this is intended to make us suspicious of him. When the media and America learns about this, he goes from sympathetic husband figure to dirty, rotten scum. This is a cycle he faces throughout the film.
The film shows this story's relevance in the media and American culture through the fictional cable news show Ellen Abbott, a non-subtle parody of The Nancy Grace Show. We also see news reporters and neighbors in Affleck's character's front yard to show another way of how his wife's disappearance intrigues the world around him. Social media is also mentioned, but the effects of that are not explored as deeply as I thought it would be. "˜Cuz, social media is, like, everywhere.
I don't think Gone Girl had the intentions of answering why America and the media love murder mysteries. But, when it tries to explore that, it's far better than the movie it actually is: the study of a "complex and mysterious relationship" between a husband and wife. In my opinion, this aspect wasn't that interesting because the origin and the dynamics of their relationship are really boring. These two components shouldn't have been separated but intertwined from the beginning, which is something the movie tries to do at the end, but it's too late.
If the movie wanted to fully explore the consequences of domestic abuse in our society, this would have been a far better movie. The stakes are higher when the characters have to make choices that could help or hurt their reputation in the media and the world. This is where we see characters show their humanity or lose it. Instead, the movie chooses the dullest component of the story and sucks the fun out with its so-so murder mystery plot and all of the potential baggage that it comes with it.
