Gone Girl, the movie

I saw it!  Of course I did.  Opening weekend.  And, lucky me, my hubby & son came with me.

I couldn't wait!  Everyone was raving about it - it's suspenseful, intense, riveting!  And funnier than you think...

Well...

It wasn't.

My fault cuz I knew the story.  The movie closely (not exactly) follows the book.  Those elements of surprise that make the story soooo good were not surprising to me.  Cuz I knew they were coming.  But I was curious if someone who didn't know the story - like my husband & son - would find it Suspenseful!  Intense!  Riveting!

Um, no.  My husband was bored & my kid frustrated.  The movie was long and we finished our popcorn & sodas before it was over (that never happens).  The theater wasn't packed but I did have to sit next to someone I didn't know, which forced me to lean over on my husband, and get a cramp in my side, and become listless from sitting all weird for so long.  Trying to stretch my legs & change positions, I kicked the seat in front of me & you would have thought I hit her on the head with my purse.  I said "sorry" and the guy next to me said, "that's ok" (I wasn't talking to him).  OMGosh.  Back to leaning over on my husband.

Throughout the movie, especially at the good surprising parts, I kept looking around to see how everyone was reacting and NO ONE was reacting!  At the end of the movie, there was dead silence.  No chatter.  Lights came on & everyone just got up & walked out.

Strange.

I wanted everyone, especially my family, to LOVE it!  I wanted to talk about it on the way home.  I wanted to speculate - and bring up the fact that the police didn't check the woodshed contents for fingerprints! - but no one wanted to talk about it.  My husband said "that was long" (huh, that's all you've got?) and my son wanted to know if he could drive.  Really?  Bummed me out.

I did like it, tho.  Not enough to get the girlfriends together & spend another $20 bucks (ticket & popcorn!) to watch it again, but enough to encourage other people to go see it.  It is a good movie & it is a good story & it is something to talk about.  And Gillian Flynn did a good job with the screenplay (and she answered some of those unanswered questions, but not all).  I thought Ben Affleck nailed Nick (I wasn't expecting that - Nick in the book is really Matt Damon, is he not?), Rosamund Pike was the perfect Amy, Carrie Coon really COULD be Ben Affleck's twin, and Kim Dickens pulled off Rhonda Boney exactly-right (I think she was my favorite of all).

OK, ok, I know it wasn't "The Sixth Sense" element of suspenseful aha!, but it probably would have been if I hadn't (and everyone else hadn't, either) read the book.