Since its release in October 3, the 20th Century Fox film Gone Girl has raked in 38 million dollars weekend revenue based on Rentrak.com figures. It's been getting good reviews from movie critics giving it a word-of-mouth promotion. Aside from the good story and superb direction of David Fincher, the promotional strategies used---Ben Affleck weighing in on complex issues like ISIS, and on a more mundane level, telling the world there's brief frontal nudity--- these things stir more interest to drumbeat the movie and ensure its success in the box-office.
As a movie adaptation of Gillian Flynn's best-selling novel of same title, critics say it's a success, a "faithful adaption" since Flynn herself wrote the film script. According to Roth Cornet, Entertainment Editor at ign.com, the movie is a solid, well-done adaptation though some of the key elements in the book were lost in the film. While the book speaks of toxic marriage relationship and presented all sides, the film is a bit one-sided with all its twists and turns. She attributed David Fincher's treatment to the film medium's limitation. Still, she said, "Fincher is an icy, meticulous, precise filmmaker that with an amazing team was able to put the perfect image together." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave it "4 out of 4 stars" while Rotten Tomatoes.com gave it 87 percent positive rating.
The film is an actors' showcase, "a well-casted movie.. all the actors' performances standout" though critics believe it's more of Rosemarie Pike performance that will be seriously discussed come awards season.
Movie critics also observed Gone Girl resuscitated Ben Affleck's movie career. That somehow, the film 'exorcised' his Gigli days with Jennifer Lopez, and the lackluster Daredevil movie in 2003. But David Fincher told him directly he needed to do more for this film.
" It's ironic, because David [Fincher, Gone Girl's director] said to me from the beginning, this is a warts and all movie," he tells in MTV.com. "It can have no vanity. You have to see the naked underbelly of this character." It became a buzz that his private thing has brief exposure in the movie.
Same as his brains and bold views. In a recent episode of Bill Maher, he weighed in on the ISIS talk. He appeared all fire, but less in substance though. Still, it was good campaign for Gone Girl.
