When David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” released in theaters, I recalled there was some controversy about whether the film was misogynistic. I thought it was an entertaining film that showcases two awful characters. A female lead can be villainous without bringing down the female gender. And yes, I know I’m speaking as a man, but I didn’t feel there was anything offensive. 

The story revolves around Amy Dunne, played exceptionally well by Rosamund Pike, who goes missing, and her husband Nick Dunne eventually becomes the primary suspect. 

I admire Pike’s work on this movie because of how she gained and lost weight for her role. She went from a beautiful woman to a pudgy victim, back to a sexy and conniving femme fatale. I could not imagine another actress playing Amazing Amy.

In the book, Gillian Flynn writes that Nick has an “Irish working class, punchable face.” Ben Affleck was a perfect fit for this role. 

Still, Flynn’s writing style is so engaging that while the audiobook lasted a whopping 20 hours, listening to the toxicity and pettiness of Nick and Amy’s characters leaves the audience wanting to purchase a first-class ticket to this train wreck of a relationship. 

I never felt the book drag. Even though it was long, there was a purpose for each chapter. I would have liked it if the movie included more parts from the book, such as Tanner Bolt’s wife, Desi’s mother, and Hilary Handy. 

Flynn has a knack for describing meticulously the world of its characters. An example is Amy meeting Greta while in the pool, where she says, “I float away. Behind me I hear the shwick of Greta’s lighter, and then smoke wafts overhead like spindrifts.” By this description, we can easily picture a rundown motel and the trailer trash people she comes in contact with. 

The exceptional writing doesn’t come across in the movie simply because there isn’t enough time. So we can’t hear Amy describe a waitress as “a plain brunette disguised as a pretty brunette.”

I thought Neil Patrick Harris did a fine job, though the movie came out right at the end of How I Met Your Mother’s run, so it was difficult to not think of Barney Stinson. 

The biggest highlight in the movie was definitely Carrie Coon, who is one of the best actresses in the industry today. She plays twin sister Margo Dunne. Her delivery and comedic timing were perfect, and with saying the line “supertwat,” the Academy robbed her of an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. 

What makes “Gone Girl” great is how it uses false exposition to trick the audience. Amy creates a fake diary to fool us and the cops into making Nick the primary suspect. Fincher does a great job interweaving Amy’s diary within the movie, so we’re taken for a ride on what we think happened to her.

It’s a long book and a long movie. It’s worth it to experience both.