Gone Baby Gone

Anybody else see this? Unusual storyline, to say the least. Makes me want to read the book.

I'm curious to hear other opinions about the ending. What would you have done?
 
I liked it. I didn't find it as amazing as the critics though. Ben Affleck is certainly a better director than he is an actor.
 
spoilers people...

Wow, this movie was a disaster. Why is that woman getting a nomination for this? She's in the movie for 10 minutes and does nothing special at all.

I could not tell you what this movie was about. I guess it was about finding a missing child. But that happens either halfway or 3/4's of the way through (not sure cause the movie was soooooo long) and then the movie just turns into the Energizer bunny. It keeps going and going and going. The directing was okay but the screenplay was an unmitigated disaster. Ben Affleck is *supposedly* an oscar-winning writer. Could he not see the gaping problems with this script?

Another thing that bothered me is you can tell that Affleck put a lot of effort into making the actors in this movie reflect *real New Jersey*. It's like he said, "I don't want it to be all fake and have these movie extras that you always see in these movies. I want all the faults and lines and ugliness that real people bring." And he did that. The problem is his two leads look like they were just plucked out of an episode of Dawson't Creek. They're beautiful. Their hair is perfect. Their clothes are tailor-made to fit perfectly in all the right places. They don't look like real people at all.

Casey Affleck did an okay job. But this movie was a mess.

one more thing: saw the girl up for the nomination on Letterman last night and she seems really sweet. probably wouldn't mind if she won just because she seems like such an honest nice person. But seriously, she did nothing to warrant a nomination.
 
I'm curious to hear other opinions about the ending. What would you have done?

I would have done exactly what he did without a instant's conflict over it. (And my wife said she knew what I would do and she'd be very upset about it.)

But then I would have involved CPS.

Not sure how you couldn't follow this film. It's pretty straightforward.
 
Another thing that bothered me is you can tell that Affleck put a lot of effort into making the actors in this movie reflect *real New Jersey*.

Dude.

Seriously.

Are you actually complaining that the film couldn't be followed, yet you were paying so little attention to it that you think it was set in New Jersey?

I mean . . . really. If there's any one thing which is entirely unambiguous throughout the film, it's what city it's set in.
 
Dude.

Seriously.

Are you actually complaining that the film couldn't be followed, yet you were paying so little attention to it that you think it was set in New Jersey?

I was thinking the same thing. If you didn't realize the film took place in Boston there is little doubt left as to why you couldn't follow it.

I agree though that the film ended a solid 32 times. Did anyone else find Casey Affleck's voice overs to be randomly placed too?

Anyways, I think Ben Affleck did a good job. There was not one character in the entire picture that was wholly likeable but, with the exception of the random drug/kidnapping family that was kind of involved for no reason, not one character that's position didn't make sense.

So in a way, it felt like everyone was right and everyone was wrong. If big Ben could have chopped it down 30 minutes and picked a decent ending instead of 6 mediocore ones this would have been a much better film.

SPOILERS:

I'm not sure where I would have ended it for certain. Up on the roof maybe...we didn't need to see morgan freeman with the kid...I think by that point we all knew it. And I can't imagine anyone wanting Casey Affleck to call the cops....
 
And I can't imagine anyone wanting Casey Affleck to call the cops....

Well, kidnapping, theft, and murder are probably things the judicial system should be made aware of.

Sure, the mother doesn't deserve and should not have custody of the girl. But that doesn't justify the numerous crimes. In no way did the Captain deserve custody, either.
 
I liked this movie, but figured out the Freeman thing really early in the film.

Worse than figuring out that they're modern people living in a secret enclave is having to endure a sophomoric, security guard rendered explanation of it near the end. Airplanes are forbidden to fly overhead and give the girl some medicine for what ails her and tie a bow around the whole thing.

I can't stand to be beaten over the head with it, and Affleck had a big 2x4' in the final ten minutes. We get to hear how every character is a well-meaning shade of gray - nobody is black and white in their decisions or character.

Overall, a fair effort. The script was weaker than the direction.

e
 
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