This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.

A popular read from 2012, Gone Girl by author Gillian Flynn, has recently hit the big screen, starring Ben Affleck, and Rosamund Pike. Ever since the chilling teaser trailer was released last April, accompanied by a beautiful cover of She by Richard Butler, I couldn’t have been more eager to catch Gone Girl in theatres. The plot of the movie revolves around the most dysfunctional couple in the world, a.k.a. Amy and Nick Elliott Dunne. With the quaint Midwest as a backdrop for the crazy events that unravel, Gone Girl explores relationship topics such as infidelity, abuse, and neglect. Everything is set in motion the day of Amy Elliott Dunne’s disappearance. Where did Amazing Amy go? Who took her? As pieces of evidence start to pour in, it seems that Nick, her husband is the murderer… or is he? Since I will be reviewing the book as well as the movie adaptation, there are spoilers ahead for you collegiettes who haven’t seen or read Gone Girl!

One of the most interesting part about Gone Girl, and what made it such a popular novel was its unique take on the narrative. Author Gillian Flynn used Amy’s diary side by side with Nick’s present day narration to present us both sides of the coin. In the book and the movie, the diary entries act as flashback to accompany the present day plot. Director David Fincher handled this back-and-forth switch between present day and Amy’s diary entries perfectly. Although I was a little disappointed that a lot of the entries were cut from the movie, (as were most original book fans) the transitions were seamless and fit perfectly in between scenes. One of the best transitions in the movie was when we got to know the real Amy. Cutting her beautiful blonde hair, eating snack cakes with wild abandon and even going as far as to hit herself in the face with a hammer to create signs of abuse. Gone was the Cool Girl Amy, beautiful and beloved by all, revealed instead to be the true sociopath of the story and mastermind of her own disappearance. As a book fan, I was skeptical at first to see how Fincher would handle presenting the two very different Amys. After seeing the movie, however, I can say that I was impressed by his direction, and the lovely Rosamund Pike’s acting ability.

Author Gillian Flynn actually promised a new ending to replace the original that many fans found anticlimatic or disappointing. The movie differs from the book by creating a different third act, rather than a complete different ending. Personally, I thought was the easy way out, but efficient considering the difficulty of transcribing a lengthy novel into just a bit over two hours. The audience didn’t get to see Nick trying to rebel, struggling under Amy’s feet, and then failing. Rather, the movie showed Nick reacting violently to the news of Amy’s calculated pregnancy while a daytime talk show TV crew set up in their living room to interview the “happy couple”. This was the main deviation from the novel, and I was really glad that director Fincher decided to stay true to the book in all other aspects.

“Hmm.. how shall I implicate my husband for murder today?”

Countless reviews have already addressed the idea of the Cool Girl, and gender roles within Gone Girl. However, I felt that important ideas regarding relationships can be also taken from the movie. Out of the craziness of the plot, I am sure that fellow collegiettes can point out some serious red-flags of the relationship. To name off a few, there is cheating, neglect, and emotional abuse. Even the characters are wondering at the end how they got to where they are. So why did Nick and Amy’s relationship fall apart the way it did?

“Men always say that as the defining compliment, don’t they? She’s a cool girl. Being the Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, dirty jokes, and burping, who plays video games, drinks cheap beer, loves threesomes and anal sex, and jams hot dogs and hamburgers into her mouth like she’s hosting the world’s biggest culinary gang bang while somehow maintaining a size 2, because Cool Girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl.”

It seems that at the core of Nick and Amy’s relationship, both of them were putting on a facade for the other person. When they first met, Amy was the Cool Girl, and Nick was the Cool Guy, the golden couple in both appearance and social standing. Upon their first meeting at a party, Nick and Amy fired back and forth with witty, charming banter that seemed almost scripted. Their first sugar kiss was like a page out of a modern day romance novel. But when times got hard, both of them stopped trying to be the best versions of themselves, and everything just fell apart. Although a majority of relationships run into this problem, maybe it’s time we stopped trying put on a facade while trying to impress a guy. Because while it’s great at first, it’s difficult to keep the act going later on. Relationships should be built on honesty, and initially presenting a false, “better” persona isn’t the way to go. Down the line, we may just find ourselves hiding out in a lake house, framing our ex for murder.

…Just joking!

Did any of you collegiettes catch the movie? Or read the book? Leave a comment below and tell me what you thought of the Gone Girl movie adaptation! Did you find it better or worse than the book?

If you haven’t seen the movie yet, check out the trailer here!