The Goldfinch
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Oakes Fegley, Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Wilson, Sarah Paulson, Willa Fitzgerald, Aneurin Barnard, Finn Wolfhard, Ashleigh Cummings, Aimee Laurence
Directed by: John Crowley
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A boy (Oakes Fegley) struggles to move on after his mother is killed during a bombing at a museum.

Review:

Tim: I was looking forward to seeing The Goldfinch. Bad reviews aside, it was adapted from a Pultizer Price winning novel. I haven't read it, but it seemed intriguing. Unfortunately, this is a case where the critics are right. It's hard to imagine how John Crowley could have directed such a soulless film. It might not quite reach bad movie depths, but it gets way closer than it should have.

I have no idea how much of my issues with the story has to do with the novel, or with Crowley's portrayal of it. I understand that the novel is exceedingly long. I imagine it has to be better than it's presented here, but the story was a bummer. I don't mean that just because it has sad elements- I love many "sad" movies. The story just wasn't very good. There might be some great moment sprinkled throughout, but there are long, long stretches that aren't particularly interesting and offer no real benefit to watching. It's not like the story really builds on itself. It feels like it takes this meandering look at a man's life, jumping through time, but never really getting anywhere. We learn things, but they don't have the impact intended. There's a few surprises in the story and they just kind of wash over us. I didn't feel any sense of surprise- I quite frankly didn't care. That's a bit hard to believe- Crowley's film just did nothing for me. It felt like Crowley didn't care about these characters and that shows up on screen. A director has to love the characters, even the unlikable ones. It felt like he was disinterested in anything except having them go through the motions.

It doesn't help that the movie is just under 2.5 hours long. I know it's a long book, but nothing in this movie is all that compelling. It amounts to almost torture to make audiences sit through a movie this long with so little payoff. It's not like the film needed to be this long- there were myriad opportunities to cut the film down. The overall story would have lost nothing and the movie itself would have gained a lot. I have no idea how faithful this film was to the novel, but this is a case where you didn't need to include everything. What's included adds up to a bitterly disappointing film.

Ansel Elgort is a good actor, but he didn't seem all that great here. I don't think it's for lack of effort. I simply never cared for his character. He seemed at turns too smug and dangerously naive. The presentation of the character isn't one that you identify with or care about in the least. Elgort doesn't make an emotional connection with the audience. I'm continuing my theme of blaming Crowley, but it just doesn't work.

Interestingly, the supporting characters are much more effective. I enjoyed Nicole Kidman in a small role. I wasn't quite sure why her character was presented this way- I'm sure the character in the book was stiff and overly reserved, but it limits her talent. Still, she was a welcome presence and I was mostly disappointed that she didn't have a bigger role. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as he always is. It felt like he got a good amount of screen time and the movie benefits from it greatly. Oakes Fegley was quite good as the younger version of Egort's character. Luke Wilson and Sarah Paulson were a little surprising to me, but they both gave good performances. It's not their fault that their scenes felt like an unnecessary detour, rather than the inevitable next step of our protagonist's journey. Again, that comes down to script and direction. Wilson and Paulson at least brought something interesting to their characters (complexity and some horrid actions). I loved seeing Finn Wolfhard in a role that likely tested his talented and probably stretched him in good ways. Aneurin Barnard wasn't bad. As a whole, this movie is helped greatly by the supporting cast. I would have likely hated it without so many good actors doing their best. That's the main reason to see this movie.

I really disliked the story here. That isn't very common for me to say. There might have been a worthwhile story here, but it's not presented in any kind of compelling way. The characters weren't all that likeable. I wasn't invested in a plot that felt like it jumped around too much. It felt too convenient, too hackneyed. The Goldfinch is a movie that is ultimately a grave disappointment. I'm angry that it took so long to tell such a bad story.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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