History Film / GoneGirl

''Gone Girl'' is a film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's [[Literature/GoneGirl novel of the same name]], directed by Creator/DavidFincher and written by Gillian Flynn herself. It stars Creator/BenAffleck and Creator/RosamundPike as Nick and Amy Dunne, respectively, as well as Creator/NeilPatrickHarris as Desi Collings and Creator/TylerPerry as Tanner Bolt.

Much like the novel, it follows the investigation of Amy's disappearance after their seemingly-happy marriage of five years, and Nick's realisation that he's the prime suspect in this.

Please note that much of the suspense in the movie comes from the numerous twists and turns. A majority of the tropes below are completely spoilered out, and thanks to InterfaceSpoiler, it's not even guaranteed that you won't figure out the twists just by reading what's below. With that said, read at your own risk.

* MrFanservice: A likely unintentional one with Nick. Ben Affleck had started working out to play Batman and so is in very good shape, which the shower scene shows off (Although the context of the scene makes it more of a [[FanDisservice]]).

-->Nick: Go, you're my voice of reason. I need you with me on this.
-->Margo: Of course I'm with you. I was with you before we were even born.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Nick's less sociopathic personality compared to the book turns the ending into this rather than an EsotericHappyEnding.]]

* AltoVillainess: [[spoiler: Amy, a very rare, speaking-only version of this trope. Rosamund Pike, as Amy, pitches her voice to be deep and almost husky -- contrast against her voice in ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice'' or ''Film/AnEducation.'']]

** Margo, for that matter, is described as quirky bordering on ugly (Nick says he has a thing for ugly women) and no amount of drab clothing or glasses can make Creator/CarrieCoon look like the sharp-featured, nerdy girl described in the books. In a subtle nod, however, in her introductory scene, her hair is indeed pulled back with the "nerdy girl barrettes" described by Nick.

* {{Bookends}}: Both the first and last scenes of the movie are a POV shot of Nick stroking Amy's hair while giving a monologue about the "primal questions of marriage", before Amy turns to look right at the camera. There is, however, one key difference between the two shots. [[spoiler:In the first, Amy looks surprised, innocent, and even vulnerable. In the last, her surprise quickly fades, and she simply ''smirks''.]]

** Margo, for that matter, is described as quirky bordering on ugly (Nick says he has a thing for ugly women) and no amount of drab clothing or glasses can make Carrie Coon look like the sharp-featured, nerdy girl described in the books. In a subtle nod, however, in her introductory scene, her hair is indeed pulled back with the "nerdy girl barrettes" described by Nick.

** This is one of the main reasons why Nick had a rut with Amy in the first place, as she willingly surrendered two million dollars from her trust fund and gave it back to her parents without his consent even though they are going through a financial hardship; as Amy argues, it was their money on the first place; though they were dropped from their publisher, Amy's parents are able to still live leisurely with the two million. As it's shown, Nick never did forgive her for that.

* InsaneForgiveness: Despite her scorn over Nick's affair, Margo never falters in standing by her twin's side. As she puts it:
-->Nick: Go, you're my voice of reason. I need you with me on this.
-->Margo: Of course I'm with you. I was with you before we were even born.

** While not exactly heroism, Andie seems to get a better deal in the movie than the book, likely due to her being borderline DemotedToExtra. In the book, every scene Andie appears in she appears progressively more borderline-ditzy, failing to grasp the seriousness of Nick's situation. However, her demotion also means the audience doesn't get the succinct and cutting [[spoiler: ReasonYouSuckSpeech she delivers to Nick when he breaks it off with her in the novel.]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: The film version of Nick is a somewhat more sympathetic character than the book version, [[spoiler: he's more of a regular loser than the near-sociopath he is in the book. Noticeably, while the book makes his awareness of her schemes more direct, the film has a very subtle example wherein Nick claims that they are "partners in crime." Amy looks visibly surprised.]] In the book, he also [[spoiler: is so hell-bent on revenge against Amy, he repeats to himself lines like "Stupid bitch, stupid bitch" and "come home so I can kill you." He doesn't, but... yikes.]]

* AdaptedOut: Desi's mother and Hilary don't appear in the film.

* AdaptationalHeroism: The film version of Nick is a somewhat more sympathetic character than the book version, [[spoiler: he's more of a regular loser than the near-sociopath he is in the book. Noticeably, while the book makes his awareness of her schemes more direct, the film has a very subtle example wherein Nick claims that they are "partners in crime." Amy looks visibly surprised.]]

!!''Gone Girl'' provides examples of the following tropes:

[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gone_girl_poster.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:220:[[{{Tagline}} You don't know what you've got 'til it's...]]]]

** : Amy and her parents. The family, stereotypical [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASPs]], continuously sneer at "shit-smelling" Missourians; Amy in particular is called a ''bitch'' by no less than three characters [[spoiler:even before she turns their whole shit upside down]]; her parents even modeled the character of ''Amazing Amy'' in everything the real Amy fell short in achieving. Understandably, Amy wasn't just simply not thrilled by this, [[spoiler:it made her insane.]]

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler: Tanner and Boney stop helping Nick and Margo after Amy returns - they note that while they are sympathetic, the case is too big for local police and that Amy's hero status is currently impenetrable.]]

*** [[spoiler: Amy doesn't try to fight off Greta and Jeff when they rob her, knowing that they outnumber her. In the book, she mentions she's never been in a fight before and wouldn't know what to do outside of what she's seen in movies.]]

* SpottingTheThread: Amy, in hiding, has said she's from New Orleans, and casually brings up drowning herself in the Gulf of Mexico (ItMakesSenseInContext) and becoming "food for great white [sharks]." Greta informs her that "It's bull sharks in the Gulf." [[spoiler: This is our first sign that Greta does suspect Amy.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: Amy and her parents. The family, stereotypical [[WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant WASPs]], continuously sneer at "shit-smelling" Missourians; Amy in particular is called a ''bitch'' by no less than three characters [[spoiler:even before she turns their whole shit upside down]]; her parents even modeled the character of ''Amazing Amy'' in everything the real Amy fell short in achieving. Understandably, Amy wasn't just simply not thrilled by this; [[spoiler:it made her insane.]]

* KubrickStare: After showing her true colors [[spoiler: Amy]] demonstrates that she is a master of these.
* MaleFrontalNudity: Creator/NeilPatrickHarris gets a fan-disserving one. Creator/BenAffleck has a blink-and-miss scene under the shower.

* NeverMyFault: Nick and Amy blame each other for their marital problems rather than acknowledging their wrong doings.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: During the film, Amy's disappearance is covered by Ellen Abbott of the NNL Network, who quickly assume that Nick murdered her. The segments are a clear spoof of the HLN Network and the Nancy Grace show.
* NotHisSled: [[spoiler: Averted. Initial reports said Flynn had written a different ending for the film, but she and Fincher later walked back those implications. The film's ending is the same as the novel's, minus the subtle alterations noted here.]]

%%* SharpDressedMan: Desi and Tanner.

** Probably unintentional, but the scene where Nick shoves Amy and she hits her head on the bannister is strikingly similar to a scene in ''{{Film/Oliver}}'' when Bill Sykes does the same thing to Nancy, which becomes funny/ironic when you consider that [[spoiler: in the book, Amy picks the name Nancy specifically because it reminds her of the "abused woman" character she's pretending to be.]]
** Nick can be seen playing what is quite clearly ''[[VideoGame/{{Battlefield3}} Battlefield 3]]'' in one flashback segment.

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