History Characters / GoneGirl

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It's probably not an accident that Ellen has a ''lot'' in common with Nancy Grace.

* TalkShow: ''Ellen Abbott Live'' is one.

* OedipusComplex: It doesn't escape ''anyone's'' notice that he is ''way'' too close to Mommy Dearest... who happens to look exactly like Amy. Even ''Amy'' was creeped out.

* IdenticalStranger: The last straw for Amy regarding her and Desi's relationship was when she met Jacqueline and realized she looked ''just'' like her. [[OedipusComplex Amy is understandably creeped out.]]

* EmbarrassingFirstName: "Someone with my face does not need to be called Lance."

* SlaveToPR: By necessity, once the investigation begins and the media hones in on him as a suspect, but even before the whole thing happened, Nick's ''very'' concerned with coming off as a NiceGuy. As Go puts it, "You would lie, cheat, steal -- hell, even commit murder, just to convince people that you are a good guy." Unfortunately, with the media, he is ''terrible'' at it.

* AGodAmI: Nick and Go consider her to have this pathology and they're not wrong.

* CatchPhrase: She often begins stories or anecdotes with, "Let me set the scene," especially in her diary.

* ComplexityAddiction: She complicates things ''way'' more than she needs to by leaving clues for Nick, when the plan would've worked just as well to just plant the evidence and get the hell out. Hell, had she ''not'' left the clues, Nick never would've realized she was still alive, much less been able to convince her to come home, and almost certainly would've gotten the death penalty. Nick lampshades this, and comments that Amy ''really'' wants him to know she screwed him over, so he can admire how clever she is. (He does, in spite of himself.)

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Played with. Given her ruthless manipulation and FrameUp of him, most would scoff at the idea that Amy loves Nick, including Nick himself. However, she also genuinely yearns for the early days of their marriage, because it was the only time in her life when she was ever happy, when she was being Nick's perfect girl and he was being her perfect man. She occasionally has bouts of affection for Nick, even when she's in the process of framing him, and when she sees his videos where he proclaims love for her, she finds herself wanting to go back to him. In the end, she kills Desi to exonerate Nick and return to him, and tells him she wants to go back to the way things were, except better this time, because this time they'll both know exactly what is expected of them. Given her utter LackOfEmpathy and willingness to hurt Nick if he tries to leave, it's hard to call this "love," but her narration gives the indication that she at least ''believes'' she loves him. She certainly likes herself better when she's with him and believes that they were made for each other, able to understand and hurt each other like no one else can. For Amy, that's probably as close as it gets.

* AudienceSurrogate: Go often says what the audience is thinking -- including, "Nick, you ''fucking'' idiot."

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In the movie, he cracks up when he hears about Amy's scheme, saying, "It's just the craziest thing I've ever heard! I love it! I mean, for you, it sucks, but you've gotta have at least a grudging respect for your wife at this point." Needless to say, Nick doesn't see the humor in the situation.

* DeadpanSnarker: "You two are the most fucked-up people I've ever met. And I specialize in fucked-up people."

* PunchClockVillain: He defends people who are almost certainly guilty of murder. But that's just his job -- after all, it's their constitutional right to a lawyer representing them, too. (And, for all we know, some of his clients may have only ''looked'' guilty and were ConvictedByPublicOpinion the same way Nick was.)

* OnlySaneMan: Along with Tanner, she's one of the few to not be dragged into the shitstorm of insanity that is the conflict between Amy and Nick, and also refuses to side against Nick until she has absolute proof. (Her proof isn't real, as it was planted by Amy, but she couldn't have possibly known that.)

* TheUnapologetic: In the movie, she interviews the Dunnes, and before the cameras come on, Nick takes her to task for accusing him of being an incestuous murderer on national television. She doesn't offer so much as an "I'm sorry."

* AlliterativeName: '''B'''etsy '''B'''olt. Though "Betsy" is usually short for "Elizabeth."

* BrutalHonesty: Her first comments on Nick with the press? "You're ''awful''." Even Nick admits she's right.

* AttentionWhore: According to Amy, "ugly girls are such thunder-stealers." Of course, this is ''Amy'' saying this, so who knows if it's true.

Amy's parents, who got seriously rich off their children's book series, "Amazing Amy," based on the real Amy. Though they at first believe Nick's story, they slowly begin to suspect him along with everyone else.

* AesopCollateralDamage: InUniverse, they're ''extreme'' collateral damage to Amy's plan to punish Nick, since they have to believe their only child has been murdered by her own husband, and are scared out of their minds. Amy acknowledges this in the book, but says she doesn't really care. In fact, she even decides that they deserve it, since they put so much pressure on her to be "Amazing Amy." As Amy puts it, the best part about her plan is that "everyone gets punished."

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Marybeth had five miscarriages and two stillbirths before Amy -- all girls, all named "Hope."

An old classmate of Amy's, who apparently stalked her before shoving her down the stairs. Keyword here being [[FrameUp "apparently."]]

* LoonyFan: Again, subverted. She appears to be this for "Amazing Amy," but she's not.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Is a pretty hardcore barefooter in the film, only wearing shoes at formal occasions.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Forgoes any shoes other than flip-flops.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Again, robbing Amy, which end up derailing her scheme against Nick. And it is honestly hard to say that she didn't deserve it.

* ContraltoOfDanger: Once she reveals her true nature.

* Straw Hypocrite: In the book, Marybeth is clearly upset when recalling Hilary Handy's supposed stalking and imitation of Amy as "if Amy is a piece of fiction". This is coming from someone who did exactly that alongside her husband.

* VillainHasAPoint: Though she's a {{Hypocrite}} about it, Amy's rant about how women are expected to conform to things men like to be deemed attractive partners does hold some merit.

* OnlyChildSyndrome: Her parents' projection of her into the world through the character of Amazing Amy conditioned her for a life of needing external validation and constant attention, to the point where she seeks to fill the hole left by her parents' preferring her fictional counterpart to the real Amy through seeking out opportunities for manipulation whenever she craves it

* AmbiguousDisorder: Amy fits the criteria for being a sociopath extremely well but generally shows indications of other issues. She is an absolute perfectionist and insists on being seen as flawless at all times, freaking out if anyone sees her as any less, she plans things far in advance, she is obsessed with proving how smart she is at every opportunity, reacts to minor slights and inconveniences with [[DisproportionateRetribution extreme anger and wrath]], she has no empathy whatsoever, she is completely incapable of admitting to being wrong about anything, she is obsessed with [[ControlFreak trying to change the men in her life]] and freaks out if they rebuff her, she tends to see people in [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity black and white terms]] and she lies, cheats and even commits murder with no remorse at all. Add in her [[AbusiveParents childhood]] and it's clear something is seriously wrong with her.

* PyrrhicVictory[=/=]PyrrhicVillainy: Amy ultimately gets away with everything, but at the end of the story, Nick earnestly tells her that he feels sorry for her because she has to wake up every day and be the same miserable person. This comment is what ultimately manages to really get under her skin.

An ex-writer, now a college professor, who becomes the prime suspect when his wife, Amy, disappears. Played by Creator/BenAffleck in the movie.

Nick's wife, the daughter of a famous pair of authors who made a book series named after her. Goes missing on the morning of her and Nick's fifth wedding anniversary, and all the evidence begins to point to Nick... exactly as Amy hoped it would. Played by Creator/RosamundPike in the movie.

Nick's twin sister, and his main ally after Amy disappears. Played by Creator/CarrieCoon in the movie.

Amy's ex-boyfriend, who turns out to be about as crazy as she is. Played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris in the movie.

A lawyer known for defending men accused of killing their wives, who Nick eventually hires when things start going south for him. Played by Creator/TylerPerry in the movie.

A student in Nick's college class. Also his mistress. Played by Creator/EmilyRatajkowski in the movie.

One of the cops assigned to the case. Played by Creator/KimDickens in the movie.

Boney's partner in the Amy Dunne case. Played by Creator/PatrickFugit in the movie.

The host of ''Ellen Abbott Live'', a talk show that tends to cover stories of abused, kidnapped and murdered women. She jumps on Amy's story when she goes missing, and quickly hones in on Nick as her prime suspect. Played by Creator/MissiPyle in the movie.

A young woman Amy meets while in hiding during the investigation. Played by Creator/LolaKirke in the movie.

Tanner's wife, an expert on correcting public relations nightmares. Like Nick.

Amy's best friend, a pregnant woman who already has three children and is suspicious of Nick, who claims he's never heard of her. Turns out Amy befriended her in order to manipulate her into turning the public against Nick and to make her look good. Played by Creator/CaseyWilson in the movie.

Amy's parents, who got seriously rich off their children's book series, "Amazing Amy," based on the real Amy. Though they at first believe Nick's story, they slowly begin to suspect him along with everyone else. Played by Creator/DavidClennon and Creator/LisaBanes in the movie.

Nick and Go's parents, who divorced when they were children. Bill was an abusive misogynist, while Maureen, though loving, is a bit overprotective and doting, especially towards Nick. At the start of the novel, Maureen has died and Bill has long since gone senile. Played by Creator/LeonardKellyYoung and Creator/CydStrittmatter in the movie.

An ex-boyfriend of Amy's, who she claimed raped her. He didn't. Played by Scoot [=McNairy=] in the movie.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the book, Amy let him panic for a few days before dropping the rape charges. In the movie, however, she didn't drop them, leading to Tommy having to plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid jailtime, resulting in him having to register as a sex offender.
* ButtMonkey: His life has been absolute shit since he met Amy.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: He tells Amy that he's not going to force himself on her...while standing over her, staring down at her intently and delivering the line in a creepy DullMonotone.

* {{Meganekko}}: In the movie, she wears a cute pair of glasses.

* AdultFear: No matter how you feel about their parenting skills, it's hard not to empathize with the fear of their only daughter vanishing and apparently having been murdered by her own husband.

* AdultFear: Her youngest (and favorite) child was murdered by the woman he obsessed over for years, and then posthomuously framed for kidnapping and raping her. She pieces together the truth almost instantly, but no one will listen to her, and the only other people who know the truth aren't in a position to do anything about, meaning he will be forever remembered by a crime he didn't commit. Regardless of her and her son's many, many character flaws (and the crimes he actually did commit), ''no'' parent deserves ''that''.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: She outlives Desi.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's a cocky attorney known for defending murderers, and he doesn't come cheap. Despite that, he believes Nick when he professes his innocence, and genuinely wants to see Amy go down, and is upset when he realizes that that isn't going to happen.

* SmarterThanYouLook: Amy assumes Greta's just a ditz whom she can control. ''Big'' mistake. Greta is in fact an experienced petty criminal through sheer low cunning quickly saw through Amy's deception, resulting in her and Jeff not only managing to effortlessly rob Amy, but also get away with it scot-free and derailing her scheme in the process.

* FemaleMisogynist: Subtle, but it's there. Amy has a lot of negative beliefs about men and women and how they socialize. When Greta and her boyfriend, Jeff, rob her, Amy immediately writes off Greta and thinks that Jeff put her up to it; choosing to address him instead. She is completely stunned when Greta freely admits that she was the robbery was hers idea, and then proceeds to physically hold her down as she pulls up her dress and yanks off her money belt. She also mocks Go for how needy she is with Nick. When she sees Andie on TV she goes into a short angry SlutShaming rant about her (though it's not surprising, given Andie did seduce her husband).

* MoreDeadlyThanTheMale: It's heavily implied she's the more ruthless one of her relationship with Jeff. When Amy immediately assumes Jeff forced Greta to rob her, Greta is quick to point out that ''she'' is the one who convinced him. Greta is also the one who actually physically attacks Amy during the robbery, by holding her down and yanking her money belt off her person, while Jeff "merely" threatens her.

* TooCleverByHalf: Amy is indeed very socially and technically intelligent, having been able to pull off a complicated scheme with many moving parts and manipulated several people through various {{Batman Gambit}}s into framing Nick for her disappearence and murder. However, due to her high opinion of her own intelligence and her dim view of other people, she manages to screw up her own plan of staying under the radar simply by seriously underestimate some of the people she encounters along the way. She comes up completely short against Jeff and Greta, experienced petty criminals who utterly outmatch her in terms of low cunning, as they quickly realize from a few interactions that she has quite a bit of money on her, is travelling alone, and cannot go to the authorities, allowing them to rob her blind and get away with it completely scot-free. She then turns to Desi for help, only to manage to underestimate how much control she has over him and how dangerous he actually is, forcing her into improvise an escape plan that undermines her original scheme.

* EvilIsPetty: Pretty much all her actions are [[DisproportionateRetribution completely over the top reactions to minor slights]]. She also takes time to spit in Greta's drink after Greta unknowingly insulted her.