Gone Girl 

is a 2014 American psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher and written

by Gillian Flynn, based on her 2012 novel of the same title. Set in Missouri, the story is a
postmodern mystery[4][5] that follows the events surrounding Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), who becomes
the prime suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike). The film also
stars Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry.
The film had its world premiere on opening night of the 52nd New York Film Festival on September
26, 2014, before a nationwide theatrical release on October 3. The film was a critical and
commercial success, grossing $369 million on a budget of $61 million, becoming Fincher's highest-
grossing film.
Pike's performance was widely acclaimed by critics, and she received nominations for an Academy
Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.
Additional nominations included a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for Fincher and Golden
Globe Award, BAFTA, and Critics' Choice Award nominations for Flynn's adapted screenplay, which
won the Critics' Choice.[6]

Contents

 1Plot
 2Cast
 3Production
o 3.1Development
o 3.2Filming
o 3.3Fashion
 4Music
 5Release
o 5.1Home media
 6Reception
o 6.1Box office
o 6.2Critical response
o 6.3Accolades
 6.3.1Top ten lists
 7Themes
o 7.1Gender
o 7.2Media
o 7.3Manipulation
 8Potential sequel
 9See also
 10References
 11Further reading
 12External links

Plot[edit]
On their fifth wedding anniversary, writing teacher Nick Dunne returns home to find his wife Amy
missing. Her disappearance receives press coverage, as Amy was the inspiration for her parents'
popular Amazing Amy children's books. Detective Rhonda Boney finds poorly concealed evidence of
a struggle in the house. Suspicion mounts around Nick, whose apathy is interpreted by the media as
characteristic of a sociopath and even sows doubt in his twin sister Margo.
In the past Amy revealed to Nick that Amazing Amy was a perfected version made up of the real
Amy's failures. Their marriage disintegrated over time; both lost their jobs in the recession and
moved from New York City to Nick's hometown of North Carthage, Missouri, to care for his dying
mother. Nick became lazy and distant, and began cheating on Amy with Andie, one of his students,
while Amy became increasingly resentful towards Nick for making her move with him to Missouri.
Forensic analysis of the house uncovers cleaned bloodstains, indicating a probable murder. Boney
unearths evidence of financial troubles, domestic disputes, and Amy's recent willingness to purchase
a gun. Medical reports indicate that Amy is pregnant, which Nick denies knowing.
Amy and Nick had played treasure hunt games on every wedding anniversary; this year's clues
include profligate items purchased with Nick's credit card, as well as a diary highlighting Amy's
growing isolation and ending with the fear that Nick will kill her.
Amy drives to a campground in the Ozarks. Upon discovering Nick's affair, she had concocted an
elaborate plan to frame him for her murder and make his motive appear to be monetary. She
fabricated a long-standing diary that was accurate in its early entries but later evolved into false
accounts of spousal violence and her increasing fear of Nick. She had befriended a pregnant
neighbor, tells her fake stories about Nick's temper, and steals her urine to fake pregnancy results,
all while hiding the friendship from Nick. She plants corroborating evidence of Nick's guilt in the clue
spots for the "treasure hunt" for the police to find. She also splattered her own blood across the
kitchen, and cleaned it haphazardly. She anticipated that Nick would be executed for her murder,
and planned to kill herself.
Nick deduces Amy's plan and convinces Margo of his innocence. He flies to New York City and hires
Tanner Bolt, a lawyer known for representing men accused of killing their wives. Nick also meets
Amy's ex-boyfriend Tommy O'Hara, who Amy had falsely accused of rape, by planting evidence
around his house. Nick approaches another ex-boyfriend, the wealthy Desi Collings, against whom
Amy previously filed a restraining order, but Desi turns him away.
When Amy's campground neighbors rob her of her money, she calls Desi for help, convincing him
that she fled from Nick's abuse. Desi agrees to hide her in his lake house. After Andie reveals their
affair at a press conference, Nick appears on a talk show professing his innocence and apologizing
for his failures as a husband, in the hope of luring Amy out of hiding. Boney has enough evidence to
arrest Nick for murder, but Bolt gets him out on bail. However, his performance rekindles Amy's
feelings for him. She uses Desi's surveillance cameras to help make it appear that he kidnapped and
raped her. She seduces him, murders him with a blade, and returns home to Nick covered in Desi's
blood, clearing Nick of suspicion.
When Boney probes into the holes in her story, Amy chastises her as incompetent. The FBI sides
with Amy, forcing Boney to back down. Amy tells Nick the truth and admits to Desi's murder, saying
that the man she watched pleading for her return on TV is the man she wants him to become again.
Nick shares this with Boney, Bolt, and Margo, but there is no evidence of her guilt.
Nick intends to leave Amy, but she reveals she is pregnant, having inseminated herself with Nick's
sperm stored at a fertility clinic. Nick reacts violently to Amy's insistence that they remain married,
but feels responsible for the child. Despite Margo's objections, he reluctantly decides to stay with
Amy. The "happy" couple announce on a television interview that they are expecting a child.

Cast[edit]
 Ben Affleck as Nicholas “Nick” Dunne, a teacher[7]
 Rosamund Pike as Amy Elliott Dunne, Nick's missing wife
  Neil Patrick Harris as Desi Collings, Amy's wealthy ex-boyfriend
 Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt, Nick's attorney
 Carrie Coon as Margot "Go" Dunne, Nick's twin sister[7]
 Kim Dickens as Detective Rhonda Boney, the lead investigator on Amy's disappearance
 Patrick Fugit as Officer James Gilpin, Boney's partner
 Missi Pyle as Ellen Abbott, a cable TV host based on Nancy Grace[8]
 Emily Ratajkowski as Andrea “Andie” Fitzgerald, Nick's mistress and student
 Casey Wilson as Noëlle Hawthorne, Nick and Amy's neighbor
 Lola Kirke as Greta, a young woman Amy meets at the Ozarks campground
 Boyd Holbrook as Jeffrey “Jeff”, a flirtatious man Amy meets at the Ozarks campground
 Lisa Banes as Mary Elizabeth “Marybeth” Elliott, Amy's mother
 Sela Ward as Sharon Schieber, a network TV host
 Scoot McNairy as Thomas “Tommy” O'Hara, a former boyfriend of Amy's
 Scott Takeda as TV Producer
 David Clennon as Randall “Randy” Elliott, Amy's father
 Kathleen Rose Perkins as Shawna Kelly

Production[edit]
Development[edit]

David Fincher and Gillian Flynn at the film's premiere at the 52nd New York Film Festival

Gone Girl is a film adaptation of Flynn's 2012 novel of the same name. One of the film's executive
producers, Leslie Dixon, read the manuscript of the novel in 2011 and brought it to the attention
of Reese Witherspoon (who was originally slated to play Amy) in December of that year.
Witherspoon and Dixon then collaborated with Bruna Papandrea to further develop the manuscript—
with Flynn's film agent, Shari Smiley, they met with film studios in early 2012.[9]
Following the release of the novel in June 2012, the 20th Century Fox studio optioned the book in a
deal with Flynn, in which the author negotiated that she would be responsible for the first draft of the
screenplay. By around October 2012, Flynn was engaged in the production of the first draft while
she was also involved in the promotional tour for her novel. A first-time screenwriter at the time,
Flynn later admitted: "I certainly felt at sea a lot of times, kind of finding my way through."[10]
Flynn submitted her first draft screenplay to the Fox studio in December 2012, before Fincher was
selected as the director for the project.[11] Fincher had already expressed interest in the project, and
after he finished reading Flynn's first draft, a meeting was scheduled between the director and author
within days. Typically, authors are removed from film adaptations following the first draft and an
experienced screenwriter takes over; but, on this occasion, Fincher agreed to work with Flynn for the
entire project. Flynn later explained: "... he [Fincher] responded to the first draft and we have kind of
similar sensibilities. We liked the same things about the book, and we wanted the same thing out of
the movie."[12]
As further preparation, Flynn studied screenplay books and also met with Steve Kloves, who wrote
the scripts for the Harry Potter series.[12] Fincher also provided guidance and advised the author: "We
don't have the ability to gift the audience with the characters' thoughts, so tell me how they're
behaving."[13] During the production of the final screenplay, Fincher and Flynn engaged in an
intensive back-and-forth working relationship: Flynn sent Fincher "big swaths" of writing, which he
then reviewed, and Fincher would then discuss the swaths with Flynn by telephone. Eventually,
some scenes were rewritten "a dozen times", while other scenes were unaltered.[10]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_Girl_(film)