The Goldfinch

“The story of a stolen life”

7.1

2019

2h 29m

Drama

Director: John Crowley

Overview

A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In a rush of panic, he steals 'The Goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.

Trailer

The Goldfinch - Trailer 2 - Warner Bros. UK Official

Cast

Theodore Decker

Ansel Elgort

Theodore Decker

Young Theodore Decker

Oakes Fegley

Young Theodore Decker

Samantha Barbour

Nicole Kidman

Samantha Barbour

James 'Hobie' Hobart

Jeffrey Wright

James 'Hobie' Hobart

Larry Decker

Luke Wilson

Larry Decker

Xandra

Sarah Paulson

Xandra

Kitsey Barbour

Willa Fitzgerald

Kitsey Barbour

Boris Pavlikovsky

Aneurin Barnard

Boris Pavlikovsky

Young Boris Pavlikovsky

Finn Wolfhard

Young Boris Pavlikovsky

Pippa

Ashleigh Cummings

Pippa

Young Pippa

Aimee Laurence

Young Pippa

Welton 'Welty' Blackwell

Robert Joy

Welton 'Welty' Blackwell

Reviews

Peter McGinn

This movie apparently had a firestorm of mixed reviews and comparisons to the Pulitzer Prize winnings book swirling around it - and I missed it all. Thankfully. I enjoyed the movie, though it wouldn’t make a list of my favorites. It is told by jumping forward and backward in time, which allows filmmakers to withhold key or dramatic details of the plot as long as possible. This seemed stunning and revolutionary way back when I watched Pulp Fiction, but now of course a lot of movies play with event sequencing. (I suppose one of the foreshadowing of this technique was Citizen Kane, like, what the hell does Rosebud mean?) So I am comfortable knowing that some things may take a while to make sense. This movie is all over the place: geographically and plot-wise, but I was fine with it. Sometimes I like a movie that dares me to pay attention. Given the hysterical nature of some of the negative reviews, I feel I might want to read the novel, but I understand it is rather long, and so is my reading list! I would say that if you aren’t a person who hates movies made from your favorite books, give this one a watch - just let it wash over you. My final comment is: I really like the Boris character, who drops into the action a couple of times. Where is his movie? Hmm, maybe he shows up more in the book. Sigh, okay, it goes onto my reading list.

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CinemaSerf

I really don't see why this got quite such a kicking from the critics. Ansel Elgort, Jeffrey Wright and Nicole Kidman put a good effort into a tale that hinges on the impact of one single, tragic, moment in time and of the subsequent consequences. The characters visibly evolve throughout the film and it flows in an interesting and absorbing fashion. It is a wee bit too long and perhaps some more judicious pruning of the original - rather lengthy - book might have been in order. That said, the screenplay does hold true to the book in all the essentials and really this is well worth a watch.

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