All Good Things

            Though I have no legitimate expertise when it comes to making a movie, I'm going to express an opinion anyway. In my experience as a viewer I have found that when creating a movie that is inspired by true events it usually goes one of two ways. Either it's really well done and is a great picture (i.e. Remember the Titans), or it can become a complete crap fest (i.e. many horror movies and Pearl Harbor). In the account of the movie All Good Things, it did the unusual maneuver or hovering mainly in the middle to the positive side of these two opposites.
            All Good Things is inspired by the true events surrounding Robert Durst and the disappearance of his wife Kathleen McCormack. Of course in the movie all of the names of people have been changed. The film takes place between 1971 and 2003. The movie stars Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) as David Marks, the son of a powerful commercial real estate mogul in New York, who is not to keen on joining the family business. The film begins with David meeting working class Katie McCarthy who is played by Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman), with whom he falls in love with and marries.
           The two move to Vermont and open up a health food store in order to help David avoid joining the family business and his overbearing father Sanford Marks, played by Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon). Eventually, David folds to his father's pressure and joins the real estate business as a part of his father's company.
           Though they are deep in love, much still separates David and Katie as he is increasingly closed off, goes through constant mood swings, and has a strong will against having kids. Once they return to New York, Katie goes back to school, in turn making her more independent which causes David to become violent and controlling.
             Everything begins to come to a head when Katie goes missing. From here on out the mystery really begins as the skeletons in the Marks' family closet begin to slowly come out as police and others try to figure out what happened to Katie; and if David had something to do with it.
             I thought the acting by Gosling and Dunst in this movie was great and helped make this movie what it was. Their chemistry together was spot on as they had to transfer between being newly in love to complete emotional separation from each other. That goes without saying the portrayal of their individual characters was difficult enough, yet done quite well.
            I enjoyed this movie a lot as the mystery behind it all is quite compelling and the acting was good. My main problem with it was the fact that I don't think you ever get to really find out who David Marks is. There's so much mystery set behind this character with not enough answers given. I put the blame on that to the director partly, but also perhaps the fact because maybe the answers I was looking for aren't known due to some of these events the movie is based on; and that I found frustrating.
           Overall though, I found it entertaining and eye opening. I give this movie a thumbs up and 3 out of 4 stars. All Good Things is available for instant streaming or by mail via Netflix and is also available at Redbox. Enjoy!

Look forward to my next review which will be on the comedy Little Fockers, starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.