It doesn’t, and I left the film appreciative of its style and strong performances, but not emotionally altered in any lingering way. Still, it offers quite a bit of chewy content to contemplate, discuss, and debate. We on the inside know that the painting has been taken by a boy, Theo (Oakes Fegley), whose mother was killed in the explosion and who has found himself rather alone in the world.

Maybe Sarah Paulson was onto something when she said in her dream world they'd have made this into a four-part miniseries. That’s not for lack of trying from its actors. I can think of only one or two minor details that aren't directly taken from it. If you did not read the book, you will most likely be confused and bored throughout.

Middle school students smoke cigarettes. Crowley, though, finds a melody fairly often, imbuing his film with a lyrical hush and sadness. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Parents and caregivers: Set limits for violence and more with Plus. The film version of The Goldfinch, out in US theaters on Friday, isn't for everyone either. Did it make you feel a greater connection to the film -- or impose a greater distance if those works weren't meaningful to you? Not by a long shot. Academy Award-winning photographer Roger Deakins masterfully captures the dusty, warm atmosphere of Hobbie's workshop and the museum-like clean-yet-lived-in rooms of the Barbours. Main character attempts suicide.

Wonderful adaptation of classic book; some scary moments. What does Theo mean when he says "We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others, that in the end, we become disguised to ourselves"? And the actors who do, like Theo's teenager version (played by Oakes Fegley), or Boris' twentysomething version (Aneurin Barnard) seem almost entirely chosen because of their physical resemblance to their counterparts, Elgort and Wolfhard respectively. If you chose to provide an email address, it will only be used to contact you about your comment.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. The star rating reflects overall quality. Luke Wilson is Theo's unreliable dad. John Crowley's adaptation of what’s regarded by many as a modern classic is well-mounted, but tepid. But sometimes they’re able to let forth an expressive burst, in moments that keenly register Theo’s almost cosmic lostness. It all adds up to what might be best described as an empathy hot pot -- not so much a tearjerker, but once the credits roll, you realize your heart is fully cooked. II enjoyed the book so much I wanted to relive the pleasure it gave me in a shorter, easier-to-consume dose. Some language and violence throughout... Heartbreaking love story is a must-see for fans of the book.

Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Crowley’s film at least makes more of a case for itself than I expected. Suggest an update to this review. By Richard Lawso n Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. In that sense, the spirit of Tartt’s book is honored—we feel the yawn of years, the weight of grief and accumulated formative experience. As the two Theos, Fegley and Elgort have lots of silent, contemplative staring to do. I watched the movie with my mom. All rights reserved. We're updating our reviews to better highlight authentic stories and accurate, diverse representations. Even the dialogue is often a mere reproduction of what was on for the page.

Your privacy is important to us. Still, it offers quite a bit of chewy content to contemplate, discuss, and debate. When he's a young man, it's more Bright Lights, Big City: A handsome 20-something New Yorker battles his demons with drugs as he tries to settle his affairs of the heart and get on the right path. To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. A child recovering from a serious injury shares her medicinal morphine lollipop.
Are there realistic consequences? More than messages, the movie presents questions to be debated.

© CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Let's just hope if they ever end up adapting Tartt's 1992 sort of a mystery novel The Secret History, the result will be more authentic. The movie opens Sept. 13 in the US and on Sept. 27 in the UK and Australia. See our. And that's one of The Goldfinch's many problems. It’s no easy feat, turning a 784-page book into a movie—let alone one full of granular digressions about art and antiques and the particular fever of being high in the desert. In the chaos of a terrorist attack at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art that kills his mother, Theo Decker (played at different ages by Oakes Fegley and Ansel Elgort) steals a valuable painting of a goldfinch. Just like the antique Chippendale antique restorations that Theo sells, this movie's source material is exquisite, but the changes applied to transform the piece degrade the entire product. © Common Sense Media. The movie that exists only hits the major beats—it’s stately and surefooted, but just okay. Can you see parallels to that in your life or in social media? His amiable Hobbie also takes care of Theo. Substance abuse is prevalent: Adults smoke, drink, pop prescription pills constantly. The movie also succeeds musically with an original soundtrack that features Cigarettes After Sex's Apocalypse, Radiohead's Everything In Its Right Place and New Order's Your Silent Face. Elgort is particularly effective, dimming his shine to a nightlight glow; he’s haunted and consumed by memory, a person who keeps stumbling into a present tense he does not understand. The movie does take one big license: It alters the chronology, jumping backward and forward in a way intended to maximize the intrigue at the heart of the story.

Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. But it seems that tastes have changed, and literary adaptation has moved over to the longer forms of television shows and limited series. That’s just the kind of packaging that studios used to dream about, back in the heady (and, we now know, quite dark) days of Miramax. It was co-financed with Amazon Studios, which has streaming rights. )—acts as both talisman and guilty reminder of the past, both inspiration and weight. I loved every single page of this book about a boy whose world gets shattered by a tragic event and starts leading an existence of subterfuge. But teens also smoke, drink, do drugs. As we follow Theo’s trials and tribulations (more tribulation than trial), from New York to Las Vegas and back again, the painting—by a Dutch master who died in an explosion (parallels! We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Drama about child's 9/11 loss stirs up sadness. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. All told, The Goldfinch is better than I expected it would be. It’s a long movie, but watching it sure put the story together in a better way then the book did (for me). Things eventually (though briefly) move into mystery-thriller territory, but Crowley keeps things tonally in balance.

Boyd Gaines, Oakles Fegley and Nicole Kidman in The Goldfinch. Families can talk about The Goldfinch's theme of fate/destiny vs. free will/coincidence. Same for Jeffrey Wright as another of Theo’s caretakers. How is the painting used as a metaphor as it relates to Theo? Macall Polay/Warner Bros. and Amazon Content Services, Discuss: The Goldfinch movie: An underwhelming adaptation of a masterful book, they'd have made this into a four-part miniseries. THE GOLDFINCH is based on Donna Tartt's 2014 bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.

The movie is now streaming on Amazon Prime, was it ever in theaters? One of the greatest novels of the 20th century. But regardless of all the enjoyment Wolfhard brings with a gesture as simple as opening of a black umbrella in the Nevada sun or his complaining about how Americans always call their kids "stupid things" like Apple or Blanket, Barnard's Boris doesn't have the same effect. Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, and Finn Wolfhard co-star. The film also manages two timelines with grace, drifting back and forth between youth and nascent adulthood. John Crowley, the Irish filmmaker behind the perfectly crafted Brooklyn, directs. And yet in clearing that bar, it bares open all the possibility that it could have been even more. We won't share this comment without your permission. Yet I'd probably have enjoyed a less accurate adaptation. Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing The Goldfinch worldwide.

High school students drink beer, vodka, smoke cigarettes, take various drugs -- including a scene in which it's demonstrated how to intensify a high by cutting a pill into a powder and then snorting it. Only two, me included, ended up reading all 771 pages. The story focuses on Theo Decker (played at different ages by Oakes Fegley and Ansel Elgort) and a valuable painting he takes from a museum after a terrorist attack kills his mother. This movie was amazing. It’s gorgeously filmed, well-appointed New York spaces given the lacquered glow of an old painting. As he grows up, Theo moves from guardian to guardian, keeping the artwork close while gathering more secrets. Art-centered drama about loss has teen drinking, drug use. "It's only a fake if you try to pass it as a reproduction," Wright's character utters at some point. As he did in Brooklyn, Crowley coaxes fine, quiet work from his cast. The Fault in Our Stars' Ansel Elgort plays the twentysomething version of Theo, an antiques dealer with a mild substance abuse problem and a haunting past.

And not because of their actual suitability to play these characters. Parents: Set preferences and get age-appropriate recommendations with Common Sense Media Plus. All rights reserved. Something good can come from something bad. Two empathetic adults provide Theo with attention and care following his mother's death. But unfortunately, the big-screen Goldfinch doesn't sing, it warbles -- and, at two and a half hours, you might wish you could silence it. Main character has a drug habit.

In film, the new and the bold—and the biopic—reign, at least in terms of awards shows.

There is that presiding sadness, yes—but the importance of the painting, and all the other art and objects and music that the people populating the movie care so much about, isn’t palpable enough. Ultimately, the film has to hurriedly state its themes at the end because it’s been two and a half hours and it’s time to wrap things up. Couples kiss, and an engaged couple is seen waking up in the same bed. From the awards race to the box office, with everything in between: get the entertainment industry's must-read newsletter. The Goldfinch Review: A Beloved Novel Becomes a Movie Sure to Be Liked John Crowley's adaptation of what’s regarded by many as a modern classic is well-mounted, but tepid. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.

She and Crowley create a rich family backstory in just a few scenes, the film glancing off toward another set of woes and tragedies, helping to thicken the world the painting and all the people surrounding it are moving through. Wondering if The Goldfinch is OK for your kids? Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase.


People live and die, but art is forever. Watching with my family I had to explain what was happening from my knowled... *could present spoilers* I saw this movie with my mom and it did not disappoint. Only, there’s just not enough texture and feeling in The Goldfinch. But unfortunately, the big-screen Goldfinch doesn't sing, it warbles -- and, at two and a half hours, you might wish you could silence it.


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