If you haven't seen it  what are you doing tonight? Seeing Gone Girl? Thought so!

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2014)

Oh I love love love this movie. I've already seen it twice and look forward to seeing it again (and most likely owning it!) If you've seen it once, see it again  you'll appreciate the David Fincher details even more. If you haven't seen it  what are you doing tonight? Seeing Gone Girl? Thought so!
This first time I saw the movie, I questioned Ben Affleck as the lead for at least a hour. It felt as if he was simply chosen for being Ben Affleck — a star to bring in the ladies and the cash. By the end of of the film it was clear Ben was perfect for the role. Fischer said in a Playboy article that he was looking for the perfect smile for the Nick Dunne character and googled the Affleck smile. "I flipped through Google Images and found about 50 shots of Affleck giving that kind of smile in public situations. You look at them and know he's trying to make people comfortable in the moment, but by doing that he's making himself vulnerable to people having other perceptions about him."
The movie's leading lady played by Rosemund Pike is also a wonderful choice. Without giving anything away, let's just say the casting was perfection for the plot twists. Any team that can pull in NPH (Neil Patrick Harris) is going to put a great ensemble cast together. They are believable from the first second of the film. If you are questioning the acting, then the movie has you right where they want you.
I continue to grow my respect and love for David Fincher as a director after watching Gone Girl. The Social Network wowed me (behind the scenes footage was killer) and I'm a huge fan of House of Cards. Gone Girl is another home run. In an interview with Affleck, he talked about getting to finally rest during a movie as merely the actor, not the director / actor after his big Argo win. He mentioned that when he was directing Argo, he would hear "no" to something and consider it a done deal and move on. One of the things he learned from Fincher is the centuries-old-lesson "never take no as answer". According to Affleck, Fincher does not accept no — no matter the cost, time or hassle. It will be interesting to see how Fincher's lessons will impact Ben's direction in his next picture. (Author's note: I'm struggling to find the interview to post as a reference! Still looking and will update once found!)
Gone Girl is smart, engaging, exciting. During the movie take a quick glance at the people around you — they are on the edge of their seats. Listen to their comments after the movie — hear what they took away about relationships, social media and the 24 hour news cycle. And yes, ladies, it's over two hours of Ben Affleck  simply put, you can't go wrong.
We would love to hear your thoughts — especially from those of you who read the book. I hear the movie is awesomely close to the book. I have it on my nightstand and look forward to reading it.