All Good Things

Plot synopsis:
In 1970s New York City, David Marks (Gosling), the son of a powerful real estate tycoon, marries a beautiful working-class student, Katie McCarthy (Dunst). Together they flee New York for country life in Vermont—only to be lured back by David's father (Frank Langella). Upon their return, they buy a beautiful apartment where Katie brings up the idea of having children, whereupon David implies he can't have any. They eventually buy a lake house out of town and Katie tells their new pregnant neighbor that she is expecting as well. Katie tells David, to which he responds by throwing a chair and breaking a shelf. David makes Katie have an abortion, which he misses while doing work for his father.
Katie goes back to college and eventually applies and gets into medical school. During a celebratory party at her parents' house, David drags Katie out by her hair when he wants to go home and she asks him to wait. Katie wants a separation, but her funds, which she needs in order to graduate, are cut off when she attempts to leave. David gets violent and Katie begins to show signs of abuse. Family secrets are slowly revealed, and then Katie disappears without a trace.
Years later, the 20-year-old case is re-opened, and soon after David's best friend Deborah Lehrman (Lily Rabe) is found dead, with David as the main suspect.

Tags: psychological, mystery, murder, dramatic, violence, flashback, romantic, suspenseful, home movie

Review:
The movie functions mainly as a kind of indictment, and I wonder if it would work were it not for the 'documentary' angle, the movie as crusader for the truth, bringing to light the possible culpability of a real person, abetted by certain friends and family, a man as yet unpunished.The motivations of this character, the object of the indictment, are accounted for in the course of the story, as various traumatic and painful incidents from his life are shown or recalled, and by allusions to deviant mental conditions or sexual preferences that are not.
At the end, the inner life of the putative killer remains obscure, a source of dissatisfaction for a movie that is about character.So, not a great movie, but an engrossing entertainment if you are in the mood for a dark story that leaves you wondering how closely real events in fact matched up to this clever reconstruction..
He has a knack with dark family secrets.In the film, Ryan Gosling plays David Marks, disenchanted son of Real Estate mogul Sanford Marks (a powerful Frank Langella), who witnessed the grisly suicide of his mother when he was very young.
The good things are soon to end.Since much of the real life story is still a mystery, Jarecki does a nice job in assembling pieces from the trial records.
"All Good Things" is a love story and murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty in the 1980s.
The film stars Ryan Gosling as David Marks, Kirsten Dunst as Katie McCarthy, and Frank Langella as David's father, Sanford Marks.From the beginning, the relationship between Gosling and Dunst is very intriguing and interesting; possibly the best part of the story.
Moreover, things do take some time to get moving with too much concentration, in my opinion, on character development, especially on subsidiary characters, before Marks' strangeness starts to manifest itself, although this too is done awkwardly (off- camera conversations with himself, point-blank rejection of having a family with his living wife, peer-pressure from his father) so that I'm not sure I made the leap to psychopathy that Ryan Gosling's character actually makes.The supposed thriller sequences are done in a hackneyed manner too, with night-time filming, dark shadowy interiors and even thunderstorms outside which work against the realism striven for elsewhere.
By the end, after some head-scratching about Marks' transvestism and the strange, fateful relationship he builds up with his elderly fellow- tenant, I felt the movie hadn't satisfactorily plugged the plot-holes along the way for it to flow as it should.Gosling and Kirsten Dunst are both good in the lead parts, although the shifts in character for the former, as indicated, are difficult to surmount.
This is not the swinging Studio 56, 70's; but the creepy, Times Square Porn theatres, Taxi Driver, Son of Sam, 70's; Dark and strange, where wealthy and powerful New Yorkers, Civil servants and Leisure suited Larrys' live under their own rules and law.Like Marcus Hinchly and Marc Smerling, the writers who took a big twisted story one may have read in Vanity Fair on hot Southampton summer beach; unraveled into a clear and coherent, cliché' free film; strung together with clever dialogue and cleverly created a non- narrator, narration, through the POV of a court room character brief / testimony.Frank Langella, who, with one look at an empty chair, early on in the movie, could have stolen the film outright , had it not been for for the careful editing of David Rodenbloom and Shelby Seigel, under Jarecki's umbrella; making sure the film, which is not about his character, Sanford Marks, remains that way, true to the story.Langella brings weight to every frame he's in; his charisma so apparent, it's not his fault really, that he commands every scene he's in, stealing the viewer's attention from what may be going on in the frame.
(see The Ninth Gate or Frost /Nixon) - "it's 39.50 each, that includes a very generous tip" -The Father and son subtext; combined with the functional madness of real life Durst ({David Marks]) played by Ryan Gosling as you've never seen him) is so very strange and un-nerving, it may make you shudder knowing that people like this exist all around you; everywhere you go, all the time.Kristen Dunst, shows her range in this film.
Gosling as Durst, plays/wears his aberrations as the straight man in a twisted comedy duo.Kristen Wiig shines here, proving her talent stretches way past just comedy straight into the world of excellent dramatic acting (be careful you may develop a crush on her) "eat your salad"Jarecki shows us much, in All Good Things; the breakdown of a marriage, the strained relations of a father and son, wealth and its trapping, but more intriguingly, how a seemingly 'normal' man can hide the sociopathic madman inside, carefully, while unbeknownst to us, can live a functional and, again, subjectively 'normal' life.
Although we may hide behind the great illusion and lie to ourselves that they are few and far between; that all murders and madmen eventually get caught and put far away from our children, friends and familys', yet Jarecki and his team show that this great conceit of ours, is totally wrong, just another lie we tell ourselves as we sign our lease's, leave our tips, show the bouncer our ID's, and run around central park in the evenings to avoid the crowds.All Good Things, Directed by Andrew Jarecki, shows this to us in a film that you may need to to see a few more times to get all the brilliant subtleties, and top star acting..
It's based on the story of Robert Durst (whose name is changed in the movie to David Marks, played by Ryan Gosling.) The details (as far as they're known) of Durst's life are fairly well presented.
(i'm thinking of the scene where Kristen dunst painfully mails this evidence indicting her husband to the senator only to have him mail it back to her husband the next day--"this is family business...and none of our affair", or the quick scene of Ryan gosling writing his phone number on the boat "in case it gets lost", or the terse "Leave A Message" greeting on Gosling's hideaway's answering machine every time someone calls.) There are a lot of little things like that throughout that really make the movie pop.Yes its true that the story is yet another one about an increasingly sociopaths rich guy--and the unraveling of his life as he gets more and more paranoid, etc.
It was a good story with solid acting all around but the real question that you will want to ask at the end of the film remains unanswered in real life too (which may in fact be the reason the film was made but its still frustrating to ask a question that remains completely unsolved even in the true life story on which this is based.) This is however a solid film with a solid Ryan Gosling performance at the center that too few people will see and will probably go unappreciated for many years until some writer or blogger exploring his filmography years from now tries to pulls it out from obscurity as a re-discovery or whatever.
The first two-thirds of this film has a strong script coupled with excellent performances, direction and cinematography, all working harmoniously together to tell the story of a doomed love affair between David and Katie Marks.
Allowing other people to convince him that Katie's not happy, he returns to the questionable family business in New York City where it is made certain that nobody is, or will be, happy.What I liked most about "All Good Things" (apart from the actors) was that it started as a romantic drama and slowly progressed into an all-out thriller and flipping the villain and victim around so it looks like innocence and guilt could never be placed.
Guess this was what writers Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling had in mind when the duo penned the script for Andrew Jarecki's romantic mystery film, which is inspired by the true story of a New Yorker whose wife disappeared in 1982.The film begins in 1980s New York City, where the son of a powerful estate tycoon marries a working class girl.
20 years later, the man's best friend shows up dead, and the case is reopened, leading to an unsettling truth.If you didn't have the context that the plot was inspired a true incident, this 101 minute movie may have played out like any other murder mystery.
The main issue is probably the fact that it is based on a true story and there are so many stranger than fiction developments and points of interest that trying to capture real life can get messy when trying to also entertain.Good Thing: I thought the movie was well shot, with a lot of night scenes, they handled the visuals in an interesting mood setting way.
Let me start real quick by saying this is my first IMDb review, and that I think IMDb is one of the best web sites on the internet.We watched "All Good Things" I think mainly because of the hype about Ryan Gosling, and while I believe he is a good actor he seems to choose parts that are so very slow that they leave the movie quite boring.
The twist at the end also leaves us wondering what the heck really happened, but not in an interesting "make your own conclusions" kind of a way.That said, if you like Mr. Gosling's acting style (and the slow style of his choice in directors) in previous movies such as "Beyond the Pines" and "Drive" (which I liked more than "Good Things"), you might like this one as well..
Based on a real life event the mysterious "All Good Things" is a great film that combines many different genres to create its story about relationships and what might cause its death, things like family pressures, different backgrounds, psychological problems, aggression and other things.The love story of David (Gosling) and Katie (Kirsten Dunst) starts in the 1970's where he is a rich guy trying to run away from his father (Frank Langella) control, a powerful man who wants a brilliant future for his son by working along in the family business, a real estate deal; Kathy is a girl trying to succeed with a desire of studying medicine and she wants to start a family with David.
Gladly, most of what happens in the third act of the film are implications so you can believe it or not.What makes of "All Good Things" a more appealing film is the great performances of Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, they're always talented in everything they made and here both gave brilliant performances.
Directed by Andrew Jarecki, without this chilling real life episode and background, it could just have been an ordinary film if not for the wonderful, engaging performance by leads Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.Set between the 70s and last decade in New York City, David Marks (Gosling) falls in love with a pretty working class girl Katie (Dunst), whose marriage and union is perfect on the surface, if not for the objection of his real estate tycoon father Sanford Marks (Frank Langella) whose elitist status and snobbish behaviour brings about some tension as he frowns upon his son's lack of ambition and choice of wife from a lower social standing.
I felt the story played out somewhat like Revolutionary Road as we witness the disintegration of a beautiful relationship, as slowly but surely David reveals a much darker side to his being that in some instances will shock you as he dishes out unadulterated violence on his wife.I suppose it's a different era then with the stigma of a divorce, on one hand Katie's separation allowed her to pursue her studies in medical school, while on the other perhaps it was the money, which never once stood in the way to corrupt her affections for him, much needed now to fuel her lifestyle of drug addiction.
She disappeared for a while to check into rehab for depression, and returns with what is arguably her best performance and role to date, playing the wide-eyed girl full of hope and dreams to be married, but finding out in a snap that her beau is definitely not what he seems, plotting an escape that didn't quite go her way, and what more her character's mysterious disappearance which takes her out of the equation in the narrative.It is the strong portrayals by the leading cast members that make All Good Things compelling to sit through, with the thought that something similar had already happened, an open case without a resolution, and one of the mysteries that continue to remain unresolved..
All Good Things (2010) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Decent drama about real estate heir David Marks (Ryan Gosling) who goes against his father's (Frank Langella) wishes by marrying a young woman (Kirsten Dunst) who doesn't come from the same background.
The movie tells the story of David Marks, a business manager from a wealthy family, his strange psychological behaviour and his wife mysterious vanishing, not to mention two other murders.
Yet, with All Good Things, it really is based on a real murder/missing persons case in America from the eighties.We see Ryan Gosling and Kristen Dunst meeting and falling in love.
They do well to get into some very difficult characters and the film is definitely worth a look.So, not a great movie, but an engrossing entertainment if you are in the mood for a dark story that leaves you wondering how closely real events in fact matched up to this clever reconstruction..
It cannot sustain itself despite the excellent acting performances from the three main leads.Once Dunst disappears the film takes a bizarre twist as an older Gosling finds himself with Philip Baker Hall.It might be the unsatisfying conclusion which reflects the real life events.
Good as Far as it Goes, but the Narrative Could be Livened Up. Based on a real-life case involving a New York real estate family, ALL GOOD THINGS centers on the life of David Marks (Ryan Gosling), who has been permanently psychologically scarred by the sight of the death of his mother at seven years old.
Although he had for this movie at hands a splendid team of Hollywood actors who did a fine job he did not succeed to turn the juicy crime story upon which the film is based into a real compelling piece of cinema.The story Jarecki is using is the highly publicized and never solved case of the disappearance in the early 80s of the wife of a rich class New Yorker, involved in the murky real-estate business of his family in the center of Manhattan.
Crime stories fans will find themselves watching for more than half of the screening time a family drama, romance (the film starts like kind of a 'Love Story') quickly turns into disarray and domestic violence, reality does not necessarily make into cinematographic truth.The best reasons to watch this film despite mixed reviews and not a very high mark on IMDb is however acting.
The even better news is that there is even better acting than Gosling's in this film and I refer of course to Kirsten Dunst's role as the loving wife whose dream of marrying the nice and rich guy slowly descends into nightmare, and to the veteran Frank Langella who injects character and complexity in the role of the family father who is much more than a (anti)-moral symbol.
Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, and Lily Rabe star in "All Good Things," a 2010 film.
Natural dramatisation was introduced, while certain key plot points were given to present one possible version of events (an educated guess on behalf of writers Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling).Rich heir David Marks (Ryan Gosling) falls for lower class Katie (Kirsten Dunst), who aspires to become a doctor, and despite family protests of entering into a relationship outside of his class, marries her and together set up a low-key country life in Vermont and a shop "All Good Things".
During the movie we are taken to the trial in small snippets, but the main of the story is told in flashback format.The Robert Durst character is Ryan Gosling as David Marks, son of a Manhattan real estate tycoon.
Based on a true story, Ryan Gosling plays David Marks, the son a a rich New York property owner.
Inspired by the most notorious missing person's case in New York history, All Good Things is a love story and murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty during the 1980's.It stars starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst together with Frank Langella,Kristen Wiig,Philip Baker Hall,Diane Venora and Lily Rabe.It was directed by Andrew Jarecki.The film was inspired by the story of Robert Durst, scion of the wealthy Durst family.
Mr. Durst was suspected but never tried for killing his wife Kathie who disappeared in 1982 and was never found.The film was obviously well-acted especially with the talented young actor,Ryan Gosling as part of the cast.And the true story that inspired the screenplay provides plenty of drama and will provides lots of interest to the viewer.The movie just captures the emotion and complexion of this real-life unsolved mystery..
But in "All good things" not every reasons are explained because the director is telling a real story(the names of the characters in the movie were changed)that is still a mystery and the leading actor of this drama is an enigma.