Gone Baby Gone: Watch It.

[Evan!]

I don't recommend particular movies very often...but I had the pleasure of finally catching it on Netflix the other night. While I felt that the plot was a bit of a stretch compared to the grounded, gritty reality portrayed by the cinematography, I was actually immensely surprised at the movie's ability to draw you in. You really reevaluate (and probably change) your mind about who is right and who is wrong a dozen times through the course of the movie. Yeah, there are the typical "[insert crazy plot twist here]" moments, but the great thing about those plot twists is that they serve to turn your assumptions about good and bad on their head, and force you to put yourself in their shoes and wonder what you would really do. It's rare that a movie is capable of rousing such genuine internal conflict (there's plenty of action too, it's not some boring-assed drama)...I highly recommend it. The questions it raised, none of them with easy answers, are still hanging in my head a few days later. In a world of "here's 2 hours of good guys versus bad guys and you know who's gonna win", that is very refreshing.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'd have to agree, it's a lot better than you'd think.

 

[Beerthoven]

Thanks for the tip. I added it to my netflix queueue. Its no. 17, which means it'll arrive in about 5 months at our current rate of viewing.

 

[Joe C]

At the beginning of the movie when everyone is outside on their porches, etc. I know a few of the people who are in those clips.


Great movie too.

 

[Ryanh1801]

Yeah, I also just saw this last week. Very good movie. So I guess the question is, Did he make the right decision?

 

[Evan!]

Yeah, I also just saw this last week. Very good movie. So I guess the question is, Did he make the right decision?

SPOILER IN WHITE - BEWARE:

I still can't make up my mind. Nothing was resolved when the credits rolled. When he made the final speech to Morgan Freeman before he called the state police, he had me convinced that he was making the right choice. But a few seconds later, when his girlfriend said those words, "if you do this, I'll hate you for it, and I don't want to hate you", it muddied everything back up and I was actually sorry to see the flashing lights a few seconds later. The heartbreak was SO f*cking palpable when she came back to the apartment to get her stuff, and she said that there's nothing left to talk about, and I could see the pain in both of their eyes. And the detail that still haunts me is that I expected the mother to change at least a little bit...but at the end when she left to go on her date, she didn't even say goodbye to her little girl, she just tossed a doll in her lap and ran out the door. Jesus.

Like I said, I'm still conflicted. That's what makes the movie great, as far as I'm concerned.

[/spoiler]

 

[Ryanh1801]

SPOILER IN WHITE - BEWARE:

I still can't make up my mind. Nothing was resolved when the credits rolled. When he made the final speech to Morgan Freeman before he called the state police, he had me convinced that he was making the right choice. But a few seconds later, when his girlfriend said those words, "if you do this, I'll hate you for it, and I don't want to hate you", it muddied everything back up and I was actually sorry to see the flashing lights a few seconds later. The heartbreak was SO f*cking palpable when she came back to the apartment to get her stuff, and she said that there's nothing left to talk about, and I could see the pain in both of their eyes. And the detail that still haunts me is that I expected the mother to change at least a little bit...but at the end when she left to go on her date, she didn't even say goodbye to her little girl, she just tossed a doll in her lap and ran out the door. Jesus.

Like I said, I'm still conflicted. That's what makes the movie great, as far as I'm concerned.

[/spoiler]

Yep I have to agree. Its kind of integrity vs. what you know in your heart is the right thing to do. I was pretty pissed she had not changed her ways.

Spoiler in white also.

 

[blacklab]

Hmm. I'll have to check it out. I'm still a little iffy on Ben movies; let's call it the Reindeer Games Effect.

 

[user 574]

Liked the movie a lot. Wife not quite so much. I'm torn as well but <spoiler>

Wanted to reach into the screen and b!tch slap her in the end.

 

[MrFebtober]

Ben Affleck directing a good film? unpossible. Well, we'll see--it's in the queue, I'll get to it one of these days (that brings the queue count ot 79).

 

[Desert_Sky]

the wife was watching last night after the kids went to bed. i was out in the shop tinkering for pretty much the whole movie. I come in towards the end of the movie and she has tears just streaming down her face. I say "Good movie?" She just nods while shes sobbing.

I figured its a just a chic flick but hey.....

 

[Evan!]

the wife was watching last night after the kids went to bed. i was out in the shop tinkering for pretty much the whole movie. I come in towards the end of the movie and she has tears just streaming down her face. I say "Good movie?" She just nods while shes sobbing.

I figured its a just a chic flick but hey.....

No, no, definitely not a chick flick. Of course, neither my wife or I cried, but I guess if you have a relatively low threshold for waterworks, it would make you cry. But not a chick flick!

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

added to queue

 

[PeteOz77]

OK< No slight on anyone is intended here.

This movie was SH!TE! in every possible facet.

Acting was horrible
Screenplay was horrible
Casting was horrible
Gwyneth cannot act.. even as a crack Whore she is lame.
Morgan Freeman should know better


And It was a complete waste of my time.

If you enjoy good movies, STAY AWAY FROM THIS HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE MOVIE!!

I am off to watch something worthwhile...

Like:
Cape Fear
The Godfather
Raging Bull
The Hustler
Rocco's Best Anal Adventures
Rock and Bullwinkle
ANYTHING without Gwyneth

 

[FlyingHorse]

Pete, why so coy? Just tell us if you liked it or not!

 

[Evan!]

OK< No slight on anyone is intended here.

This movie was SH!TE! in every possible facet.

Acting was horrible
Screenplay was horrible
Casting was horrible
Gwyneth cannot act.. even as a crack Whore she is lame.
Morgan Freeman should know better


And It was a complete waste of my time.

If you enjoy good movies, STAY AWAY FROM THIS HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE MOVIE!!

I am off to watch something worthwhile...

Like:
Cape Fear
The Godfather
Raging Bull
The Hustler
Rocco's Best Anal Adventures
Rock and Bullwinkle
ANYTHING without Gwyneth

What a surprise, pete is disagreeing with me again

BTW, are you sure you actually watched the movie in question? You keep referring to this "Gwyneth" character, but I'm not sure who that might be. :cross:

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I also thought this was a very good movie. It makes you question following the law, or following reason (faulty or otherwise). Pete, perhaps you are thinking of the wrong movie. I mean, I don't think it is going to change my outlook on life, but to say it was such a bad movie doesn't make a ton of sense.

<spoiler>
I think the right choice was made. Morgan Freeman's argument does make sense, but if you follow that logic, then social services would be one busy place. I don't think I could throw a stick in public without hitting a bad parent or an irresponsible parent. By that logic, half the kids in the US should be relocated to rich, white, suburban homes.... just because they can afford to buy stupid dolls and go to prep school. I understand the drug addict mother is a major problem, but just moving a kid away from their parents because you could do a better job is not good enough. IMHO. It does draw a great internal conflict and debate, which makes it a very good movie.
<spoiler>

 

[Evan!]

I also thought this was a very good movie. It makes you question following the law, or following reason (faulty or otherwise). Pete, perhaps you are thinking of the wrong movie. I mean, I don't think it is going to change my outlook on life, but to say it was such a bad movie doesn't make a ton of sense.

<spoiler>
I think the right choice was made. Morgan Freeman's argument does make sense, but if you follow that logic, then social services would be one busy place. I don't think I could throw a stick in public without hitting a bad parent or an irresponsible parent. By that logic, half the kids in the US should be relocated to rich, white, suburban homes.... just because they can afford to buy stupid dolls and go to prep school. I understand the drug addict mother is a major problem, but just moving a kid away from their parents because you could do a better job is not good enough. IMHO. It does draw a great internal conflict and debate, which makes it a very good movie.
<spoiler>

To your spoiler text: the problem I find with that is, should we really be judging his decision on the old slippery-slope hypothetical, or should we judging it independent of other cases, on its own ethical and moral terms? Regardless of whether CPS would be clogged IF the same principle were applied to everyone, is his decision ethically viable given the facts of the case?
---

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

That is the problem. I agree that she would have been better off staying with Morgan Freeman, and would have had a better chance at developing into a productive member of society. The movie would have been much less interesting, but I think the right way to do it would be to sting the mother, prove she is an unfit mother, and have MF adopt her. Again, the movie would not have been very interesting, but I still can't side with MF in the current plot.

BTW, the white text thing is brilliant! :rockin:

 

[JustDave]

Perhaps Pete was thinking Million Dollar Baby? And by Gwyneth, he meant Hillary. And by crack whore, he meant boxer

I'm so impressionable, this got moved to the top of our Netflix queue based on the recommendations here, and is shipping out today. So long crappy movies that SWMBO added! Sayonara!

 

[IrregularPulse]

Our freinds brought this to the house a couple weeks ago. At first I was thinking WOW, that movie went quick, but then realized there was more. Very good movie, and you're soo right about "Who is right here"? Without giving it away... POLL
I think it was the wrong decision, but not an easy one to make.

 

[PseudoChef]

I guess I am the only one who thought this was unbelievably predictable. Anyone else?

 

[Evan!]

I guess I am the only one who thought this was unbelievably predictable. Anyone else?

I didn't expect it. I guess you just need to have a certain kind of twisted mind

 

[PeteOz77]

What a surprise, pete is disagreeing with me again

Yeah, OK, I deserve that one.. but I DID preface my statements with "OK, No slight on anyone is intended here."

BTW, are you sure you actually watched the movie in question?

Oh yeah.. I watched it.... all of it. I kept waiting for it to get better... but it just didn't.

The only saving grace was watching that self righteous prick realise what a complete fool he was, and realising that he had to live the rest of his life knowing that he had destroyed the lives of 3 innocent people. But even that wasn't worth the torture of having to sit through a horrible movie.

You keep referring to this "Gwyneth" character,

OOPS, Sorry, I didn't stick around for the credits... No wonder Gwyneth looked so bad...

 

[PeteOz77]

I also thought this was a very good movie. It makes you question following the law, or following reason (faulty or otherwise). Pete, perhaps you are thinking of the wrong movie. I mean, I don't think it is going to change my outlook on life, but to say it was such a bad movie doesn't make a ton of sense.

We obviously have differing views on what a "Good Movie" is. Regardless of what the movie reviewers say, or the Academy, or even the people here who choose to rate this movie say about it, I was very unimpressed with it.

A "Good Movie" isn't dependent on subject matter. Just because it raises controversy, or has a major star in it, or is directed by an award winning director etc etc, does not make any movie "Good"

For me, the key elements of a "Good Movie" are:

• Good/great acting: The actors' only job is to make me believe 100% that they ARE that character, regardless of the genre of the movie.

• Good writing: This means a believable plot, great dialogue, a story line that flows... with a beginning middle and end (Pulp Fiction excluded here)

• Good Cinematography: Make me believe that this story is actually happening.. where it is supposed to be happening. This means spending at least a short amount of time throughout the movie showing me the landscape/terrain and making references to the locale from time to time.

• Some sort of message: The message can be "Adam Sandler is an idiot, playing an idiot in a stupid movie", "Love conquers all", " The good guys always win/crime doesn't pay", "This was a factual account of how this real event happened" etc...

• And last but not least on MY list, It can't be self serving: The new Tom Cruise movie, starring Tom Cruise, Directed By Tom Cruise, co Produced by Tom Cruise, in which Tom Cruise is the hero, Something bad happens, but Tom Cruise overcomes adversity and wins in the end, has NO CHANCE of being a "Good Movie"

I have my own movie server with over 500 movies online in my home.

I think that at least 80% of the drivel that is produced by hollywood ranks less than a 4 on a 1-10 scale, so maybe my opinion on this movie is a bit harsher than the average viewer. What I can say is that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone and that I would give it a 3 at best.

Just my (ever so humble) opinion

 

[JustDave]

SWMBO and I just watched it, and I liked it.

<spoiler>It raises the question of when is a crime justifiable? Sure, kidnapping is wrong, but the girl was definitely better off living with Morgan and his wife. Her home situation was definitely not a good one .... but whose responsibility is that to decide? Had Child Services come and taken her away, then what's her life like then? Foster families? I guess then she has at least a chance of being adopted by a loving family.

I wonder what I would have done in that situation. </spoiler>

Oh and not everyone in the state talks with that god-awful Boston accent ..... just certain parts

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I thought it was decent. I will say that I was expecting a much worse film considering that Ben Affleck was involved.

 

[cd2448]

I thought it was decent. I will say that I was expecting a much worse film considering that Ben Affleck was involved.

Agree with you OB, it was better than I expected. Now to go into spoiler mode:

Wasn't fooled by the death scene and kind of figured out what was going on before it was revealed. And this is from someone that didn't know Bruce Willis was dead till that little kid really spelled it out for me. On the big moral question - the guy had to go to the police, the child had to go back to the mother. Just because you don't like the way someone is raising their kid, doesn't mean you can take the child away. You think the mother is criminally negligent, and maybe in this case you can argue that pretty well, then take it up with child services. But you don't get to decide.

 

[SourHopHead]

Its got Mewes!!! I'll be checking this one out. Thanks

 

[RICLARK]

I rented this movie, the next day I went out and Bought it. It was outstanding.

 

[Soulive]

This movie infuriated me. That's how effective it was. I also recommend it...

 

[SourHopHead]

Impressive! I also recommend this movie.

 

[Alamo_Beer]

SWMBO and I saw it last night....

<Spoiler>
I can't beleive no one has brought up the him killing the child molestor vs MF taking the girl debate.....they were both wrong in what they did but both actions were "for the good" I think he called the cops on MF bc he was, in a weird way, repenting for what he had done....Idunno but I liked the movie!
</Spoiler>