Movie Two Hundred Ten
All Good Things is the dramatized recount of an actual unsolved murder case.
Based on the real events leading up to the trial of Robert Durst, renamed David Marks (Ryan Gosling) for the film. David Marks is the son of a wealthy real estate mogul, Sanford Marks (Frank Langella) who meets and eventually weds a young middle class woman named Katie (Kirsten Dunst). David rejects his father’s business plans and the young couple move from New York to Vermont and start a little shop they name All Good Things. David’s father convinces him to move back to New York and get involved in the family business and David’s demeanor begins to change. Soon, Katie mysteriously disappears and David is suspected of murder.
I had never heard of All Good Things before browsing for Ryan Gosling movies on Netflix (yes, I’ll admit it). What drew me to All Good Things is the true nature of the film, and even though some “based on true event” movies can come off as hokey I thought much of All Good Things worked quite well. I was not familiar with the actual case so the story was all new to me, which I think helped sell some of the ideas that the film interjects supposedly based on new “evidence”. So, while the film is based on reality, it doesn’t hinge its own success on that realism.
As a die-hard Ryan Gosling fan, I was actually very pleased with his performance in All Good Things, which is not very surprising. What is surprising is Kirsten Dunst’s performance didn’t bore me and I would even go as far as saying this is one of her better performances ever. The film builds a great tension that literally starts as a calm love story and escalates to a thrilling climax. David’s progression from mostly normal to his break with reality is also handled well, though explanations for it are glossed over in the last act. Immediately after the film was over, I wanted to know more about the actual case and I consider that a sign of a good movie.
If All Good Things had merely been a fictional thriller, it would have been just OK but considering the story is largely based on truth, I think that adds to the allure of it. The film isn’t perfect and it does drag in spots, but the electrifying performances by Gosling and Dunst really captivated me. I’m not sure if All Good Things is a film I would choose to revisit any time soon, but it’s certainly a film I would recommend for anyone seeking a true crime thriller.
I give it 4 Ryan Gosling makes a surprisingly ugly woman out of 5.
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Your rating made me lol
Mission accomplished
Snap! Good review.
Gotta love Gosling and this is one I’m going to have to get my hands on to see.
i have a copy of “drive” that i still have not yet watched. i oughta get to it. have you seen it?
Yeah, many times. My favorite movie of last year, actually. I love it!
every once in a while my gf and i sit down to watch a movie but we never remember that i have “drive.” dangit. i like him. he does a good job. and roger ebert said “drive” should’ve been nominated for best picture.
It should have been nominated for many Oscars
I agree!! That was a great movie and one of his best!
This is a film that I’ve been wanting to see for years Andy but I just can’t seem to get my hands on it. I’m not even sure if it’s been released at all in the UK. Like yourself, I’m a big fan of gosling and your “surprisingly ugly woman” rating of him I just can’t believe. The man’s an Adonis. 😉
I was surprised at just how weird he looks with a wig on. I wonder if there are legal reasons the film hasn’t made it over there? It’s worth seeing but it’s not a masterpiece or anything.
I don’t think I liked it as much as you because it had a really slow execution, but the performances and atmosphere were pretty sweet! Nice review.
You’re right about the slow execution, it feels much longer than it really is. I was still pretty engaged by it, though.
Still a movie I have on my list to see. Great reivew though and can’t wait to see it. And I agree with your opinion on Drive. Thought it was a great movie and was worth many Oscar nominations. Between that and Blue Valentine, thought they were his best movies.
Thanks! I was reminded a lot of his performance in Blue Valentine here, he uses a lot of the same subdued sadness.
I’ll look it up on Netflix Andy. For some reason Canada doesn’t get as good a selection as the U.S, Maybe with Gosling (CDN) in it I’ll find it. Heck just for that poster of him I’d move a mountain to see it 🙂
I loved this movie although I found it kinda sad
I did too but almost more sad for Ryan Gosling
He does make an ugly woman for sure.
It’s weird, right? I may have burst out laughing when they showed him.
I liked this one, even if it sometimes was a bit unintentionally funny. Gosling was good as always. I agree on Dunst, too.
When they first show Gosling in drag I really thought they were trying to elicit a laugh from the audience…but then they kept things serious and I wasn’t so sure.
I ‘m a big fan of true-life crime stories, so I’m going to have to check this out. You didn’t mention anything about Frank Langella. I’m a fan of his. Did you know that he is currently dating Babara Walters? I think he is 73 and she is 81.
I’m a big fan of Langella’s but here I didn’t really connect with him, which I guess is kind of the point of his character…but still. Also, I did NOT know that.
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Oh that Gosling, such a lady killer
lol