The book is not the movie, the movie is not the book.
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt's novel) is a first-person narrative, one of the hardest pieces of prose to convert into film. The book is divided succinctly into two parts - young teenage Theo and mid-20s young adult Theo. The structure is linear, and the narrative is young adult Theo's reminiscence of his life's journey. We first see him in a Dutch hotel on Christmas Eve, seriously contemplating suicide. The book is 962 pages - some critics have described it as less than that but still long - not a treatise which lends itself readily to a 2-plus hour adaptation.
The Goldfinch (the movie) is the same narrative, and it sticks very closely to the source. At 2 hours, 29 minutes, quite a lot had to be omitted. Thus, the movie became the same narrative, as told by a second-hand, third party raconteur - interested but recounting after the fact with input from young adult Theo and a few of his on-the-spot, in-the-moment, after-the-fact recollections. Although the narrative is the same, the story becomes very different from the book. In short, the film lacks the color that was so much a part of the novel.
For viewers who read the book - especially those who loved it - the movie may disappoint. To say much more will constitute a spoiler. The production elements are impeccable. The screenplay suffers from the same problem as the novel - it is convoluted and too tightly packed - not a catastrophe but somewhat inexplicable. The performances are first-rate, but don't expect the characters to be exactly the same as the novel; there isn't enough time to develop that. Oakes Fegley (young Theo) is breathtaking he is so good. Finn Wolfhard creates an amazing teen Boris. His accent is consistent and quite believable. (Forget the accent critics; trying to understand authentic non-natives tackling American English is mostly unintelligible - not suitable for a movie.) Ansel Elgort (young adult Theo) gives an excellent grown-up version of himself. Supporting turns by Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Sarah Paulson make it obvious why they are stars. (And except for Kidman, I probably wouldn't have envisioned any of them for the characters as portrayed in the book.)
If you loved the book, you probably won't like the movie. If not - or if you didn't read it, ignore the critics; they are wrong.
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt's novel) is a first-person narrative, one of the hardest pieces of prose to convert into film. The book is divided succinctly into two parts - young teenage Theo and mid-20s young adult Theo. The structure is linear, and the narrative is young adult Theo's reminiscence of his life's journey. We first see him in a Dutch hotel on Christmas Eve, seriously contemplating suicide. The book is 962 pages - some critics have described it as less than that but still long - not a treatise which lends itself readily to a 2-plus hour adaptation.
The Goldfinch (the movie) is the same narrative, and it sticks very closely to the source. At 2 hours, 29 minutes, quite a lot had to be omitted. Thus, the movie became the same narrative, as told by a second-hand, third party raconteur - interested but recounting after the fact with input from young adult Theo and a few of his on-the-spot, in-the-moment, after-the-fact recollections. Although the narrative is the same, the story becomes very different from the book. In short, the film lacks the color that was so much a part of the novel.
For viewers who read the book - especially those who loved it - the movie may disappoint. To say much more will constitute a spoiler. The production elements are impeccable. The screenplay suffers from the same problem as the novel - it is convoluted and too tightly packed - not a catastrophe but somewhat inexplicable. The performances are first-rate, but don't expect the characters to be exactly the same as the novel; there isn't enough time to develop that. Oakes Fegley (young Theo) is breathtaking he is so good. Finn Wolfhard creates an amazing teen Boris. His accent is consistent and quite believable. (Forget the accent critics; trying to understand authentic non-natives tackling American English is mostly unintelligible - not suitable for a movie.) Ansel Elgort (young adult Theo) gives an excellent grown-up version of himself. Supporting turns by Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Sarah Paulson make it obvious why they are stars. (And except for Kidman, I probably wouldn't have envisioned any of them for the characters as portrayed in the book.)
If you loved the book, you probably won't like the movie. If not - or if you didn't read it, ignore the critics; they are wrong.