There weren’t too many surprises plot wise for me in the movie Gone Girl. I had read the book so I knew what was coming. There were however two surprising lines of dialogue that caught my attention.
Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
The first was the mention of Winnipeg. The movie’s heroine Amy played by Rosamund Pike gets in trouble and calls a former boyfriend Desi played by Neil Patrick Harris to come and rescue her.
They rendezvous at a casino. A man bumps into Desi and Amy at the casino bar and says he is sure he recognizes Amy.
Neil Patrick Harris plays Desi in Gone Girl and talks disparagingly about Winnipeg
It is important that Amy remain incognito so Desi tries to throw the man off by lying and assuring the fellow there is no way he can know Amy because Amy comes from…………..( Desi quickly thinks of the most obscure place he can)…….. Winnipeg.
Ben Affleck in Gone Girl
Amy’s college writing instructor husband Nick played by Ben Affleck has been having an affair with a beautiful student of his named Andie who is dressed very provocatively when Amy catches them kissing one night .
While Amy is leaving the casino her eye is drawn to a television screen where she sees Andie her husband’s girlfriend holding a press conference.
For her press conference Andie wants to play the role of innocent young school girl seduced by an older man so her conservative hairstyle, modest clothing and lack of make up are in stark contrast to her former seductive appearance. Seeing her Amy says ………. “She looks like a ### Mennonite.”
As a Mennonite and a Winnipegger I object to the way both Mennonites and Winnipeggers are portrayed in Gone Girl. The movie implies Winnipeg is some insignificant out-of-the-way place no one has heard of and that all Mennonites are conservative, straight-laced and plain. Nothing could be further from the truth in both cases.
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I like your attitude! Yeah, Winnipeg! So would you recommend Gone Girl or My Old Lady? (Going to see a movie on Tuesday.)
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Gabe I just looked up My Old Lady. Looks intriguing. Gone Girl got much better ratings on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audience if that makes a difference. I think I’d have liked Gone Girl more if I hadn’t read the book. If you haven’t read it I’d recommend it.
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Just saw the film and I don’t agree with you that “the movie implies Winnipeg is some insignificant out-of-the-way place.” I would also point out that references to Winnipeg in popular (mostly American) culture are quite common:
I find it all quite amusing. No such thing as bad publicity 😉
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There was quite a reaction (laughing) in the audience when Winnipeg was mentioned. I saw it at the Cinemplex Odeon on McGillvery. Did the audience react in your theatre too? (Just realized you might not be from Winnipeg or have seen the movie in Winnipeg.) Maybe I’ve been jaded by many years of living abroad. Very few people I met had ever heard of Winnipeg.
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I live in Montreal now, so no reaction in the cinema.
As you say, in other countries very few people have heard of Winnipeg, but how many medium-sized cities of 700,000 people in foreign countries have people generally heard of?
Like I said, no such thing as bad publicity 😉
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