Review of All Good Things (2010) by Bryan K — 06 Oct 2012

Before delving into flaws, this film deserves credit for actually telling the story it is based off of instead of overly dramatizing what was already compelling in real life. Coming into this film knowing none of the backstory surrounding it, this storyline seemed to stick to the facts without adding ridiculous twists.

Having said that, the film itself is largely linear and canned; Dunst's character is largely inconsistent in her moods and actions throughout, while supporting characters such as Gosling's eccentric girlfriend is woefully underdeveloped for playing as central a role as she does in the later minutes.

The courthouse narration that tells the story feels like an easy crutch. Of all the characters, Gosling does well to be convincing without going beyond what is known about an ambiguous character that is if nothing else erratic.

Had the film been more of a character study than a mystery, it may have worked better.