Review of The Girl on the Train (2016) by Dana F — 09 Jul 2017

This movie was plugged as the next "Gone Girl", and I can certainly see why, as it's about as Gone-Girl-y as a movie that is not "Gone Girl" can be. It's a moody and atmospheric mystery about seemingly perfect couples, deceit, infidelity, and murder, told by unreliable narrators.

So, it's basically Gone Girl 2.0, where you wish you hadn't upgraded to the new version. Despite being essentially a housewife's exploitation film, it's actually a decent story that is fairly well told.

The mystery is well done and effective, giving you just enough clues throughout to maintain interest in the story and keep you guessing, including an obligatory twist that I admit I did not see coming.

The acting is good too, especially Emily Blunt, who gives it her all and is as convincing as she can be in the lead role. But the characters ... ugh! They are painfully shallow and undeveloped. There are three central women in the story, and their only defining characteristic is their reproductive prowess (or lack thereof).

Oh, and one of them drinks too much. And the men aren't any better, they are all composite stereotypes of the dude who cannot control where he puts his dick. I mean, seriously... haven't we gotten past these caveman archetypes by now? Then, as is the case with most mysteries/thrillers, the characters do completely stupid things that nobody would actually do, even if faced with these highly improbable situations.

And the tidy little ending for such a tangle of a mystery was just too much for me. Regardless, the movie as a whole kept me interested and I have to say I did enjoy it. It's a flawed film, but it's good for an evening's rental.