The Goldfinch (film)
The Goldfinch | |
---|---|
Directed by | John Crowley |
Screenplay by | Peter Straughan |
Based on | The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
Edited by | Kelley Dixon |
Music by | Trevor Gureckis |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures[1] |
Release dates | |
Running time | 149 minutes[3] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $44–49 million[4][5] |
Box office | $10 million[6] |
The Goldfinch is a 2019 American
The novel's film rights were sold to
The Goldfinch premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released in the United States on September 13, 2019, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was a box-office bomb, only grossing less than $10 million against a production budget between $44–49 million, with estimated losses for the studio as high as $50 million, and received generally negative reviews that criticised the plot and narrative, though the cinematography and performances received praise. Donna Tartt reportedly hated the adaptation to the point of firing her longtime agent over it, and making it clear she would not sell the rights to any of her work for films again.
Plot
Thirteen-year-old Theodore Decker's mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In the aftermath of the explosion, a dying man urges him to take a painting—The Goldfinch—and his engraved ring. Theo is placed into foster care with the Barbours, the family of his best friend Andy. Theo becomes close to Mrs. Barbour, who encourages his interest in antiques and art.
It is revealed that Theo and his mother were supposed to see Theo's school principal that day because the school said he and classmate Tom Cable had been smoking cigarettes. They were early, so his mother took Theo to the museum on the day of the explosion. Theo blames himself for his mother's death.
Theo locates the antiques shop of James "Hobie" Hobart, whose partner Welton "Welty" Blackwell (the dying man from the museum) gave the ring to Theo to return. Hobie allows Theo to visit Pippa, Welty’s niece who was injured in the bombing, and the children bond before Pippa is sent to live with her aunt in Texas. Andy hints that his parents are considering adopting Theo. However, Theo's estranged father Larry, claiming to be newly sober, arrives with his girlfriend Xandra to relocate Theo to Las Vegas. Theo brings The Goldfinch and keeps it hidden.
In Las Vegas, Theo befriends Boris, a Ukrainian classmate who introduces him to drugs and alcohol. Larry ends up in gambling debt and tries to have Theo transfer his education fund to a banking account but ultimately fails.
After Theo and Boris take
Eight years later, Theo has made Hobie’s shop successful, selling his restored antiques. He runs into Andy's older brother Platt, who reveals that Andy and their father were killed in a boating accident. Theo visits the ailing Mrs. Barbour and reconnects with her daughter Kitsey. Reeve, a disgruntled art dealer, confronts Theo for selling him a fake. Having deduced that Theo stole The Goldfinch, Reeve accuses him of using it as collateral to finance his shop. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Theo keeps the wrapped painting in a storage locker.
Theo becomes engaged to Andy's younger sister Kitsey, but harbors a secret love for Pippa, who now lives in London with her boyfriend Everett. Theo catches Kitsey cheating on him with Tom Cable, but they remain engaged, as Theo is close to Mrs. Barbour and Kitsey is permissive toward his drug habit. Theo tells Hobie the truth about selling his restorations as “real” forgeries. Pippa visits Theo and they confess their feelings for each other, but she tearfully rejects him, citing the instability caused by their shared childhood trauma.
Seeking drugs at a bar, Theo is reunited with Boris, who reveals he had stolen The Goldfinch from Theo years prior and had used it as collateral to finance his criminal career, before it was then in turn stolen from him. After a visit from Reeve, a heartbroken Hobie confronts Theo for the theft and loss of The Goldfinch.
At Theo's and Kitsey's engagement party, Boris arrives with a plan to recover The Goldfinch. Theo accompanies him to Amsterdam, where Boris seizes the painting at gunpoint, but they are ambushed by another pair of criminals. Boris kills one of them but is shot. Theo is forced to kill the other assailant, while another man escapes with the painting.
Theo tries to die by suicide in his hotel room, but is rescued by Boris. Boris explains that he called in a tip to the police about the painting's location, and that during the subsequent raid, the authorities recovered the painting as well as other stolen art, including a Rembrandt. Boris persuades Theo that it was all for the greater good.
Cast
- Ansel Elgort as adult Theo Decker
- Oakes Fegley as young Theo Decker
- Aneurin Barnard as adult Boris
- Finn Wolfhard as young Boris
- Ashleigh Cummings as adult Pippa
- Aimee Laurence as young Pippa
- Willa Fitzgerald as adult Kitsey Barbour
- Sarah Paulson as Xandra
- Luke Wilson as Larry
- Jeffrey Wright as Hobie
- Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Barbour
- Denis O'Hare as Lucius Reeve
- Boyd Gaines as Mr. Barbour
- Peter Jacobson as Mr. Silver
- Robert Joy as Welty
- Luke Kleintank as adult Platt Barbour
- Hailey Wist as Theo's mother
Production
Development and casting
In July 2014, film rights to
On October 4, 2017, after a two-month casting search,
Filming
Principal photography began in New York on January 23, 2018,[22][23] before moving to Albuquerque on April 3, 2018 for the rest of production.[24]
Marketing and release
Footage from the film was first shown at
The Goldfinch premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019.[29] It was released in cinemas the United States on September 13, 2019, after previously being set for October 11.[30][31]
Reception
Box office
The Goldfinch grossed $5.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $4.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $9.4 million, against a production budget of around $45 million.[6]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 25% based on 228 reviews with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Beautifully filmed yet mostly inert, The Goldfinch mishandles its source material, flattening a complex narrative into a largely uninvolving disappointment."[36] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[37] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[5]
References
- ^ Variety Insight. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ "The Goldfinch".
- ^ "The Goldfinch". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c McClintock, Pamela (September 16, 2019). "'The Goldfinch' Bomb May Lose Up to $50M for Warner Bros., Amazon Studios". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 14, 2019). "'Hustlers' Scores Great $2.5M On Thursday Night". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Goldfinch (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 28, 2014). "Warner Bros, RatPac Close Deal For Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Winner 'The Goldfinch'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 20, 2016). "'Brooklyn' Helmer John Crowley To Direct Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Novel 'Goldfinch'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ "Amazon Studios, Warner Bros. Teaming on 'The Goldfinch' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 4, 2017). "Ansel Elgort Offered Lead Role in 'Goldfinch' Adaptation". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Tapley, Kristopher (October 4, 2017). "Roger Deakins on 'Blade Runner 2049' and That Elusive First Oscar". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 12, 2017). "'Dunkirk' Actor Aneurin Barnard Lands Key Role in 'Goldfinch' Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (November 15, 2017). "Sarah Paulson Joins 'The Goldfinch' Adaptation at Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ filmmusicreporter (November 27, 2017). "Trevor Gureckis Scoring John Crowley's 'The Goldfinch'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (December 6, 2017). "Willa Fitzgerald In Talks To Join Ansel Elgort In 'The Goldfinch'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (December 18, 2017). "Ashleigh Cummings Joins Warner Bros.' 'The Goldfinch' Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Dixon, Kelley [@kelleydixon] (December 16, 2017). "@rianjohnson Oooohhh Remember???? Takin' it to Goldfinch for Luck & Inspiration!! #fly" (Tweet). Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 10, 2018). "Jeffrey Wright to Play Hobie in 'The Goldfinch' Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ "Luke Wilson Joins Ansel Elgort in 'The Goldfinch' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ "'Stranger Things' Star Finn Wolfhard Joins Ansel Elgort in 'The Goldfinch' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 19, 2018). "Luke Kleintank Joins 'The Goldfinch'". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ a b "Filming is Underway on Warner Bros. Pictures and Amazon Studios' Powerful Drama "The Goldfinch"". BusinessWire. January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ Torres, Libby (January 26, 2018). "Tartt House Film: The Goldfinch Begins Shooting in the Village". Bedford+Bowery. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ Grant, Justina (April 2, 2018). "Warner Bros. movie of best-selling book brings production to Albuquerque". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ "'The Goldfinch' Adaptation First Look Promises Faithful Treatment of Donna Tartt's Beloved Novel". IndieWire. April 2, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "See exclusive trailer, first photos of Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman in 'The Goldfinch'". May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "The Goldfinch Movie Poster Tells the Story of a Stolen Life". May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "THE GOLDFINCH - Official Trailer 1". May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Lang, Brent (July 23, 2019). "Toronto Film Festival: 'Joker,' 'Ford v Ferrari,' 'Hustlers' Among Big Premieres". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ McNary, Dave (November 30, 2017). "'Shaft' Sequel and Ansel Elgort's 'Goldfinch' Get 2019 Release Dates". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 22, 2019). "Warner Bros. Release Date Changes: 'The Goldfinch' Goes Earlier In Fall, 'Superintelligence' Shifts & Ben Affleck Drama Dated". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 11, 2019). "'Hustlers' Set To Deliver Record $25M+ Live-Action Opening For Jennifer Lopez – B.O. Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ "Worst Wide Openings".
- ^ Clark, Travis (September 16, 2019). "'The Goldfinch' is the biggest box-office flop of the year". Business Insider.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 22, 2019). "Big Screen Take On TV Series 'Downton Abbey' Is A Hit With $31M+ Opening, Reps Record For Focus Features – Early Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ "The Goldfinch (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ "The Goldfinch reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ Review: ‘The Goldfinch’ Is a Stolen Opportunity. Rolling Stone. 12 September 2019.
External links
- The Goldfinch at IMDb