The Goldfinch: Patience

It’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning book turned movie.

The Goldfinch has been out since December 3. It’s on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared on November 19.

GOLDFINCH

The Goldfinch novel is by Donna Tartt and published in 2013. Critics gave mixed reviews on the book, but the story still managed to be a bestseller and win the Pulitzer Prize. The distinguished prize has gone to stories like Gone with the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird.

There will be no prestigious awards for the film adaptation of The Goldfinch. It turned into one of the biggest bombs of 2019. The film made over $9 million worldwide. It landed a low 24% on the Rotten Tomatoes scale.

Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman lead the cast. There’s Oakes Fegley, Aneurin Barnard, Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson and Jeffrey Wright.

The ensemble is rounded out with Ashleigh Cummings, Willa Fitzgerald, Aimee Laurence, Denis O’Hare and Boyd Gaines.

The director is British Academy of Film and Television Arts winner, John Crowley. Oscar-nominee Peter Straughan wrote the screenplay.    

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Surprisingly, I would make it a rainy day or snowy day selection.

I have not read The Goldfinch. I can’t compare the two.

Teenager Theo Decker (Oakes Fegley) saw his mother for the last time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A terrorist bomb exploded. He survives, but also makes a decision that impacts him for many years to come. He takes a painting of The Goldfinch. (Which is a real painting by Carel Fabritius from 1654.) The bombing trauma hits hard, and he develops a drug addiction. Which never really stops as Decker grows up into looking like Ansel Elgort.  

(So, yes, it is R-rated.)          

Your attention is required as the story cuts back between those teenage years and adult Decker. Plus, quite a few glimpses of the museum bombing crops up in these two different parts of Decker’s life, as he struggles with keeping his big secret.

I’ve only seen Elgort in one other movie - Baby Driver. For which I quite liked, and he is in the majority of the scenes. (Nowadays, you have to get past the fact that Kevin Spacey has numerous allegations against him.)

Elgort may not be an Oscar-calibre actor in The Goldfinch but came across as watchable. The transition with his teenage self (Oakes Fegley) was done quite well and seemed believable that the two could be the same person. Same goes with Finn Wolfhard and Aneurin Barnard as the younger and adult version of Decker’s friend, Boris.

The story feels more like a character-focused drama with relationships of love, family and friendships and also glimpses of the dark side. So if you lean more towards a genre like action films - The Goldfinch is likely not for you. There’s a certain amount of patience needed. The pace comes across as slow.

And to emphasize, I mean the story is - slooooww. Those 149 minutes (with credits) felt so much longer. 

I don’t think it’s a movie I’ll rush to watch again anytime soon. The film does look so beautifully shot though. With credit to Oscar-winning director of photography Roger Deakins. And the young and adult cast do quite a good job with the material they have, that I can’t help but give some positive points.

So, if I was to slot the film just from the last couple of months I would put The Goldfinch above a movie like The Kitchen with Melissa McCarthy.  

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The DVD contains only The Real Goldfinch

The Goldfinch Unbound (12 minutes, 54 seconds.)

- The behind-the-scenes-reel. There is a talk for when the book first came out, to the casting. Finn Wolfhard (of Stranger Things and IT) was not the first choice for Boris, but impressed with his Russian accent. Also was talked about Roger Deakins and his work.

The Real Goldfinch (8 minutes, 38 seconds.)

- If you like history, this may be more interesting. As mentioned, The Goldfinch is a real painting. They tell a little bit about Carel Fabritius and how he died and where you can find the Goldfinch today.

Over 16 minutes of deleted scenes with commentary from Director John Crowley

- The movie could have been longer. John Crowley talks about editing the movie and talks about some of the scenes. One of the notable is probably Decker going to a therapist. While adds depth to the character, it kind of stalls the overall story. 

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment