Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language.
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris…
Gone Baby Gone was probably one of the best films of 2007. I’d give it my highest score, Worth Buying, except… I wouldn’t buy it. Once was enough for me. But I’m so glad I didn’t skip this one. Truly a masterpiece.
First time director Ben Affleck takes Dennis Lehane’s book to the big screen in this authentic tale of the kidnapping of a four-year-old girl, drawing two private investigators into the seedy underbelly of Boston.
This film is genuine. It is so real that it might actually catch you off-guard. The people that fill the screen were gritty and real, not Hollywood models. The dialogue is fresh. The acting is superb.
Don’t expect any gratuitous fluff of any kind in this film. Affleck surprised me with a return to the basics: a powerful story, interesting characters, and good pacing.
Within the clever story, the film packed a wallop of a point. Usually films have a hard time walking this fine line of “not coming across preachy.” Gone Baby Gone never was preachy, it was simply a good story that left your mind in a wrestling match in the final credits.
Let me be clear: I hate stories that don’t resolve themselves and leave the audience hanging at the end. Again, that’s where Gone Baby Gone revealed its true art and genius. The story resolved itself. But the issue it brought up will never be resolved.
The book’s author, Lehane, who worked with abused children as a therapeutic counselor, has a message to communicate. He verbalized it in an interview in the special features of the DVD:
“We have not solved remotely the issiue of how to raise and protect children in this society. We’re not even in the ball park. So that became the major subtext of the book and of the film…. is the sense of ‘What are we doing?’ And I don’t think good art answers questions, I think it just asks them.”
The film’s lead, Casey Affleck, agrees. “People should be torn with the question they’re left with.”
Don’t miss this film.
SHOULD YOU SEE IT?
I can see some of the emails now. “But this is rated R?” “This film is filled with bad language.”
I can’t speak for everyone, but for years I worked in a community like this with unchurched people. Guess what? Their lives weren’t exactly Father Knows Best. They were something between what you see on Springer and Judge Judy. And their language was all over the “effing” place.
Gone Baby Gone is a gritty authentic glimpse into a community with its good and its bad. You’ll see a little of both. The film doesn’t glamorize violence or stoop to show gratuitous sex or nudity. But it’s shocking and ugly at times.
I think it’s worth the watch. But you’ll have to make that call. (For more on Jonathan’s 2 cents about the films he watches, read this article.)
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
I would show this to mature teenagers simply because of the discussion on ethics that the story provokes. The R-rating is because of language and some violence—but mostly language (did I mention that this was supposed to be an authentic glimpse of Boston? Have you ever visited Boston? I’ve never heard the “F-word” so much.)
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
