All Good Things *** (2010, Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, Philip Baker Hall) – Classic Movie Review 11,581

Director Andrew Jarecki’s 2010 American mystery crime thriller All Good Things is closely inspired by the life of millionaire accused murderer Robert Durst and the unsolved disappearance of his wife Kathie in 1982. It is written by Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling, and stars Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, and Philip Baker Hall.

Gosling plays David Marks, the wealthy son of powerful, manipulative New York real estate tycoon Sanford Marks (Langella), who marries an outsider, working-class student Katie McCarthy (Dunst) in the 1970s. The couple escape New York for country life in Vermont, setting up a health food store called All Good Things, but are lured back by the disapproving Sanford.

David develops an abusive relationship with his wife after she confesses she is pregnant. Katie’s finances are cut off when she tries to get out, attempts to find incriminating documents of the family’s financial activities and then disappears without a trace.

This heady story then becomes wacko. David himself disappears, and is next seen as a woman, establishing a relationship with his nervy neighbour Malvern Bump (Philip Baker Hall) in Galveston, Texas. Then David becomes suspected of a series of murders, as well as his wife’s unsolved disappearance.

This, and much more, forms a very complex, sprawling narrative that Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling can’t control, or sort out into a satisfying or explicable narrative that is easy to follow. Where is the focus? Where is the rhythm? The characters remain elusive too. None of the other characters gets enough screen time to establish itself. Who is who? Why are they doing this? Who the heck is David Marks after all? What’s his problem? There are one or two apparently.

Nevertheless, this is a very interesting film, with a fascinating story to tell. It is extremely well acted by the four principals, with Gosling giving a bravura performance in a spectacularly unsympathetic role. His descent into madness is a tour-de-force. His appearance as a woman is, er, worrying. The dress sense is appalling. Dunst is tremendous, keeping her character strange but sympathetic, while Langella and Hall, with much less to do are outstanding, both intense and involving, not to mention creepy.

It is extremely well filmed in in New York City and various locations in Connecticut. It looks great, with its striking scenic and period locations and reconstructions. Just look at that single minute-long scene shot on a bridge over the Housatonic River and the reconstructions of 1970s Times Square sex shops and strip shows. The production values are impressive. Gosling’s long-hair wig at the start isn’t good but his later old-man prosthetic make-up is startlingly neat.

And it looks expensive, and it was, at $60 million. The Weinstein Company closed a deal to distribute it, but stalled, and stalled, so Magnolia Pictures acquired its American rights, and released it small, taking nothing at the box office: $582,024 in the US. Weinstein kept the international and cable TV rights. It made another $62,511 at the foreign box office. That’s a worldwide total of $644,535 against a cost of $60 million.

Alas, as so often, it’s a script and editing problem. Muddled narrative, and pacing problems, sometimes running too fast, so it’s confusing, other times too slow, so it’s boring. It ends up only an interesting film when it could have been a real contender. The actors salvage a lot of it. They deserve a hearty round of applause.

All Good Things was filmed between April and July 2008 in Connecticut and New York. It was ready for release on 24 July 2009, but did not see selected cinemas till 3 December 2010.

Durst said he liked the film and offered to be interviewed by Jarecki. They spent more than 20 hours together over several years. In February and March 2015 Jarecki’s six-part documentary miniseries, The Jinx, was shown on HBO. Durst was arrested in New Orleans, Louisiana, on first degree murder charges the day before the final episode aired on March 15, in which he appeared unintentionally to confess to three murders.

On 17 September 2021, a Los Angeles jury found Robert Durst guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of his best friend Susan Berman more than 20 years ago.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,581

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/