After brilliant performances in “Half Nelson” and “Lars and the Real Girl,” Ryan Gosling is quickly becoming one of the most under-appreciated young actors around. Too bad one of his most recent movies has flown largely under the radar.
In “All Good Things,” Gosling plays David Marks, the son of a wealthy real estate powerhouse. David marries Katie (Kirsten Dunst), a working class student, and the two vow to start a life all their own. But David is sucked back into the clutches of his domineering father (Frank Langella). While Katie remains independent, David grows more violent, until Katie mysteriously disappears. Not until the murder of David’s best friend years later does the door to the Mark family’s dark past gradually open.
“All Good Things” is loosely based on the case of Robert Durst, a New York heir to a real estate fortune whose wife disappeared in the early 1980s. This seems like a meaty role for Gosling and a potential comeback performance for Dunst, who has been fairly off the map since “Spider-Man 3.”
But the film, which was shot in 2008, has been plagued by several delays, which often means a movie enters the fray with a blip rather than a bang. And with Gosling already generating Oscar buzz for his performance in “Blue Valentine,” don’t be surprised if “All Good Things” is glossed over.
Also starring Kristen Wiig, “All Good Things” opens in limited release Dec. 3.
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