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Goldfinch, The  (DVD)

3/10

Stars: Ansel Elgort, Oakes Fegley, Aneurin Barnard, Finn Wolfhard, Ashleigh Cummings, Willa Fitzgerald, Aimee Laurence, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Nicole Kidman, Denis O'Hare, Boyd Gaines

Director: John Crowley

The death of his mother in a terrorist bomb attack at New York's Metropolitan Museum changes 13-year-old Theo Decker's life forever. Confused by the disaster, Theo steals the priceless painting The Goldfinch, seeing it as the one tangible connection with his dead mother.

What follows is essentially an emotion-heavy, all too frequently psychologically implausible coming-of-age story, well-enough delivered as a youngster by Fegley as he bonds with wealthy Foust and especially with Foust's mother Kidman, doing her best in a largely pointless role.

Everyone in front of the cameras, including Elgort as the grown-up Theo, works hard but in the final analysis are understandably defeated by the lumbering, overlong narrative. In the final analysis, The Goldfinch fatally fails to fly.

Alan Frank

USA 2019. UK Distributor: Warner Brothers. Colour.
142 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 2, Swearing 2.

Review date: 30 Dec 2019