I know folks liketo act like Ryan Gosling is something great, but the dude is yet to truly crack into the mainstream. Sure, little girls have their crushes but as far as most folks are concerned Gosling is a no name. His last four films have had virtually zero impact with Fracture earning $39 million and his most critically role in Half Nelson may have earned him an Oscar nomination but the film itself only managed $2.6 million at the box-office.
Joining Gosling in the sinking ship of twenty-something actors is Kirsten Dunst. Outside of the Spider-Man franchise Dunst has never made much of a splash. I will admit she has made larger waves than Gosling and also did quite well in the underappreciated Marie Antoinette, but without her role of Mary Jane in Spider-Man she would probably be best remembered as a young vampire from 1994’s Interview with the Vampire.
So, what is the best thing to do with these two? Why, throw ’em in a romantic period piece of course with Andrew Jarecki of Capturing the Friedman’s fame to direct.
Of course, Gosling starred in The Notebook with Rachel McAdams when both of them were relative no names, but that little flick was based on a sappy Nicholas Sparks novel. So what famous author penned All Good Things, which is what the film is called? Why, no one. It was penned by Marcus Hinchey, Marc Smerling and Jarecki as an original story.
As for the story, it is set in the 1980s, and centers on the scion of a New York real estate dynasty (Gosling) who falls for a beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks (Dunst). But the fairy tale ends when the girl disappears. As a down-and-out detective stumbles on info that may lead to the truth, the political stakes get higher and people close to the case end up dead.
After Gosling was dismissed from starring in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones I was beginning to think the actor, whom many believe is “the next big thing”, was on his way out of the public eye and this film isn’t making much of a strong case to say otherwise.
All Good Things begins filming in April on the East Coast for Michael London’s Groundswell Productions, but as far as a distributer is concerned there isn’t one yet. An early guess on my part views this as a festival film that will go on to make, at a maximum, about $8 million.
