On the surface, The Girl on the Train is a completely serviceable thriller. It’s never dull and it mostly succeeds at entertaining the audience. Despite this general praise, I still wanted more. This is the kind of movie that works in the moment but doesn’t quite stick with you long after it’s over. I haven’t read Paula Hawkins’ best selling novel on which this film is based but I’ve heard from those who have read it that the book has a lingering affect on you long after you put it down. The film doesn’t really reach those heights but i don’t think the casual moviegoer will be disappointed by the end result.
The Girl on the Train wants to inhabit the same air as Gone Girl. Many have compared the two films because they’re both based on novels and have similar tones. Gone Girl went deeper than being just entertaining because director David Fincher made it more about the characters. The twists and turns were an added bonus. The Girl on the Train never achieves the twists of character or perspective that David Fincher brought to the 2014 film. In a way, that’s a shame because The Girl on the Train seems ripe for making us experience the same emotions we felt while watching Gone Girl. The film never has us questioning events in interesting ways, Again, it’s all entertaining in the moment but there is no denying things could’ve been presented in a way to really get us talking.
In the film we are introduced to Rachel (Emily Blunt), our narrator and the titular character, who spends long stretches of each weekday riding the train back and forth into New York City. Along the way, there’s a particular house she looks for. Living there is her vision of the ideal couple: pretty, blond Megan (Haley Bennett) and her husband, Scott (Luke Evans). Every time she sees them, they seem so much in love. She overlays her fantasies and hopes on these two, whom she has never met, and feels betrayed when she glimpses Megan sharing a kiss with her psychologist, Dr. Abdic (Edgar Ramirez). We learn that Rachel once lived only a couple of houses away from Megan and Scott. That was before alcoholism claimed her marriage. Now, her ex-husband, Tom (Justin Theroux), lives there with his new wife, Anna (Rebecca Ferguson). Things become complicated for Rachel when Megan disappears under mysterious circumstances on the night when Rachel decides to confront Megan about her possible infidelity. And, due to a booze-induced blackout, Rachel has no memory of what happened during that encounter.
The Girl on the Train titillates in a way that most good exploitative thrillers should. Gone Girl isn’t the only comparison that works here as it also shares a bit of a Basic Instinct vibe as well. I never found that film particularly smart but it’s entertaining because of its willingness to embrace what it is. When The Girl on the Train is going down that trajectory it completely works. The problems arise when it wants to also be a bit of a Hitchcock thriller (think Rear Window). It doesn’t possess the intelligence to really work on that level and despite its attempts at building a mystery, the outcome is fairly obvious. The pleasure is watching the events that gets us there but the road is a bit rocky at points and the final destination isn’t entirely worth the time it took to get there.
Emily Blunt shines even when the movie falters at certain points. She continues to impress with a varied filmography that shows off her range. This is a particularly difficult character to essay but Blunt does a good job of wearing different hats to showcase her emotions. The movie should be seen for her performance alone if the faint praise the film is receiving has turned you off. The rest of the cast is adequate but this is clearly her show and she makes the most of it.
The Girl on the Train doesn’t derail but it’s not a smooth ride either. It’s completely watchable in the moment and is never boring but you can tell the film had loftier goals that it doesn’t quite reach. I’d still say this is a film you should see but going in with lowered expectations might make it a much better experience.
