The Goldfinch Parent Guide

Speaking of his mother’s tragic death, Theo Decker (Ansel Elgort) says, “Everything would have turned out better if she had lived. When I lost her, I lost sight of any landmark that could have led me someplace happier.”

Theo isn’t exaggerating. Happiness is in short supply in The Goldfinch, which begins with heartbreaking loss.Theo and his mother are visiting a museum when a bomb explodes, killing her and leaving Theo alone. Theo’s deadbeat dad is long gone, so he moves in with a friend’s family. He finds some measure of happiness with the Barbours, especially because Mrs. Barbour (Nicole Kidman) shares Theo’s fascination with antiques. Then Theo’s father (Luke Wilson) shows up, and moves him to Las Vegas, where he winds up in a house in the remote suburbs, depopulated by foreclosures.

But Theo isn’t completely alone. After the bombing, Theo stole a painting. Known as The Goldfinch, it is a picture of a bird chained to a feeder, and it has a storied past of survival against all odds. Wrapped in newsprint, carefully hidden, the painting becomes part of Theo’s life. “Everything,” says Theo, “is before and after. In the middle is the painting.”

One of the real ironies of this film is that, like the chained bird in the picture, the story doesn’t fly. Like the goldfinch, it feels shackled, weighed down by its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, non-stop anguish, and some very disturbing content. In fact, there is so much problematic content that it’s hard to know where to start, but parents will want to be aware that the movie features scenes of main characters smoking, drinking heavily and abusing drugs. Adults even give prescription drugs to children, without checking with a physician. And it gets worse – throughout the film, young teenagers drink alcohol, use hallucinogenic drugs, and crush and snort Vicodin to deal with the misery of their lives. They have lots to be miserable about: both teens have negligent and abusive fathers, with one being hit with a stick and the other being slapped in the face after his father tries to steal his education trust fund. Violence, while not a constant part of the movie, is central to the plot, with frequent flashbacks of the bombing, a scene involving firearms, and an attempted suicide. And the movie also has approximately 40 profanities, over half of which are sexual expletives. Clearly, thisis not a production suitable for teen viewers.

The Goldfinch does have some bright spots, although there are precious few in the plot, which only emerges from its unrelieved darkness in the final few minutes. The best part of the movie is definitely its cast, with special mention going to its child actors. Young actors can be hit and miss, but Oakes Fegley plays teen-aged Theo with absolute sincerity. Theo’s grief, uncertainty, confusion, and heartbreak play across Fegley’s expressive face with complete authenticity. Most of the rest of the cast are a joy to watch, even when the script occasionally hews too close to its source novel and provides dialogue that sounds like lines from a book instead of real conversation.

Sadly, even stellar acting can’t save The Goldfinch. The novel might have won the Pulitzer Prize, the painting might be a mesmerizing work of art, but the film is a depressing and somewhat plodding story that doesn’t rise to the level of its sources.