I saw this last night, heres my thoughts: having read the book, my first impression was that because of the flashbacks, and the nature of how the story was told, there would be some fundamental difficulties in how the movie was crafted, and after seeing the movie, this is undeniably true. Flashbacks are hard to do in film, when it's not an entirely separate story (Godfather 2), there something lost in the transition, and this is no exception. The flashbacks didn't quite capture a compelling romance between the two, despite great performances from the two, it's a length problem. The book had the time to flesh out an involving romance and relationship between the two of them, the movie doesn't. The books creation of a real relationship made the entire thing more credibility, while this felt strained and artificial at times…..You never felt like Affleck and Amy were in love.
Also, their financial downfall was captured much more effectively in the book, as well as the parents influence and involvement in the entire process. Taken on it's own, it is an incredible presentation of tension, atmosphere, and cinematography, Fincher is just amazing. How he shot that lake house, that was modern and luxurious in all ways, as a post modern house of horror was so dope. His shots of the searchers at night in Carthage, and of course the score was as much a player as the leads, almost. Tyler Perry was near perfect, as was Margo, his twin, and Andie, the college girl, and Neil Patrick Harris expertly conveyed the passive aggressive, sexually frustrated, wealthy creep with unnerving efficiency. The two drifter lowlifes and all the scenes at the lodge were near Hitchcockian in their execution, I'd say Fincher is the closet to Hitchcock we will get. Every opened door, or chilly breeze, every breathe and every word is a ominous sign of foreboding.
The movie kind of loses something in the final act, though the scenes in the lake house (esp THE scene) are pretty much the embodiment of Fincher and his best efforts, that scene was so stomach churning, darkly funny, visually compelling…amazing direction and cinematography. The final scenes suffer from too many extended climaxes, and it feels like the too many epilogues, one after another. I think the movie does have some contemporary commentary on the media, some obvious and imo, needless bits about Nancy Grace, and the like….but I took away from the movie and book, commentary about relationships and human nature, manipulation, love and companionship. I walked out of the theater thinking how spineless Affleck turned out to be in the end, and how his surrender is kind of similar to the way men 'surrender' in relationships and marriage, and how I would never be in something like that, also how I wouldn't be the partner Affleck turned into, uncommunicative, shutdown, regressive…and I wouldn't want my wife to be someone she's not, because thats how she thought I wanted her to be. Provokes thoughts about communication, romance, and the inner turmoil of men and women as we maneuver through marriage, sex, relationship, together.
Great, but flawed movie, it's stylish presentation was expertly done, but maybe felt a little detached at times.
trying to explain away her getting away with this shyt. Stop 
at the fact that the credits haven't been changed
