Gone Girl Page #3

night started.

28 INT. UPSCALE NEW YORK RESTAURANT - NIGHT 28

TINY book launch party. Posters advertise the AMAZING AMY

book series—all 20. “Written by RAND and MARYBETH ELLIOTT—two

psychologists—Who are parents JUST LIKE YOU!”

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 14.

AMY (V.0.)

With me—regular, flawed, Real

Amy—jealous, as always, of the

golden child. Perfect, brilliant

Amazing Amy. Who is getting f***ing

married.

NICK and Amy are tight together. Waiters are circulating

drinks, wearing T—shirts with an impish Amazing Amy and her

TRADEMARK line:
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing BRIGHT!

NICK:

Now you can say you came. And in 10

minutes we’ll leave.

AMY:

Perfect, time for a quick tour of

my failings.

They walk along the wall of BOOK POSTERS. Stop in front of a

poster of:
gradeschool AMAZING AMY holding a CELLO. A MUTT *

beside her.

AMY (CONT’D)

When I was 10 I quit cello. In the *

next book, Amazing Amy became a

prodigy. *

Next POSTER:
teen AMAZING AMY playing volleyball. *

NICK:

You don’t play volleyball. *

AMY:

I got cut freshman year. ~ made *

varsity. *

They continue their tour.

NICK:

And how long did you have a dog? *

AMY:

~ got a dog. Puddles made her *

more relatable. *

They stop in front of the biggest poster: Amazing Amy, in a *

bridal veil, a BLAND GROOM next to her. The banner reads:

30th Anniversary Special Edition-AMAZING AMY AND THE BIG DAY.

NICK:

I love your parents, but they can

be a**holes.

GG — Yellow Revisions 9/27/13 15.

In the center of the limp party, RAND and MARYBETH, 60s,

cheerily hand out commemorative PENS-identical to the one Amy

used for her DIARY. Rand spots them—hands them each a pen.

RAND:

(to Amy)

Hey, sweetheart, this is a big

night for your mom. It would mean

so much to her if you’d talk to a

few reporters. Bloggers. Give ‘em a

little “Amy” color.

Painful pause.

RAND (CONT’D)

People want to hear from you.

AMY:

We can’t stay long-

RAND:

Fantastic! Fifteen minutes, tops!

As Rand strides away, Nick gives Amy a look.

AMY:

This is why I have my trust fund,

my Brooklyn brownstone. I can’t

really complain.

NICK:

Your parents plagiarized your

childhood.

AMY:

No, they improved upon it, and then

peddled it to the masses. *

Marybeth pops up, a little tipsy, hugs them.

MARYBE TH:

I thought you were going to wear

white to match the wedding theme.

AMY:

I thought that’d be embarrassing.

MARYBE TH:

(half joking)

If it’s worth doing

NICK:

It’s worth doing. .how’s that go?

GG — Blue Draft - 8/29/13 16.

BRIGHT! BRIGHT! The waiters are everywhere in the T-shirts.

NICK (CONT’D)

Tip of my tongue...

MARYBETH:

You’re very cute, Nick. Amy, you

know what would make Dad’s night-

AMY:

I’m on it.

(to Nick)

I love having strangers pick at my

scabs.

29 INT. - BAR CORNER - NIGHT 29

Amy, standing at a cocktail table, deals with a montage of

New York media types. NICK hovers nearby.

EARNEST GIRL:

I’m curious whether it’s difficult

for you to watch Amazing Amy

heading down the aisle

FASHIONISTA:

-and this big party celebrating

this fictional wedding-

NERVOUS INTERN:

Because my understanding is that

you are not married-

ABOVE-IT-ALL JOURNALIST

Correct?

AMY:

Correct. Amazing Amy is always,

always one step ahead of me.

Nick cuts in, blocks the journalist.

NICK:

I have a few questions.

AMY:

Ah, it’s you. *

NICK:

I am here in a strictly

journalistic capacity.

He elaborately sets out pad, pen. AMY prepares to be amused.

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 17.

NICK (CONT’D)

Amy, you’ve had the pleasure of

dating Nick Dunne for how long?

AMY:

Two magical years. *

NICK:

Is it true that during the course

of your relationship, you have

performed such gracious gestures as

(checking notes)

not correcting Nick when he

pronounced quinoa as kw±n—o—a. *

AMY:

An understandable mistake.

NICK:

He also thought it was a fish.

AMY:

He thinks Velveeta is a cheese.

NICK:

Touché.

AMY:

I think it’s pronounced tow—chay.

NICK:

(laughing)

You also manage to appear surprised

and delighted when Nick’s elderly

mother breaks into “New York, New

York” every.. .time.. . she sees you.

AMY:

(crooning)

These bag of bone shoes...

NICK:

You also bought Nick his first pair

of scissors, correct? *

AMY:

And matching stapler.

NICK:

Amy Elliott, you are beyond

amazing. You are incredibly smart

but entirely unsnobby. You are kind

but never a martyr. You surprise *

me. You challenge me. *

(MORE)

GG — Yellow Revisions 9/27/13 18.

NICK (CONTD)

And—fun fact for our readers—you

have a world—class vagina.

~my chokes on her drink.

NICK (CONT’D)

However my colleagues inform me

that as yet you are not married.

AMY:

I am not.

NICK:

Isn’t it time we fixed that?

AMY (V.0.)

Then the night wasn’t so bad

anymore.

30 INT. POLICE STATION BULLPEN - DAY 30 *

GILPIN is watching NICK from the other side of the glass.

NICK’s fiddling with his smartphone. HONEY enters.

BONEY:

How’s our boy?

GILPIN:

He’s just f***ing with his phone.

Playing, like, Tetris.

They watch NICK a few more seconds.

BONEY:

I remember him, you know? From when

he was little. Cute kid. Straight

out of a cereal commercial.

Gilpin gives a bored grunt: he couldn’t - care less.

BONEY (CONT’D)

Gil? If this girl doesn’t show

up.. .this could get out of hand.

GILPIN:

Because of those books?

HONEY:

Your wife likes those tabloid crime

shows, right?

GILPIN:

She’s an addict.

GG — Yellow Revisions 9/27/13 19.

BONEY:

OK, so:
Beautiful wife, handsome

husband

GILPIN:

Wife goes missing on her

anniversary—

BONEY:

—turns out she’s the star of a book

series every woman in the country

read as a kid.

GILPIN:

Sh*t.

BONEY:

We are the cops of a suburb of a

suburb. Let’s stay on our toes.

31 INT. POLICE STATION BULLPEN - DAY 31 *

BONEY, GILPIN and STEVE the TECH enter. STEVE is brandishing

a packet of wrapped Q-tips and his GSR kit.

BONEY:

Nick, this is Steve Eckert. He’s

going to take a swab of your cheek

and a hand swipe if that’s ok.

NICK:

This is for?

GILPIN:

Gunshot residue, DNA.

BONEY:

Just so we can say we did. OK?

NICK:

OK.

Steve is in and out with no eye contact.

BONEY:

And now it’s done. Crossed off the

list.

Steve leaves. Nick watches his samples going out the door.

GG - Blue Draft - 8/29/13 20.

BONEY (CONT’D)

Now, normally, we wouldn’t treat

this as a missing persons case so

quick. We’d tell you to call back

in 24 hours. But given the scene in

the house and given our spike in

violent crime of late, we’re going

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