By titling the book and movie "The GIRL on the Train" and making Rachel the narrator/protagonist, the audience is fooled into thinking this is Rachel's story, when really it isn't. This is TOM's story, and how his selfishness and single-minded pursuit of his own wants and desires ruins other people's lives. So here's a summary of the story, when you retell it from Tom's perspective: Tom wants the stereotypical perfect suburban life with the stay-at-home wife and 2.5 kids. He marries Rachel, but it turns out she can't give him children. So rather than adopt (because they wouldn't be "his" children, which I believe the book did point out),Tom starts cheating on Rachel and lets her become a raging alcoholic. Tom divorces Rachel, leaving her life a total shambles, and moves on to marry Anna, who promptly produces the baby he wants. When Anna then starts to focus on the baby rather than Tom, he starts ANOTHER affair with Megan (because of course, it's still all about Tom and what he wants). Unfortunately for Megan, who doesn't want children because of a trauma in her past, she becomes pregnant with Tom's child. Well, Tom can't have a pregnant mistress ruining his "happy" marriage with Anna, so he murders the inconvenient mistress. And that, in a nutshell, is the real plot line of this story. So what is the role of the girl on the train, other than to be the discarded, barren first wife who turns to alcoholism to deal with the loss of her husband and home? In an act of karma, she gets to witness (from her train) a piece of evidence which draws her into Megan's disappearance/murder and ultimately bring Tom to the justice he so richly deserves.

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is another example of a massively popular movie that's been generally raved about by critics and viewers alike, but a film that leaves me cold. I really can't see what all the fuss is about for a movie like this. The story is about a bunch of cold, unlikeable characters and it seems to be a case of who does what (or did what) to whom. Attempts at mystery and atmosphere fall flat and the whole thing becomes convoluted about 20 minutes in, piling on the flashbacks and reveals but utterly failing to entertain at the same time. I loved Emily Blunt in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA but she really feels out of her depth in more meaty fare, failing in LOOPER and now this. I don't care if she's had all her make-up scraped off and cries and swears a lot, this isn't my definition of good acting.

Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) rides the train passing her former married life in her beautiful house. Her former neighbor Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett) goes missing and police detective Riley (Allison Janney) interrogates her. She is a drunk haunted by her former life. Her ex-husband Tom Watson (Justin Theroux) lives in her former house with his new wife Anna Watson (Rebecca Ferguson) and baby. Her former neighbor Megan lives with her husband Scott (Luke Evans). She uncovers devastating lost memories from her life with Tom.

The flow is disjointed and the slow reveal leaves me bored. There is a great cast here but it only gets compelling during the harrowing climax. Overall, it plays as a muddled melodrama that doesn't grab me until the end. It needs some more danger in the present time to enliven the drama but it is more like a bunch of boring flashbacks.