Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- paranoid
- grim
- late night thriller viewing
- book club adaptation night
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that Emily Blunt gives a committed, outstanding performance, but the film is undermined by a sluggish, convoluted, and exploitative screenplay.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rachel wakes with wounds, a hangover, and no memory of the night Megan disappears, forcing her reconstruction of events.
Rachel watches Megan and Scott from the passing train while remaining fixated on her former husband’s household.
Rachel invents an idealized life for Megan and Scott before their relationship becomes tied to a disappearance.
Rachel’s daily train journey repeatedly frames her old home and the Hipwells’ house as observed domestic tableaux.
Films like The Girl on the Train, and why
Gone Girl
shared unreliable memory, domestic suspense, missing woman mystery, and morally compromised female perspectives
Before I Go to Sleep
shared fractured narration, intimate domestic paranoia, infidelity, and a disappearance investigation
Side Effects
shared female-centered psychological mystery, obsession, unstable perception, and suburban menace
Movie Details
- Director
- Tate Taylor
- Release Date
- 2016-10-05
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (6177)
Cast
- Emily Blunt
- Rebecca Ferguson
- Haley Bennett
- Luke Evans
- Justin Theroux
- Allison Janney
- Lisa Kudrow
- Laura Prepon
- Edgar Ramírez
- Darren Goldstein
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, Starz Apple TV channel, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Girl on the Train about?
- A blackout-prone divorcee becomes entangled in the disappearance of a woman she watched from her daily train, forcing her damaged memory to confront a web of domestic secrets.
- What is The Girl on the Train like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Girl on the Train as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Girl on the Train violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Girl on the Train as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Girl on the Train?
- Critics broadly agreed that Emily Blunt gives a committed, outstanding performance, but the film is undermined by a sluggish, convoluted, and exploitative screenplay.
- Which films are like The Girl on the Train?
- Films with a similar feel include Gone Girl, Before I Go to Sleep, and Side Effects.
- How long is The Girl on the Train?
- The Girl on the Train runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Girl on the Train?
- In United States, The Girl on the Train streams on Peacock Premium, Starz Apple TV channel, Peacock Premium Plus.
