The Good Girl

Jennifer Aniston excels as small town cashier, stifled in a rudderless marriage and miserable at her boring job, who has an affair with a younger co-worker, leading to a series of confounding personal events. Black comedy is initially bright and biting, subtle about its comedic elements and characters while gently satirizing the middle class aesthetic. Unfortunately, the film takes a wrong turn late in the second-half and never quite recovers, leading to an emotionally unsatisfying finish. The performers are all terrific, especially John C. Reilly as Aniston's pot-smoking husband; but, as the screenplay loses steam so do the actors, and the final events are mechanically offbeat--engineered to be quirky. **1/2 from ****

After watching the Good Girl, I now know why Jennifer Aniston was getting a lot of praise. I'm surprised she didn't get an Oscar nomination. She was very good in this because the character is nothing like her character from Friends, and she was very convincing as the bored wife in a small town who hates her job and is depressed by her stoner husband. But, I have to say her accent was not very good. Why do these actors who have never lived in the south think everyone sounds like some slow hick.

This movie is a lot more entertaining than you think just from a quick synopsis of the plot. Justine starts an affair with a young co-worker who becomes obsessed with her and turns out being mentally disturbed. The decision she makes at the end about turning left or turning right was just well written and directed. And the movie does have light laughs with the blackberries when Justing decides to buy some for Holden. And the fact her husband is always stoned with his buddy, Bubba, watching TV. But, the part where Bubba blackmails Justine into sleeping with him was just creepy because her husband is his best friend. I just didn't get that part because I don't think the character would have done that.

FINAL VERDICT: I recommend this. Don't be fooled because it doesn't have a bunch of explosions and gun fights. It is very good and a lot more entertaining than most films.

"The Good Girl" is a captivating film that navigates the complexities of human relationships with a unique blend of dark humor and poignant drama. Released in 2002, this indie gem directed by Miguel Arteta stands out for its strong performances, thought-provoking narrative, and refreshing departure from conventional romantic comedies.

Outstanding Performances: The cast, led by Jennifer Aniston in a departure from her typical roles, delivers exceptional performances. Aniston's portrayal of Justine Last, a discontented discount store employee, is a testament to her versatility as an actress. Supporting performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly, and Zooey Deschanel add depth to the ensemble.

Nuanced Storytelling: "The Good Girl" explores the human condition with nuance and subtlety. The narrative delves into the struggles of small-town life, the consequences of unfulfilled dreams, and the complexities of infidelity. The film's willingness to tackle dark themes sets it apart from typical romantic dramas.

Cinematic Craftsmanship: Miguel Arteta's direction, along with the cinematography by Enrique Chediak, creates an intimate atmosphere that complements the film's themes. The use of muted colors and subtle lighting enhances the overall melancholic tone, providing a visual representation of the character's emotional struggles.

Character Development: The film excels in character development, allowing the audience to empathize with the flaws and dilemmas of the characters. Justine's journey, in particular, is a compelling exploration of self-discovery and the consequences of life-altering decisions.

Pacing Issues: Some viewers may find the pacing of the film to be slow, especially in the first act. The deliberate pacing, however, contributes to the film's contemplative atmosphere and allows for a more in-depth exploration of its themes.

Ambiguous Ending: The film concludes with an ambiguous ending that might leave some viewers craving a more definitive resolution. However, the open-ended nature of the conclusion aligns with the film's overall tone and thematic exploration.

"The Good Girl" is worth watching for its authenticity, tackling of unconventional themes, and the standout performances of its cast. It's a film that invites reflection on the complexities of human relationships and the pursuit of happiness. The willingness to defy genre expectations and deliver a story that lingers in the mind sets it apart as a memorable cinematic experience.

"The Good Girl" was heavily touted as the film that would help Jennifer Aniston break from her Rachel persona and make the leap to dramatic film actress. There was even talk (however brief) about an Academy Award nomination for her when this film came out. Surprise, surprise, but that didn't happen. And where has Aniston's film career been since? "The Good Girl" is leaps and bounds better than any of Aniston's other ventures into film--bland crap like "Picture Perfect" and that other movie whose name I can't even remember--but it's not a great movie in and of itself.

Aniston does a pretty good job, but you still can't escape the suspicion that she's just playing Jennifer Aniston, albeit a drabbed down version of herself. This movie's greatest asset is its supporting cast, particularly Zooey Deschanel in a very funny, dead pan role as a fellow worker at the Wal-Mart-esquire store Aniston's character works in, and Jake Gyllenhaal, who had begun his trek to stardom the year before in "Donnie Darko." The gods were being kind to Gyllenhaal in 2002, as he got to make out with both Aniston and Catherine Keener ("Lovely and Amazing") in the same year.

"The Good Girl" is certainly worth watching. It captures that nowheresville feeling of small-town America perfectly, the antithesis of every Frank Capra movie on the same subject. Instead of a cosy town where everyone knows your name, these towns are instead full of bored, restless people sitting around waiting for something, anything, to happen.

Grade: B-

Jennifer Anniston gives a beautiful, heartfelt performance in `The Good Girl,' a film totally in tune with the rhythms of everyday life. Anniston' Justine Last is just one of the many people inhabiting this Deep South, Bible Belt town who find themselves leading lives of quiet desperation, imprisoned by the dreary sameness of their daily routines. Justine works at one of those generic five-and-dime drug stores that so define the culture of Middle America. Yet, Justine's job and work environment are not the only sources of her frustration. She is also married to a well-meaning but dull blue collar worker who would rather spend the evening sitting on the sofa getting stoned with his partner than engage in any meaningful relationship-building with his wife. At the age of 30 then, Justine is ripe for some kind of life-changing experience when in walks Holden Worther, an introverted, obviously disturbed young co-worker who sees in Justine the very soul mate he has been searching for all his life, a person who will understand him and share his hatred for the life they are both leading.

`The Good Girl' is really about the contrast between what we would like our lives to be and what they really are. Justine knows that the `easy' choice would be to pull up stakes and simply run away with Holden, abandoning a town, a marriage and a husband she has come lately to both abhor and despise. Yet, something keeps Justine rooted to the spot, something that makes her understand that any decision she makes will end up hurting someone in the end besides herself. Perhaps she sticks around because she realizes that, for all his faults, her husband is, in reality, a pretty decent guy overall and that he really does love her. Perhaps she also realizes that Holden is more mentally disturbed than she is willing to admit and that whatever life she might have with him would only mean exchanging one set of troubles for another. Credit the Mike White screenplay with exploring the complex nature of the film's characters and relationships. We never quite know where the story is headed or how all the issues will get resolved - if at all. As in real life, the story here keeps bumping up against new and ever more challenging complications and, because we can identify with the messiness, we are eager to go along with it wherever it chooses to take us. The film also does a fine job showing how life takes wholly unexpected turns at times, such as when a fairly major character dies unexpectedly. The casual suddenness of the death throws us for a loop since we so rarely see death portrayed that way in the movies.

Miguel Arteta's deadpan, matter-of-fact directorial style brings out the black comedy richness inherent in the material. Amid all the pain and sadness, there are a surprising number of genuine laughs in the film as we see our own lives reflected in the people and incidents there on the screen. Actually, the film reminds us a bit - in its music, its use of voiceover narration and its unromanticized view of rural life - of Terrance Malick's great 1973 film, `Badlands,' a landmark in independent American filmmaking.

Anniston, who is probably in every scene in the film, carries the picture with her rich and highly empathetic performance. Even though her character is a woman slowly becoming deadened to the world around her, she still retains that spark of life and that absurd hope for the future that make her worthy to be the centerpiece of an intimate drama such as this one. Jake Gyllenhaal makes Holden both strangely appealing and a little frightening, so that, as Justine does, we come to admire his `uniqueness' of spirit (he has adopted his name from the main character of his favorite book `Catcher in the Rye') yet fear his increasing possessiveness. John C. Reilly as Justine's husband, Phil, and Deborah Rush as Gwen Jackson, Justine's sometime confidante at the store, also provide memorable, telling performances. In fact, there is nothing less than a superb performance in the entire film.

The question of whether or not Justine is really `a good girl' is, as it should be, left up to the individual viewer to decide. Some may feel she is; others may feel she's not. What really matters, though, is that `The Good Girl' doesn't try to impress us with the slickness that generally defines mainstream commercial filmmaking. Instead it lets its drama unfold in an unforced, believable manner, so that even its moments of greatest absurdity seem somehow strangely real and lifelike. It is a film that, in its own quiet, subtle way, manages to get under your skin - and keeps you thinking for a long time after you leave the theater.