IMDb RATING
6.2/10
73K
YOUR RATING
A widower must look after his precocious daughter and rebuild his life and career after he's sidelined by an unexpected tragedy and a personal blowup.A widower must look after his precocious daughter and rebuild his life and career after he's sidelined by an unexpected tragedy and a personal blowup.A widower must look after his precocious daughter and rebuild his life and career after he's sidelined by an unexpected tragedy and a personal blowup.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 8 nominations total
Paulie Litt
- Bryan
- (as Paulie Litowsky)
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
- Susan
- (as Jennifer Schwalbach)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
12 April 2004. Ben and Jennifer - it was a storyline in the first part of the movie that was hard to ignore real life headlines and what if...what if they had married, what must have they gone through making this movie? Ben Affleck does a great job of acting with a solid script. This comedy-drama continues the evolution of comedy and drama into a blended fusion of genres reflecting real life. There is death, there is humor, there is serious emotional rantings and just play fun comedy. The movie suffers a little bit in consistency of tone as the movie drifts more towards seriousness, hardening its edge in the last third, losing the nice balance of comedy and drama that it had going. But this movie is a treat for entertainment with a good dose of growing up pains, taking responsibility, of making choices. At times there is stark sadness and other times there is tenderness and understanding. Seven out of Ten Stars.
First off, let me say that Jersey Girl is a great film. Kevin Smith has done a great job of blending the romantic comedy genre with his trademark humor to create a fresh and original movie. This is an obvious sign that Smith is maturing both as a director and a person, and should be great news for those fans who enjoy his movies for more than the fart jokes. The crowd at the theater tonight might have been the oddest mix of people I have ever seen at an opening night. Stoners looking for more silent bob, teen girls giggling over Ben, young couples on dates, and older people looking for something lighthearted and fun. The stoners were the most disappointed, as the closest thing they got to Silent Bob was the new View Askew graphic at the begining of the movie.
This was definately Ben Afflecks best performance to date. He was amazingly good as Ollie. He gave the character a ton of depth, and Smith should be commended for this choice. The rest of the cast is also excellent. In fact, they are the best part of the movie.
My complaints are few, but I do have a couple. Firstly, the movie takes so long to setup, and it has a few spots throughout that tend to drag. Liv Tylers character is also a problem. Although she does a great job with what she is given, her character lacks depth and is thusly difficult to connect with as the new love interest.
All in all, this is charming and light hearted enough to take a date to, but has enough depth to keep it from being a cookie cutter affair. 8/10
This was definately Ben Afflecks best performance to date. He was amazingly good as Ollie. He gave the character a ton of depth, and Smith should be commended for this choice. The rest of the cast is also excellent. In fact, they are the best part of the movie.
My complaints are few, but I do have a couple. Firstly, the movie takes so long to setup, and it has a few spots throughout that tend to drag. Liv Tylers character is also a problem. Although she does a great job with what she is given, her character lacks depth and is thusly difficult to connect with as the new love interest.
All in all, this is charming and light hearted enough to take a date to, but has enough depth to keep it from being a cookie cutter affair. 8/10
I find ironic that people who enjoyed Kevin Smith's other movies hated this one. That right there pretty much explains most of the haters (i.e. those recommending Mallrats and JSB over this). I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I was laughing my ass during most of it. I am obviously not an actor, but I didn't find any problems with the acting or the dialogue. It sounded real and believable. Sure, there may moments that are corny or make you want to wince, but every movie has moments like that. Raquel Castro and Liv Tyler really stole the show, George Carlin had just the right pizzaz as a crusty old Pop, and some of us can relate to Ben Affleck's character.
Oliver Trinke (Ben Affleck) is an up & coming music promoter. Its his job to whip up a frenzy for concerts and interviews. Although he is from "Joysey" , he works and lives in Manhattan with his beautiful wife, Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez), also a professional. They are expecting a baby and everyone is excited, including Ollie's Dad, Bart (George Carlin) , who runs the street sweeper in their NJ town. Sorrow suddenly descends, as Gertrude dies of an aneurysm giving birth to a daughter. Grieving greatly, Ollie parks his newborn daughter, also Gertie, with his Dad for the first month while he focuses on work. Naturally, this approach is a disaster and Ollie has a meltdown which gets him fired. Now, he must get to know his little girl and go limping back home to work in the same department as his Dad in Jersey. Flash forwarding seven years, Gertie is a spirited gal who charms even as she pushes buttons. Especially on her mind is a musical revue her class is doing for the parents; Gert insists they do a song from Sweeney Todd! Her dad will help her do it, with Gpa and his two closest friends also playing second fiddles. Meanwhile, Ollie has two new events in his life. One is the attractive sales clerk, Maya (Liv Tyler) at the video store who makes a pass at him. But, surprisingly, he also gets a job interview with a company similar to the one that fired him. Here is his chance to get back into a "classier", more exciting, more lucrative place in life. Or is it so? This movie, written and directed by Kevin Smith of Clerks and Chasing Amy, has its charms and humor. Especially wonderful is Affleck, Lopez, Carlin, Tyler, and little Raquel Castro as the younger Gert. Also nice is the Jersey scenery and the edgy talk and themes. Since all of us romcom fans have to "look back in time" to find new delights, I heartily recommend searching for this one.
I'm certain that if I had been Kevin Smith, approached by Miramax with this idea and screenplay, I would definitely have turned it down.
Maybe that's exactly why he had chosen to do it. And what a wise decision it was indeed... The movie didn't promise much judging it by the trailers, but in the end, I was quite satisfied with it when I finally saw it. I'm sure, that an average, or below-the-average Hollywood director would have made it into a blunt, silly, sentimental, and instantly forgettable, "soap-bubble-like" movie. But not Smith... There were many, many crucial points along the storyline that just called and yelled for directors to commit fatal errors... Smith had succeeded to avoid these errors, creating a really enjoyable, lovable, deeply emotional and yet funny piece of work. But still... this isn't the Kevin Smith that I admire so much. I believe that with "Dogma" he created a milestone in American film-making, by daring to speak fiercely openly and frankly about very delicate issues. I missed this part of him from "Jersey Girl" - but there was no room for it because of the plot.
With "Jersey Girl" he had showed more real emotions than he ever did in all of his works. He had proved himself an expert of human emotions. He showed the audience that he really understands about deep feelings, love, loss, family ties, ambition...
The only thing this film is lacking is really great acting. None of the actors gave bad performances, not by long shot, but still... there could have been some more... especially from Affleck. Tyler gave a surprisingly fresh, and believable performance, showing some real theatrical talents in the scene when she performs in Gertie's 'musical'.
The unavoidable Star Wars jokes, and celebrity "nose-pricks" are present of course, maintaining the overall "Smith-feel" to the movie. To be adequate, I quote Darth Vader: "Impressive... Most impressive."
Maybe that's exactly why he had chosen to do it. And what a wise decision it was indeed... The movie didn't promise much judging it by the trailers, but in the end, I was quite satisfied with it when I finally saw it. I'm sure, that an average, or below-the-average Hollywood director would have made it into a blunt, silly, sentimental, and instantly forgettable, "soap-bubble-like" movie. But not Smith... There were many, many crucial points along the storyline that just called and yelled for directors to commit fatal errors... Smith had succeeded to avoid these errors, creating a really enjoyable, lovable, deeply emotional and yet funny piece of work. But still... this isn't the Kevin Smith that I admire so much. I believe that with "Dogma" he created a milestone in American film-making, by daring to speak fiercely openly and frankly about very delicate issues. I missed this part of him from "Jersey Girl" - but there was no room for it because of the plot.
With "Jersey Girl" he had showed more real emotions than he ever did in all of his works. He had proved himself an expert of human emotions. He showed the audience that he really understands about deep feelings, love, loss, family ties, ambition...
The only thing this film is lacking is really great acting. None of the actors gave bad performances, not by long shot, but still... there could have been some more... especially from Affleck. Tyler gave a surprisingly fresh, and believable performance, showing some real theatrical talents in the scene when she performs in Gertie's 'musical'.
The unavoidable Star Wars jokes, and celebrity "nose-pricks" are present of course, maintaining the overall "Smith-feel" to the movie. To be adequate, I quote Darth Vader: "Impressive... Most impressive."
Did you know
- TriviaFollowing the failure of Amours troubles (2003), Miramax removed all images of Jennifer Lopez from all promotional spots, out of fear that people would think it was another Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez vehicle. The release date for Père et fille (2004) was pushed back from autumn 2003 to early 2004 and the studio also attempted to play down the presence of Lopez's character, Gertrude, in the movie, which included a public revelation about her character's fate.
- GoofsOllie rips the buttons off his blue shirt as he gets into the costume for the Sweeney Todd skit. After the skit, the buttons are sewn back on and he isn't wearing the white T-shirt underneath.
- Crazy creditsTHE DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE TO THANK: God - Who still seems to be a fan of mine. And vice versa. Jenny - The proof that God's still a fan. I love you so, so much, my muse. Scott - Love you too. You're the James Brown of film, dude. Mom - Thanks for raising me right. Harley - The original Jersey Girl. Gail and Byron - The Glue. Philbert - aka Mosier Junior. Laura - She who makes it all happen. Lehrman - An A.D. so good, he was practically the D. Vilmos - The master of light. Ben - You were flat out brilliant. George - Funny, smart, and a great actor. It's just not fair. Liv - My new favorite actress. You elevated Maya. Raquel - Kid, you're a star. Jen - Who inspired Ben to greatness and while being great herself. Root and Starr - The mid-life Jay and Silent Bob. Biggs - You've now lived down the Pie. Betty - The best teacher the kids could have. Will - I love you all the way to the moon and back down to the dirt. The Crew - The true filmmakers. Carol - For riding shotgun. Sue - For grace under pressure. Charlie - For our third act show-stopper. Jon G. - Officially Miramax, unofficially View Askew. You're the fourth Beatle, dude. Harvey - For an excellent suggestion. Phil - My deal-maker and friend. Sloss - The legal eagle. Pierson - Who keeps me honest. Mas - For support from day one. Sondheim - For "Sweeney" in both our movie and real life. The Boss - For lending us his art. Twice. Stevie, Aimee, Ben, and Pete - For flick-defining tunes. Joey, Zack, and Donald - For lots of Crystal Light, Baja Fresh chicken, and smoke runs. Carol - Who keeps me rolling in dough. Ming - The Architect. Chappy - My merch partner in crime. The City of Philadelphia - For being great hosts. The Town of Paulsboro - For the locations and the street. The Town of Highlands - For giving a fat kid a nice place to grow up. And the Tabloids - For nothing. When in Red Bank, New Jersey, visit Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. When in Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, Red Bank, New Jersey, purchase a ton of quality merchandise manufactured by Graphitti Designs.
- Alternate versionsKevin Smith has a 2 hour and 20 minute "director's cut" version that has screened in Los Angeles and in New Jersey at his 2005 Vulgarthon all-day film events. Smith says he will release the longer version on DVD for the film's tenth anniversary in 2014. As of 2014, that never materialized. This current year, 2024, is the films' 20th anniversary, and there is still no word of the original version of Jersey Girl being released on DVD/Blue-Ray.
- ConnectionsFeatured in This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
- SoundtracksEveryone's A Kid At Christmas
Written by Aurora Miller and Ronald Miller
Performed by Stevie Wonder
Courtesy of Motown under license from Universal Music Enterprises
- How long is Jersey Girl?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $25,268,157
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,300,000
- Mar 28, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $35,492,921
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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