The Good Girl Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)September 13th, 2002
THE GOOD GIRL (2002) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly, Tim Blake Nelson, Mike White, Zooey Deschanel and Deborah Rush. Written by Mike White. Directed by Miguel Arteta. Rated R. Running time: 93 minutes.
You won’t think Jennifer Aniston much of a friend after seeing her performance in the dark and depressing The Good Girl.
The movie is ironically titled because Aniston’s Justine Last in anything but. She’s a disgruntled, emotionally lost woman dissatisfied with her marriage to Phil (John C. Reilly), a pot-smoke house painter, and with her job as the cosmetics counter at Retail Rodeo.
For no other reason than to alleviate the boredom, Justine begins a flirtation with Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), a newly hired cashier, about eight years her junior.
Holden, who’s real name is Tom, but who renamed himself after the doomed hero in J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, is an impulsive, unstable young man who, like Justine, is a malcontent.
These two are soulmates attracted to each other more out of disenfranchisement than chemistry. “I saw in your eyes that you hate the world. I hate it, too,” Justine tells Holden.
An air of tragedy hangs over these people, weighing them down as if life had already trampled them underfoot. From the outset you know no good will come of this affair.
Conflict soon arises between Justine and Holden. He is demanding and impulsive, not caring who knows about them, while she wants to be discreet and deliberate. She continually hides the truth behind a dam of lies, the weight of which ultimately cause cracks and a deluge of disaster and recriminations.
She eventually sees Holden for what he is; not the idealistic young writer opening new worlds, but a spoiled, emotionally troubled youth wreaking chaos on everyone and everything around him.
Justine reaches a crossroads in her life — figuratively and literally. The path she travels leads to tragedy, painful confessions and more lies.
Writer Mike White and director Miguel Arteta, who last collaborated on Chuck and Buck, have created a sad and squalid story. You walk out of The Good Girl with mixed emotions — disapproval of Justine mixed with a tinge of understanding for her actions.
At times The Good Girl plays like a black comedy, especially when dealing with some of its peripheral characters such as Cheryl (Zooey Deschanel), the clerk who continually insults customers, or Corny (White), the Bible-spouting security guard who you initially dismiss as a fool, but who reveals his true nature when it matters.
Aniston’s performance is superb. Shorn of her Friends’ mannerisms and glamour, she develops a character who knows she is living a dead-end life, whose dreams will always remain dreams. When her Justine speaks, an ache can be heard in her voice.
Gyllenhaal, best remembered for his starring role in the wonderful October Sky, is convincing as the unstable man-child whose destructive tendencies lead to tragic consequences.
As her perpetually stoned and unimaginative husband, Reilly is first-rate. His Phil may not be the brightest individual, but he shows a kind heart and understanding nature.
Tim Blake Nelson’s Bubba, who works with Phil, is more caricature, almost something out of a Jeff Foxworthy “You know you’re a redneck ...” routine.
The Good Girl may leave you feeling unsettled, perhaps even angered. The film’s resolution may upset you; you may feel cheated. Or a glimpse of understanding may flash through your mind.
Either way, you will walk out of The Good Girl thinking about Justine, and that is how it should be.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Rottentomatoes Web site, www.rottentomatoes.com and at the Internet Movie Database:
http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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