Jennifer Aniston in "good acting" shocker! (The Good Girl (DVD))

Member Name: Fairydustbitch

Product:	The Good Girl (DVD)
Date:	23/01/06 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting, funny, well-written, enjoyable

Disadvantages: Has the feel of a Hollywood film trying to be indie.

"The Good Girl" made a considerable splash a few years ago because it proved that Jennifer Aniston could play a character OTHER than Rachel Green. A low-key, low-budget film, "The Good Girl" is interesting, sweet and well worth a watch. Its not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination but nevertheless, its a good film.

Aniston plays Justine, a bored and depressed thirty-something working in a dead end job in a Texan ghost town with a clueless husband (John C Reilly). Her life revolves around days working at the local "Retail Rodeo" discount store, and her evenings watching TV with her husband; 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, and his pot-smoking friend Bubba.

Enter Holden Worther (Jake Gyllenhaal, looking as sexy as ever), AKA Thom, a newbie working in the same store as Justine. Holden is quiet, depressed and angry and obsessed with JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" (hence his moniker). Suffering from depression and recovering from alcoholism, he's also ever-so-slightly pretentious and convinced that he is a true individual in a world of clones who dont "get" him. Justine instantly falls for him, and who can blame her. After a short spell of Justine trying to resist his considerable charms, the twosome start having an affair. Justine's world begins to spiral out of control as she realises that Holden is seriously ill (as in mentally), frequently mentioning crazy plans like killing her husband alternated with bouts of heavy drinking. And just when you think things can't get much worse for the poor lady, it looks like someone has found out her big secret.

I didn't have much expectations of "The Good Girl" given that Aniston's taste in movie scripts tends to involved one awful romantic comedy after another. I mainly went to see it because after watching "Donnie Darko" I have pretty much become obsessed with Jake Gyllenhaal (purely for his acting talent, you understand). I was pleasantly surprised. Also this film suffers from the same pretension of being different that Holden Worther does, all in all its a good flick.

Aniston plays her part beautifully, in an understated manner perfectly contrasting Gyllenhaal's melodramatic Holden. She is surrounded by a cast of much stronger actors, notably John C Reilly, playing her husband Phil, and Gyllenhaal, but nonetheless, her performance in this movie is nothing short of impressive. The makeup department did a brilliant job of making her look almost ordinary, and she seems to take to the role like a duck to water. Reilly is hilarious as her utterly clueless stoner husband, Tim Blake Nelson is suitably creepy as his best friend who has a secret yearning for Justine. Gyllenhaal's acting provides a sharp contrast to "Donnie Darko", he plays his part of dark, angry, drama-queen poet-boy with a hilarious sense of melodrama, and all of his actions serve to remind us that Holden is little more than a child.

The plot itself isn't much to look at, not a whole lot happens in this film, but its wonderful nonetheless, with a very unexpected ending. The camera work is clever in that kind of shaky, low-budget wannabe art-movie and the set is suitably depressing in a "Ghost World" kind of way. There's a dark sense of humour all the way through the film, not the kind of laugh-out-loud comedy you would expect from a film with one of the Friends actresses in it. The main sources of comedy come from Holden himself, as its impossible not to laugh at his ridiculous behaviour, and one of Justine's co-workers, a disgruntled employee named Cheryl who gets her kicks by insulting the customers and giving them fright night makeovers. Cheryl provides much of the comic relief in the movie, informing customers that hand cream is not to be used on other parts of the body, "even if that part needs lubrication" and her snappy, witty one-liners provide an obvious streak of humour in a much darker tone of film.

All in all, its a film about what we would like our lives to be like, and what they really ARE like. Justine knows the easy choice would be to run away with her young lover, yet something keeps pulling her back. This film truly goes against the grain of your average "reach for your dream" type Hollywood movies, its a real slice of reality in an unreal world. The nature of the relationships is beautifully complex and realistic and Holden's youthful (and ever so slightly neurotic) passion contrasts with Justine's dull husband, who nevertheless is a genuinely caring man who truly loves his wife. There are also some great unexpected moments in the movie, and the subject of death is handled in a wonderful original and sensitive manner. If you havent seen this film yet, whatever you think this movie is, more than likely its not. It certainly was a pleasant surprise to me. The only fault in the film is an ever-so-slight leaning towards the formula for Hollywood making so-called "art" movies, at times it feels like its being made to look like something it isn't. Aside from this, "The Good Girl" is a wonderful little film with a wonderfully realist storyline and a brilliant streak of black humour. If you havent seen it yet, abandon all prejudices concerning the lead actress and give it a shot, it just might surprise you!

Summary: A story about finding happiness and learning to be content with your lot.