The Good Girl (2002)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Miguel Arteta

Writer (WGA):

Mike White (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 2002 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It's her last best chance... is she going to take it?

Plot:

A discount store clerk strikes up an affair with a stock boy who considers himself the incarnation of Holden Caulfield.

Plot Keywords:

Discount Store | Burglary | Masturbation | Thief | House Painter

Awards:

5 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Aniston	...	Justine Last
Deborah Rush	...	Gwen Jackson
Mike White	...	Corny
John Carroll Lynch	...	Jack Field, Your Store Manager
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Holden Worther
Zooey Deschanel	...	Cheryl
John C. Reilly	...	Phil Last
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Bubba
Jacquie Barnbrook	...	Heavy Set Woman
Annie O'Donnell	...	Haggard Woman
John Doe	...	Mr. Worther
Roxanne Hart	...	Mrs. Worther
Jon Shere	...	Lester (as Jonathan Shere)
Alice Amter	...	Big Haired Woman
Jean Rhodes	...	Old Woman

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, some language and drug content.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Netherlands

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Germany:12 | Ireland:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38723)

Filming Locations:

Glen Capri Motel - 6700 San Fernando Rd., Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Flan de Coco Films

Trivia:

According to Jennifer Aniston, from the first draft of the script to the shooting almost no changes were made.

Goofs:

Continuity: When she's laying in bed with Holden after they've had sex for the first time, Justine's hair moves about between shots.

Quotes:

Justine: How it all came down to this, only the Devil knows. Retail Rodeo is at the corner on my left. The motel is down the road to my right. I close my eyes and try to peer into the future. On my left, I saw days upon days of lipstick and ticking clocks, dirty looks and quiet whisperings. And burning secrets that just won't ever die away. And on my right, what could I picture? The blue sky, the desert earth, stretching out into the eerie infinity. A beautiful never-ending nothing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

I'll Be Seeing You

A fine movie

'The Good Girl' is a sad comedy starring Jennifer Aniston as Justine. She works at Retail Rodeo where she is very unhappy. When she comes home she finds her husband Phil (John C. Reilly) stoned on the couch with his best friend Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson) night after night. It is not very strange she is attracted to Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) the new kid who comes to work at Retail Rodeo. He is even more depressed than she is, he reads The Catcher in the Rye and has named himself after that book. Soon she starts an affair with him and one night Bubba sees them together. Bubba makes his own little plan.

A thing that surprised me was the great acting. John C. Reilly, who was in every great movie in 2002 (also 'Gangs of New York', 'Chicago' and 'The Hours'), is great as the husband, Jake Gyllenhaal terrific as the disturbed kid and most of all Jennifer Aniston is superb as Justine. Here she everything but Rachel from 'Friends' and that is a very good thing. She is really acting and it is one of the best performances of 2002.

The sad story is very good as well and there is some fine comedy, especially with another worker at Retail Rodeo names Cheryl (Zooey Deschanel). She insults customers all the time and says the strangest things; the customers hardly notice. Funny, sad and very good is what 'The Good Girl' is in the end.