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Good Girl, The [2003]

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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

In The Good Girl Jennifer Aniston gets a make-under that would make her Friends character weep, but she finally proves her acting mettle away from the ditzy-but-glamorous Rachel type. A low-key drama from the writer and director duo behind Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl places Aniston's bored shop-girl Justine at the centre of a soul-destroying life in a sleepy Texan town. Like a modern Madame Bovary, Justine's life is stuck in a rut--her marriage is dull and her job at the Retail Rodeo even duller--when a new colleague Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) offers her an escape. A tortured soul who's obsessed with The Catcher in the Rye and thinks nobody understands him, Holden is a typical, angst-ridden young man. But to Justine he's intriguing and romantic and their shared sense of dejection soon leads to an affair and a short-lived liberation from their daily lives.

Aniston could never pass as dowdy but she does a very convincing turn as the crestfallen Justine, using subtlety and dry humour rather than melodrama to convey her quiet desperation. John C Reilly as her permanently stoned husband and Tim Blake Nelson as his creepy chum are both superb alongside her. Even the smaller roles are furnished with some memorable moments: Justine's colleague makes outrageous tannoy announcements to zombie-like customers at the Retail Rodeo. Funny, strange and touching by turns The Good Girl, has its awkward moments but as a quirky slice of life it gets most things right.

On the DVD: The Good Girl offers a feature-length commentary from director Miguel Arteta and writer Mike White that takes a while to get going but does provide some insight and humour. Aniston adds a scene-specific commentary that sadly does little to enhance the viewing of the film; short comments, some with massive pauses, offer little in the way of insight into her breakout performance. Deleted scenes with optional commentary and an alternate ending add a little more bulk where the gag reel (out-takes of the cast laughing) fails. It's not the package the film deserves. --Laura Bushell

Good story told well
Review date: 2007-11-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

The soft white underbelly of McJob any town is an unusual choice for the nominally over fluffed and over excited Aniston, so good for her for choosing it and she does a good job as the central character in the tale of contemporary small town America. . Her performance stands out against average supporting cast performances or perhaps it is because the story is really just about her character and there is not much room for anyone else. Very enjoyable and a little offbeat.

Reviews

A comedy with real depth
Review date: 2007-08-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

This film suprised me like it did so many other people. Jennifer Aniston in her role as Justine is stunning and, after the first 15 minutes I firmly forgot about Rachel.

I love the entire cast here. All of them deliver a shining performance in their roles and all support the leads very well. As always Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly provide typically excellent performances as the disturbed lover and 'faithful hound' husband.

It was advertised as 'seriously funny' which I think is a mistake, as that does tend to give the impression of one of those brainless hollywood rom-coms, as this films takes a deeper look at loneliness, the destruction of dreams and the realisation of your own discontent.

I would genuinely recommend this film to anyone who isn't wanting a ridiculous, brainless comedy.

Jennifer Aniston is the star of this film
Review date: 2007-07-25 Rating: 8 out of 10

The true genius behind this film is the amazing job Jennifer Aniston does in making us believe how pintless and boring her characters life is, married to a man who does nothing but smoke pot with his inane friend. After she starts her affair with holden you almost want her to make it work because you cant believe that the meaningless existance she has with her husband would be enough for anybody you want her to have more and to experience life. The only reason i do not give it 5 stars is because of what i consider to be bad editing. The dvd comes with some deleted scenes that i feel if included would have made it a stronger film.

A bold, stunningly beautifal film that covers every single aspect of love in style, a heart-warming 89 minutes.
Review date: 2007-06-15 Rating: 10 out of 10

O.K, yes, this film may not be 'seriously funny', and the blurb may, to some people after they've watched the film, be complete tosh; however, the film it actually is, is so much better than anyone could possibly hope for.

The whole cast are fabulous, especially the 2 main rolls, Justine (Jennifer Aniston) and Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) who make the film complete, with the soaringly sexual chemistry between them; Gyllenhall playing a character with the personality of a missunderstood, immature young boy, and Aniston playing the role of a 'put-upon' young woman, who's just on the verge of doing something with her miserable, routinelike life. Their affair is awesomely written, and allmost makes you wonder whether you should go and run off with the cute guy down the road!

It's kind of like a whole soap opera, crammed into about 89 minutes running time; one thing happenes, leading to another, and another, like a beautifal branching tree of love, lies and betrayal.

Anyone in search of a thoughtless, silly romantic comedy may want to look elsewhere, but buy this DVD, and be oh so pleasantly surprised. 'The Good Girl' really is a good film that has everything, with just that stroke of visious intellegence, which makes you want to watch it over and over again, and see if you missed anything, in this beautifally chorriographed sparkling gem of a film.

Don't buy it... and you'll be missing out on one of life's expiriences. The choice is yours...

Surprisingly Good
Review date: 2007-04-18 Rating: 8 out of 10

I'm as skeptical as the next person when it comes the Jennifer Aniston's 'serious' acting career but I was pleasantly surprised with her performance. She played the role of struggling downtrodden housewife extremely well and the chemistry between her and Jake Gyllenhal (sp?) was impressive.

A sad and moving story about how life isn't always rainbows and butterflies. This is a very gritty drama about life's harsh realities.

You really do get attatched to the characters in this one, it is surprisingly good and definately worth a watch.

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
John Carroll Lynch
Jennifer Aniston
Deborah Rush
Mike White
Jake Gyllenhaal

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036012423
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-05-12
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 89 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired)

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Good Girl, The [2003]

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