The Good Girl

Justine (Aniston) felt like she was trapped in her life. She has a husband Phil (Reilly) who takes her for granted, spending most of his spare time smoking joints with his friend Bubba (Blake Nelson) and a job at the Retail Rodeo where she hated working on the cosmetic counter and everyone who works there. This all changes when a new, young checkout assistant called Holden (Gyllenhaal) starts at the store. Intrigued by his brooding looks and that he is always reading or writing something, Justine is drawn to him and as the two talk she thinks that someone finally gets her.

Jennifer Aniston is probably the most talented of the Friends cast, but with the exception of "She's the one" she has opted for unchallenging romantic comedies where he is just playing Rachel on the big screen.

The Good Girl changes all this. Her character in this movie is as far away from the bubbly New Yorker as she could get. Her portrayal of a downtrodden Texan retail assistant who's life is grinding to a halt is a turning point in her career, proving that she can go on to bigger and better things after her TV commitments have finished. Aniston is in nearly every scene, as well as narrating her character's feelings and she copes with this marvellously, drawing you into Justine's life.

After a blistering debut in "Donnie Darko", Jake Gyllenhaal proves again that he is an actor to watch. His portrayal of Holden is heartfelt and very believable. You could almost believe that he was this misunderstood in real life, as he conveys emotion turmoil of the character extremely well.

With support from the always excellent John C. Reilly and Tim Blake Nelson plus a hilarious scene stealing performance from Zooey Deschanel. Her makeup techniques, customer interaction and P.A. announcements are classic.

These performances would be nothing without an excellent script and screenwriter Mike White has delivered a very funny and touching look at working class America. The characters he has created are very real and anyone who has ever worked in a retail environment will emphasize with Justine's complete lack of enthusiasm for the job.

The Good Girl will be seen as Jennifer Aniston's big screen breakthrough but it is much more than that. It is very funny and touching movie, with great performances from an excellent ensemble cast, fantastic direction from Miguel Arteta and a script that draws you into the characters plight.

Audio commentary by director Miguel Arteta and writer/actor Mike White, Scene specific audio commentary by Jennifer Aniston, Alternate ending montage, Out-takes, Deleted scenes with optional commentary, Scene selection & Interactive menus

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2003