The Good Girl

Jennifer Aniston is absolutely great in this movie. She gets herself into some messes, and she has to "grin and bear it" to get out of them - it's really hilarious. Zoey Deschanel is fun also - she provides a lot of levity being her usual goofy self. I have a relative who loved Zoey in this movie, but hated Aniston.I didn't say anything. But I feel that she is just wrong - Aniston is fabulous in this - and some of the reviewers have said the same thing.

I had obviously been on another planet where we never watched Friends so The Good Girl was the first time I ever saw Jennifer Aniston and she blew me away. This dark comedy has a quirky but believable plot and a wonderful supporting cast-Tim Blake Nelson, John C. Reilly and a young, dreamy-eyed Jake Gyllenhaal. The film's director even has a bit part as an evangelical security guard.Anniston is Justine-a small town, working class everywoman trapped in a dead-end marriage to a stoner house painter husband wonderfully played by Reilly. The brilliant Nelson portrays his workmate Buddy who is a very chilling blackmailer. Justine works at a mundane job and there she ill-advisedly becomes sexually involved with Holden (Gyllenhaal), a disturbed young man who calls himself after the protagonist of Catcher in the Rye which he reads obsessively.Bless her heart, Justine is basically "a good girl" who makes some pretty poor choices all around while trying to please everyone but herself. Her character is so appealing that you want root for her even when she is screwing up. Best of all is the satisfying ending that I really didn't see coming.

This movie starts out depressing and doesn't get much better. It paints a very boring picture of "average" America. Was this supposed to be a comedy? If so, the humor never overcomes the dreary hopelessness portrayed. The ending might be better but I never got there. And she wasn't a Good Girl at all.

At first, I wondered how someone so loaded with cash and with everything going for her thought she could authentically recreate the daily experiences of the disenchanted commoner.Well, Jennifer did a surprisingly good job. It represented fairly well the drab and bleak existence of those of us with useless jobs and not much to look forward to, which is crucial because it would be an insult to do otherwise.I can personally relate to "Holden", and Jake pulled that character off fabulously. He was just so apathetic and misanthropic, it was great. Notice how his last name, Werther, is taken from the German tragedy "The Sorrows of Young Werther" (pronounced vair-tair) by Goethe, which this film could almost--but not quite--pass as an adaptation of. The end is directly lifted from that tale, at least the end as far as jake's character goes.Of course, like any other red-blooded American male, I was primarily interested in Jennifer's first sex scene. Bravo to her for going for it, but of course the lack of any distinct nudity is cause for lament.Ultimately the film was a great vehicle for Jennifer to show her stuff (talents, I mean) and she definitely steals the show. Very entertaining, but certainly not the "comedy" that it is mysteriously being sold as.

I forced myself to watch it until the end. Bad script, bad acting. I’ve seen bad movies before and written reviews about them, but this movie had absolutely no redeeming value.In addition the DVD had the most terrible video quality.I wouldn’t recommend this movie for any reason.

I could watch The Good Girl over and over, every day, which is why I give it 5 stars. (Except I would skip the two sex scenes, especially the 2nd, which is painful to watch.) Part of why I love this, is you can make up your own mind about the ending, which shows Justine Last and her husband playing with their baby. But Justine got pregnant after she had sex with her coworker/lover, Tom "Holden" making you believe it's probably his baby, not Phil's (Justine's husband.) But it could be Phil's, because they had been trying to have a baby for a long time, prompting Justine to take Phil to a doctor to check on his sperm. Or, it could even be Bubba's, Phil's friend, who saw Justine cheat with Holden at a motel, and tells her she has to have sex with him, or he'll tell Phil. But Bubba isn't really a candidate for Justine's baby daddy in my mind. You can pick, because Justine denies it's Holden's baby, but sounds unsure when she promises Phil it's his baby.Anyway, this is a droopy, sad movie. Everyone is depressed, and everyone happy ends up dead. (A coworker, Gwen, who was about the only upbeat character, dies from food poisoning.) It is about Justine having to make choices, to be with her lover, or be with her stoned husband who cares for her, but is always high. Justine seems torn, but as she narrates her story, it seems she's made up her mind of dropping one of them.The first time I saw this movie, it made me depressed, as all the character's were. That is why I like it, not because I like being depressed, but if a movie can make you feel a certain way you wouldn't have felt unless watching the movie, then it does a good job. This is my opinion of an effective movie, maybe not a great one, but effective at changing your mind about things, making you think, changing your emotions, or making you want to know more.I loved this movie, because while being depressed, it made me think about the horrible choice Justine had to face. This DVD also claims to be a romantic comedy, there are a few funny moments, but I would never call this a comedy. A story about a sad married woman, who loves her younger coworker, but can't leave her husband. If I were Justine, I would have chosen Holden most likely. But after I thought about it, they are only bonded and their relationship is where it is because they're both depressed, and that's it. They seem to share little similarities beyond depression and hating everything.So, I loved it. I own it, and I've watched it 3 times in one month. If you don't like being sad, or sad movies, or romance, or anything similar to the plot of this movie, don't watch it. But if you like the idea of this, sad movies, romance, and some spread around jokes (Zooey Deschanel is amazing in this!) then you'd like this.

This is the type of film I come away from, longing and wishing that more writers/directors 'got' movie making this well. From the cover you could be forgiven for thinking it's a typical chick-flick, but nothing could be further from the truth. The film has a great indie feel about it and Aniston is, as the cover quote says, stunning - both in performance and appearence. Made-down like this she somehow manages to come across as even more beautiful than her Friends character.Just like Gyllenhaal's character, I fell head-over-heels in love with Justine, who is funny, subdued and vunerable in equal measures. Sad and pathetic, I know, but I finished this film genuinley wishing I could meet a woman like Justine.I originally discovered this film on tv, but I'd missed the first fifteen minutes or so and decided to switch it off and buy it on dvd instead, so that I could see it in its entirety. I'm so glad I did.

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.

I can't say I was impressed by Jennifer Aniston's acting in this film, and it is obvious why she was a sitcom actress for so long. Her accent in the film did change a few times from Southern to general American. I'm not saying she was shocking, but she was hardly outstanding. Just OK in it. Jake Gyllenhaal, was quite decent in it, playing the part of a young man with emotional problems.But the story to the film is good. One of the few American films about normal people (normal as in not the very rich in a mansion).But, the film is quite depressing, and not one to watch if you're feeling down.

Jennifer Aniston as you REALLY haven't seen her before. Forget the romcom drivel, this is a worthy role in a quality, bittersweet slice of real (apparently) uneventful small-town life. Entire cast is perfection, with the co-worker's thinly veiled insults in customers' faces being the much needed light relief in this tragic little gem.

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.