The Good Girl
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Movie Reviews of The Good Girl
Movie Review: One of my favorite movies
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Love, Sex and "Gettin' Got" At Your Local Retail Rodeo!
Summary: 5 Stars
You know, reviewer readers, every town from Salem, Massachusetts to Salem, Oregon has a local store just like the great state of Texas' Retail Rodeo featured in this film. Go ahead and call 'em Odd Lots, Big Lots, Dollar General, Family Dollar, or the old fashioned phrase of Five & Dimes, but every town has one and usually they employ some strange people to boot Let me tell ya, there are LOADS of strange characters in "The Good Girl".
Justine "Teeny" Last, played surprisingly & extraordinarily well by none other than Mrs. Brad Pitt/Jennifer Aniston is a clerk/cashier/cosmetics counter employee at the local Retail Rodeo. Who knew that Jennifer could really act? Not me! For her to break out of the Rachael mold was exciting to watch for I was quite pleased with her performance even though I am not a huge fan of "Friends".
The unhappy, trapped in her loveless & babyless marriage, Justine meets the morose Tom Worther, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, the "brandy new" cashier at Retail Rodeo and well... they start up an affair. Tom is his "slave name" as he tells Justine, so he has re-named himself after "The Catcher In The Rye". Justine asks, so your name is "Catcher"? He states, "NO, Holden, from Holden Caulfield, the main character in the book."
Teeny and Holden start meetin' for their lovin' in the back store room of Retail Rodeo, the town's seedy motels, and even Teeny's car, they form a bond and above all else, seem to really understand one another like no one has understood either one of them before in their whole existence. They sweetly refer to it in the film as "Gettin' Got"...
Even Justine's pothead housepainter of a husband, Phil Last, played deftly by John C. Reilly (Boogie Nights) never has really "got" Justine.
Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson) , Phil's best friend, co-painter & pot smoker in crime and his dog Bits find out about Holden and Justine and then things sure do git interestin'!
Zooey Deschanel from "Almost Famous" has a hilarious part as Cheryl, a smart aleck and edgy store employee, Mike White as the gospel preachin' Nazarene security guard, "Corney", Deborah Rush as Gwen, and your Retail Rodeo Store Manager, Jack Field is played convincingly by John Carroll Lynch.
This is one of the best drama/comedies that I have viewed in quite a while, so come on down to your local Retail Rodeo and "Get Got!!!"
Happy Watching, All!!!Movie Review: This is why they make movies.
Summary: 5 Stars
Every once in a while, a movie comes out that is very subtle, yet very direct. A movie that is both depressive, yet laugh-out-loud funny. These movies leave you playing with your thoughts, looking at life from a different point of view. "The Good Girl" is one of those movies.
Jennifer Aniston made a complete U-turn by making this movie, because it is incredibly different then her signature character, Rachel in "Friends". In "Friends", she is quirky and goofy, but here, she is confused, depressed and, simply, amazing. Her portrayal of Justine Last, a woman who is mentally brought down by life and obligations, is sincere and Oscar-worthy. Aniston makes sure Justine is someone the audience can relate to, as she copes with the themes of solitude, love, infidelity and honesty.
Justine works in a ridiculous store, where every day is the same and nothing is ever interesting. Her husband paints houses, is stoned all the time and doesn't give much thought to whatever happens behind Justine's façade. Things change when she meets the new clerk, Tom a.k.a. Holden, who is a "Catcher in the Rye"-obsessed existentialist. Partially because of his mysterious appearance, partially because of his age (he is ten years younger then she is) and mostly because he seems like he understands her, Justine falls for him and they start a relationship that is impossible to get out of. This provides a crucial decision Justine faces - is life about expectations and obligations, or is it about that little dose of craziness that is needed in order to stay sane.
What makes this movie a believable drama instead of a pointless downer, are the characters. John C. Reilly plays Justine's husband, and it seems like it is the role he shines in (remember "Chicago", or the very similar "The Hours"?), whereas Jake Gyllenhaal nails Holden, his feelings and conflicts he faces. However, the show is stolen by Jennifer Aniston, who makes a statement with this movie, that she is a great actress. Her timing (both comedic and dramatic) is flawless, her walk, posture and accent believable and in character. She makes this movie worth-buying and watching at least once a year, when one feels shallow or monotone. "The Good Girl" works on many levels, and the catharsis it provides is the reason why they make movies in the first place.
Movie Review: potential cult film about choices and escape
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this film because I really enjoyed Mike White's first script, Chuck and Buck, but I have to admit I was skeptical about Jennifer Aniston; however, the script was as good as I'd hoped and Aniston did a wonderful job as Justine, a bored clerk at Retail Rodeo and the childless wife of stoned housepainter Phil (John C. Reilly). She even wears horrible clothes! Aniston's voiceover is very good, and adds to the story, and the cast is flawless, from Phil's friend Bubba and Jake Gyllenhall's Holden/Tom to all the interesting characters at Retail Rodeo. The subplot of the store's cosmetic makeovers is also very funny. There are some great visuals here, incuding an overhead shot of employees pouring out of the store to grieve a coworker. I think this film is similar to About Schmidt but with some crucial differences. While Schmidt has been detached from his family and is trying to connect again, Justine has been bled dry by her boring work and her marriage and her friends, and she seeks instead to detach herself -- if only she had the energy to do something desperate! Then she meets a new employee, Holden, an attractive but troubled young guy who brings her excitement and joy -- for a while. As Justine realizes that other people know about her indiscretion, she sees that what was once fun has become complicated and tawdry.
MILD SPOILER: In one incredible series of scenes, Justine makes love to Holden, then is blackmailed by Bubba into having sex with him (the look on her face while she waits for him to finish is wonderful), and then she has to let Phil hold her breast while he masters his domain at a fertility clinic. (These scenes are reminiscent of a funny little movie that come out in 1968 called Candy, in which every guy Candy meets wants to seduce her and uses his own bizarre line/style to get her into bed.)
You can watch the film in English or Spanish, and you have the same choices for subtitles. There is a commentary track featuring writer/actor Mike White and director Miguel Arteta as well as 14 minutes of comments by Aniston; 9 deleted scenes totalling about 8 minutes; and a 2-1/2-minute gag reel (including a very brief shot of two unfamiliar young guys sitting on a bed -- anybody know what that is?).
Movie Review: Pleasantly suprising...
Summary: 5 Stars
Jennifer Aniston's work has never struck me as being either deep or watchable, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and engaging quality of 'The Good Girl'.Aniston's character, depressed and miserable in her marriage and in her job (a dead end job that she probably only ended up with because she was undereducated, a point another reviewer below sadly missed, judging by his misinterpretation of her response to a comment by her coworker regarding 'The Catcher In the Rye'), begins a friendship with a coworker several years younger than herself. She both enjoys and fears this relationship because although it makes her happy, she is terrified that her husband will find out about it. Her anxiety and fear increases when her husband's best friend finds out about her relationship and blackmails her into having sex with him.
She reaches a crossroads, a point at which she must choose between the husband she loves and despises in equal measure and the relationship that she had begun with her coworker.
I found it intriguing that when faced with what was the most important decision of her life, she made the choice that lead her back to the existence she hated. Ultimately, neither choice probably would have made her happy but she chose the path toward the familiar, deciding that the awful life she knew was preferable to a leap into the unknown. Her decision had dramatic, tragic consequences, both at work and at home.
Aniston's acting was brilliant. I was amazed and completely drawn in by the film and by her performance in particular. She has a genuine talent and range I was completely unaware of, and now I'm anxious to see her future projects. 'The Good Girl' is wonderful in every aspect, from the writing to the cast, and the direction is flawless, lending a very real sense of the desolation and loneliness that is this woman's day to day existence. It's the kind of film that resonates, staying with you long after the credits roll.
Absolutely wonderful!