Film Review: The Good Girl (2002)

Enduring popularity of Friends was both blessing and curse for its regular cast. It brought them fame, fortune and success, yet it also overshadowed all their work before and since. Friends stars had to work hard in order to be associated with something other than popular television sitcom. The most successful in those efforts was Jennifer Aniston, at least judging by career on big screen which included opportunities to display her acting abilities in roles quite different from Rachel Green. One of the most interesting of those roles was the protagonist of The Good Girl, 2002 black comedy directed by Michael Arteta.

In the film Aniston plays Justine Last, a thirty-something woman who, on the surface, has everything women her age should aspire for – a steady job, husband and relatively stable home. She, on the other hand, doesn’t have many reasons to be too pleased about such situation. Her job is of a clerk in major retail store that involves monotonous drudgery, while her husband Phil (played by John C. Reilly), while providing extra income as a house painter, spends all of his free time on the couch smoking marijuana and watching TV with his best friend Bubba (played by Tim Blake Nelson). Justine’s exhausting life routine begins to change when her store gets new employee – Holden Worther (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), young clerk who is obsessed with Sallinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye. Holden soon becomes smitten with Justine, who also becomes attracted to young man so different from her husband. Two of them begin torrid affair, but Justine soon realises that Holden is mentally unbalanced. She tries to end the affair, but things get complicated with pregnancy, blackmail and acts of violence.

Originally devised as semi-humorous retelling of Madame Bovary set in American Midwest, The Good Girl was written as Mike White, writer and producer nowadays best known as creator of popular TV series The White Lotus and who briefly appears in this film in the role of Bible-thumping security guard. The film, made in low budget independent production, offers an interesting insight into the lives of ordinary working class Americans, and the social observation and sharp character studies are mixed with black humour that could, in a way, be interpreted as reflection of disdain Hollywood typically has for uneducated and “unrefined” population from Middle America. This might be seen in a way protagonist is written. She is shown not only as a person that indulges in morally questionable acts, but also doesn’t appear to be sharpest tool in the box and her success stems mostly from the fact that people around her are even less intelligent or mentally stable. Despite that, Jennifer Aniston shows great skill in demanding role and manages to win audience’s sympathy. Her efforts are well-matched by Jake Gyllenhaal who excels in the role of young, charming but ultimately dysfunctional man. The show, however, almost got stolen by Zooey Deschanel in the role of Justine’s sociopathic co-worker Cheryl, woman who uses a lot of ingenuity to insult and abuse customers in store and get away with it. Although some viewers might be displeased with deeply ironic ending, The Good Girl is well-acted, solidly directed and generally entertaining little film that could be recommended even to viewers who aren’t big fans of Friends cast.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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