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Friends come and go, but the circumstances of one's marriage are forever. Such is the tale of Justine (Jennifer Aniston from television's Friends) in The Good Girl from writer Mike White (Orange County).  Justine has a life of mediocrity and walks through her day as though she is a wind-up toy at its last few steps. If you thought your life was boring, try Justine's job at Retail Rodeo which must have a handful of costumers all year and a manager who dedicates recorded music to deceased employees.

Justine is married to Phil (John C. Reilly) a housepainter who works with Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson).  Bubba practically lives at Phil's house and idolizes both friends.  The guys' idea of a good time is watching television, drinking beer and smoking pot.  Justine looks at her empty life as a barren highway and indeed, this is part of the problem, because she can't seem to conceive a child.  One day, Justine notices a younger employee, Holden (also named Tom and played by Jake Gyllenhaal).  He renamed himself after Holden Caufield in Catcher in the Rye, but with his brooding, dark looks resemble a refugee from Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.   The inevitable happens and Holden and Justine begin an affair.  The   story takes an unexpected turn here and there, just enough to throw you off guard.   A  comedic statement from one person, a brooding look from another, and then back to the customers of the Retail Rodeo to clear your mind.

There is a vast career awaiting Aniston beyond Friends, and this film will show that potential.  Jennifer Aniston is quite good as Justine with stiff-backed walk, hair that falls over her face and a look of someone who has seen the world and finds the world doesn't see her.  Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) broods so much as Holden; you want to ask him what film he thinks he is in.  John Reilly as the husband, who hows his love for Justine by fixing the television set, keeps his emotion hidden beneath a screen of beer foam. Then there is Bubba, played by Tim Blake Nelson (Minority Report).  This Bubba  looks deceptively stoned, but underneath the exterior is an exploring mind which sees and remembers all.  The humor in The Good Girl is provided by Zooey Deschanel as Justine's Retail Rodeo friend.

Mike White paints quite a picture of middle class life.  People cope by finding a bright light with religion, taking the name of a fictional character, sleep walking through the day, talking more to friends than to ones wife, becoming part of someone else's family, garish make-up and sentences spiced with profanity. What would these characters do if given a second chance?  Justine finds out. Makes you want to be invisible and see what people think of you.

Copyright 2002 Marie Asner
Submitted 7/24/02