Jan. 15, 2005 - 9:57 am
Leslie had recommended this one to me multiple times in the past and i never got around to seeing it. i think i had steered clear of it for a limited time because of my semi-dislike for Jennifer Aniston. she plays the lead character. anyway, i finally remembered that this was on my mental list of movies to see and added it to my physical Netflix list.
The Good Girl concerns Justine (Aniston) who works at a very old and small Walmart sort of place called (i think) Rodeo Barn. she has lost interest in her husband and they can't seem to have a baby. just at that moment another new store employee catches her eye. it's Tom Worther (Jake Gyllenhaal) who likes to fantasize that he's Holden Caulfield from the novel Catch 22. they begin an affair and end up getting caught by multiple people. the fact that he's a former alcoholic and has mental problems including severe depression doesn't really help the situation.
i enjoyed this movie and i like the way that the whole story takes place within a limited area. it reminds me of a play in that way i suppose. i thought Jake Gyllenhaal did a wonderful job on his fairly complicated character. so did Jennifer Aniston really, but this character is not that different from what she usually plays. she just had to tone herself down quite a bit and not be so energetic. if you ask me, that's not much of an accomplishment.
the story here is good and it's definitely worth watching and thinking about. i think the main lesson we can all learn is to appreciate what we have and just because we can't have a baby with our boorish husband doesn't mean that we should start up an illicit affair and get involved with theiving, sociopathic alcoholics to make our lives interesting.