Good Girl, The
Justine (Jennifer Aniston) is unhappy. Unhappy with her job at the Retail Rodeo and unhappy with her stale marriage to pot smoking Phil (John C. Reilly) who she suspects is unfertile. She sees something in fellow 'put-upon' Retail Rodeo employee Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the two of them start a relationship that threatens to destroy both their lives...
Story
Justine (Jennifer Aniston) is unhappy. Unhappy with her job at the Retail Rodeo and unhappy with her stale marriage to pot smoking Phil (John C. Reilly) who she suspects is unfertile. She sees something in fellow 'put-upon' Retail Rodeo employee Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the two of them start a relationship that threatens to destroy both their lives.
Disc
A film of this sort isn't going to push your system very hard ...but it's a nice transfer with both the picture and sound as crisp and clear as you'd want. The disc is advertised as having a 5.1 mix but to be honest, other than the 20th Century Fox ident at the beginning, I didn't notice.
There are two commentaries included, the first of which is from director Miguel Arteta and writer Mike White ... and is the one I simply couldn't listen to. It's maybe because I've worked on a fair few spoken-word audio jobs in my time, but I found this painful to listen to. They drawled and mumbled through the first five minutes before I'd had enough and switched it off. I can't speak for the director, but writer Mike White has no excuse as he also acts in the film (the bible studying security guard) and has a well spoken character. The second commentary by Jennifer Aniston is a lot clearer, but it's much shorter. She only comments on specific scenes and doesn't give a lot of insight into the movie. I wanted to hear about how she prepared for the more emotional scenes nearer the end of the film, but she'd packed up and gone home by then.
Nine deleted scenes are included with optional commentary, where mumbles and mumbles add though provoking comments like, "Why did we cut this out?", "Eh, I don't know." and, "I've never seen this before." Some were wise cuts but some should have been left in, making this section an interesting little diversion for ten minutes ... just leave the commentary off. The alternative ending montage is actually just three shots (does that count as a montage?) and adds little to the package.
The package is rounded off by a gag reel, which is always a welcome addition to any DVD, and a selection of trailers for up and coming features. My only nag was that the trailers are at the beginning of the disc, before the copyright notice, a trend that gets more and more annoying every time you put the disc into your machine.
So ...
Jennifer Aniston is the real star here. She really gets her teeth into a role as diametrically opposed to Rachel Green as Aniston could possibly manage, and pulls off a remarkable, albeit understated, performance. In fact, all the characters here are deliberately under-played. They could easily have slipped into caricature, into larger than life comedic stereotypes, but they seemed to be on a tight reign when it came to playing up. There are a few genuinely funny moments, but maybe there was a missed opportunity here ... this could have been such a different (better?) movie if the supporting cast had been pushed ever so slightly out of the deadpan reality they inhabit ... but then again that's not what the director wanted. It's just a shame so see actors like Tim Blake Nelson work so close to the ground.
The one actor who was allowed to play a bit was Jake Gyllenhaal as Holden. They set up the back story to the character by revealing that he's actually called Tom but named himself Holden after the angst-ridden character in Catcher in the Rye, and he really gets his teeth into the immature, almost directionless anger of the put-upon teen. He plays well next to Aniston, and at times his character seems to dwarf her, but I'm assuming that's deliberate.
Aniston's character, Justine, is the 'little-woman' in this drama. She's frustrated with her lacklustre life, but not ambitious enough or bright enough to do anything to change it. She constantly seems to make the wrong decision, and doesn't have the foresight to see the real consequences of her actions ... or to cover her tracks. Perhaps she just reacts to the frustration and powerlessness she feels, and then pulls back from going further for fear of rocking the boat. Perhaps she really wants change but can't deal with the consequences.
If you view the movie like that, as a story about her struggle between desire for change and her fear of it, the pace and tone start to make sense. It shows how trapped she is by this struggle and yet knows deep down she's not willing to take the risk of changing it. As well as Aniston plays this, you can't help but lose some sympathy for her as she constantly goes the wrong way.
So, by the end of the movie, nothing has really changed for Justine. She still has the same job and is still in the same marriage ... everything she was unhappy with at the start. Has she learned anything? Has she come to terms with her life? Is she now happy with her lot? We just don't know.
What we do know, is that Jennifer Aniston can act away from her Friends and can handle someone with a bit more depth than Rachel. If 'The Good Girl' has a point, it's to show the audience this side to her and pave the way for other roles away from the norm. It's worth a watch for the leading lady and her support and although it can feel a little flat and lifeless, that's an accurate reflection of the character's lives. It may be Aniston's best work to date, but it leaves you feeling that there must be better to come.
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