When he finds out Justine is pregnant, he lets out a childlike "Woohoo!" like a kid on Christmas. White did not make Phil a bumbling oaf that deserved to be cuckolded. On the other side of the coin, the subtlest relationship in the film is that of Mr. Though overly dramatic at times, the moments between these two never ceases to feel real. When he meets Justine, he feels as though someone finally "gets him" and he throws everything he is into the relationship. As played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who is starting to corner the market on these roles, Holden (Tom is his "slave name") is a classic misunderstood boy. The turmoil in question mostly involves an escapist affair with disturbed youth Tom "Holden" Worther. Reilly), while keeping the audience feeling Justine's despair as if she were a friend. ![]() This setting allows them to let their main character go through the emotional turmoil that stirs up her stagnant marriage to housepainter Phil (the always reliable John C. With a few choice moments (the employee a little too free with the store PA system the potheads on the couch discussing house paint that could render a building invisible), they effortlessly create an environment that is instantly recognizable and thoroughly real. ![]() With "Good Girl" they play it a little closer to the vest, and it works wonderfully. In a way, this is the dark underbelly of the character she played in the cult favorite "Office Space".ĭirector Arteta and writer Mike White are no strangers to dark comedy, having crafted 2000's stalker satire "Chuck & Buck". Her arms stick motionless to her sides, her shoulders slouch and her clothes fall unlike the form-fitting ensembles we're used to seeing on Mrs. Aniston's Justine Last walks as though there's a constant rainstorm over her head. Though it's hard, at first, to forget that we're watching Jennifer Aniston, with her highlighted locks and perfect skin, the actress eventually disappears in the role, in a way that Halle Berry was never able to in "Monster's Ball", betrayed in that instance by her skimpy wardrobe. Aniston here creates a fully realized character of surprising nuance and depth. After languishing in second-banana roles in such films as "Picture Perfect" and "Rock Star", Ms. Arteta's dark, cynical and sadly funny film is played by Jennifer Aniston in a performance that at last proves that the "Friends" cast may have some potential on the big screen. ![]() Anyone who's lived and worked in the suburbs for any length of time will recognize the malaise that covers Miguel Arteta's "The Good Girl" like so much make-up at the "Retail Rodeo" cosmetics counter.
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