Review of Good Girl, The

Introduction

I think that everyone has a moment in their lives where they think about the path not taken. There will be the fortunate few who will give the matter a brief consideration, then content in their lives move on without regret. The average person though will have a few regrets at least, as they realise that the life that they are leading bears little resemblance to the dreams of their youth. If the opportunity came along to do something about it, would you do it and hang the consequences? The Good Girl asks just that question.

Justine`s life is a little drearier than most. She has a soul-sapping job at the Retail Rodeo, working at the cosmetics counter with the irrepressibly cheery Gwen. She`s married to painter-decorator Phil, who works with his best friend Bubba. Phil and Bubba spend most of their time indulging in cannabis and husband and wife rarely communicate anymore. As Justine sees the people around her, happy in their own mundane existences and oblivious to the sheer pointlessness of their lives, her own depression deepens. But the arrival of new cashier Holden brings a little joy back into her life, as the aspiring writer seems to see the world the same way she does and he brings a little mystery and excitement to her life. Their affair is cut short though when she begins to suspect that someone knows, and feeling guilty she resolves to be a good girl. But keeping a secret in the small Texas town is difficult, and Holden is unwilling to give her up. Soon she is faced with a decision, to return to her safe if dreary existence, or to take a chance and change her life for the better.

Video

The Good Girl is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio. The picture is grainy, but I feel this is more because of the gritty low budget feel of the film rather than any problem with the transfer. Similarly the colour palette tends towards the drearier end of the spectrum and the lighting is more naturalistic. The image itself is quite sharp and clear, but the contrast isn`t that strong. Again this may be due to the gritty nature of the film itself, but there was one problem that I did find quite noticeable, blues did tend to bleed significantly, especially in darker shadowy scenes. This did give a sort of blue glow to certain objects at nighttime, especially hair that did tend to be distracting.

Audio

This is a dialogue heavy film, so the DD 5.1 soundtrack isn`t as heavily used as on other films. The dialogue is clear at all times though and the surrounds are used quite subtly at times to evoke an atmosphere. The music is very gentle and composed of some moving songs that really echo the stillness and introspective nature of the film. I did notice that one scene had a minor sound sync issue; again it does look as if the problem was with the original film as the problem is with only one side of a conversation.

Features

Before you can even get to the film proper, you have to enjoy/suffer seven-odd minutes of trailers. The Banger Sisters, Solaris, Life Or Something Like It, and Just Married are the coming attractions.

There are 9 deleted scenes from the movie, which you can watch with or without commentary from Miguel Arteta, the director. They are your usual eclectic mix, some could potentially add to the film, some don`t, but most expand on the characters. The total running time is 8½ minutes.

The end of the film is a montage of scenes with a voice-over from Justine, also on the disc is an alternative montage that has a different feel to the somewhat hopeful and fulfilling one in the movie. This alternative is more reflective and wistful and makes an interesting contrast to the chosen ending. It`s just 30 seconds long though.

There is a gag reel that is 2½ minutes of actors cracking up, but with little context. Still, laughter is contagious, right?

The first commentary is from Miguel Arteta and writer Mike White who also plays the security guard Corny in the film. Presented in DD 2.0 surround, it`s initially a little faltering but as the film goes on, they find their groove. They`re laid back and the commentary is a little gappy, but it`s interesting enough.

The second commentary is a scene specific one from Jennifer Aniston, and you get a menu to choose which of the 13 scenes you wish to listen to. In total she speaks for about 14 minutes, but its funny and interesting and in many ways the preferable of the two. I did wish that she had spoken a bit longer though.

All the extras, including the commentaries have full English subtitles. Indeed the commentaries also have subtitles for the film flash up when the commentator is silent.

Conclusion

Describe the plot of The Good Girl and it sound like one of those movies of the week that Channel 5 is so fond of showing. A woman in a dull marriage and a hopeless job embarks on an affair that will lead to disaster, seems a scenario all too familiar repeated in hundreds of identikit movies. But sharp direction from Miguel Arteta, a sublime and quirky script from Mike White coupled with outstanding performances from the cast make this dark comedy quite special indeed.

If you have only seen Jennifer Aniston in Friends, then be prepared for a shock. As Justine she is plain, dowdy, depressed and initially lifeless, and I say that in a good way. This film revolves around the character of Justine, and it`s her depressing life that motivates the story, her despair and disconnectedness from the world is pivotal. Jennifer Aniston captures the character perfectly and given that she is in nearly every scene, it`s fair to say that she carries the movie. The only time that the character brightens is when she is with Holden, the wannabe writer played poignantly by Jake Gyllenhaal. Holden is the typical disaffected youth who dreams of rebellion and adventure. He wishes to be immortalised by his writing, but keeps writing the same story over again. His writing isn`t even that good, but Justine is attracted to fact that he is different and that like her, he sees life for what it is. Also worth watching are John C. Reilly as Phil and Tim Blake Nelson as Bubba, the two pothead painters.

As I said, it is the writing that makes this film so special. The story is populated by a cast of characters that are just left of centre enough to make Justine look as the only sane person afloat in a sea of insanity. The people around her at work hold on to their mundane lives with an almost desperate and saddening vigour that is at times hilarious. Her best friend Gwen tries to live her life to a set of healthy, get up and go credos, the security guard at the Retail Rodeo runs a bible group, and comes across as just a little too eager. Her boss tries to be `motivational` failing miserably, and the shop announcer Cheryl passes her time by being pleasantly foul-mouthed to the customers. Her home life is just as uninspiring and it is completely understandable when she falls for the new mysterious and moody cashier. I did see one major twist in the story coming, but some of the decisions that Justine faced had me groaning and shouting at the screen, for they were more true to life and not as satisfying as the options rejected. The Good Girl remains unflinchingly realistic in its story, and the film has a wonderful bleak humour, typified by Bubba`s Alsatian or the fertility clinic, indeed Jennifer Aniston has to do some ridiculous things in this film. The Good Girl succeeds on the strengths of its rich characterisations, and while the ending isn`t typical Hollywood upbeat, it is curiously fulfilling, and I did feel better about myself as the end credits rolled. Jennifer Aniston gives a compelling and moving performance and is easily the best thing in a film packed with good things. This is definitely one to watch.