THE GOOD GIRL, directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Mike White, stars Jennifer Aniston as Justine, a sullen 30-year-old woman stuck in a dead-end job at the Retail Rodeo department store. In addition to her mind-numbing occupation, Justine also has to contend with her dim-witted husband, Phil (John C. Reilly), and his partner, Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson), who work as...
THE GOOD GIRL, directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Mike White, stars Jennifer Aniston as Justine, a sullen 30-year-old woman stuck in a dead-end job at the Retail Rodeo department store. In addition to her mind-numbing occupation, Justine also has to contend with her dim-witted husband, Phil (John C. Reilly), and his partner, Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson), who work as house painters when they aren't smoking pot and staring blankly at the television. Justine sees an opportunity for change, however, when she meets Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), a fellow Retail Rodeo employee who is even more depressed than herself. The young Holden (who patterns himself after Holden Caulfield of J.D. Salinger's THE CATCHER IN THE RYE) and Justine soon begin a passionate secret affair, unaware that it may not be so secret after all.
With THE GOOD GIRL, Arteta and White, the creators of the indie hit CHUCK & BUCK, have fashioned yet another oddly affecting comedy out of misery and obsession. Playing the polar opposite of the character she plays on the TV show FRIENDS, Aniston is outstanding as Justine, a melancholy wife torn between the temptation of an affair and loyalty to her husband. Gyllenhaal is excellent as Justine's angst-ridden younger beau, while Reilly plays her slacker spouse to perfection. Also notable in their supporting roles are Nelson, who portrays a scheming stoner; screenwriter White, who appears as Retail Rodeo's pious security guard; and Zooey Deschanel, who gleefully dispenses sarcasm as a customer-hating clerk. A delicate balance of dark humor and sincere emotion, THE GOOD GIRL stands out as an overachieving film about underachieving people.
KISSING JESSICA STEIN: Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a lovely, young, conservative Jewish girl with the perfect loft situated on New York City's Upper West Side, a fun job working for a hip newspaper, and beautiful clothes. The only thing she doesn't have is the ideal boyfriend. Not that she doesn't have tons of dates--from geeky nerds to suave sexy types, Jessica is sought after by throngs of men. She just doesn't like any of the guys that like her. When her coworker, Joan (Jackie Hoffman), reads her an ad from the personals of the Village Voice, Jessica knows she's interested. Even when she realizes that the ad is in the "women seeking women" section, she figures it's worth a try. A funny, girly, prissy, very lipstick lesbian relationship ensues with Chelsea gallery owner Helen (Heather Juergensen). When the girls aren't making out, they share makeup secrets and raid each other's closets. However, Helen's daring nymphomaniac side clashes with Jessica's conservative straight side, and the couple is forced to face some real challenges, one of which is Jessica's hilarious Scarsdale-based matchmaker mother (Tovah Feldshuh). A light, laugh-a-minute romantic comedy, KISSING JESSICA STEIN is a good fit for fans of sitcoms like ALLY MCBEAL, SEX IN THE CITY, and WILL AND GRACE.
