Review of The Good Girl (2002) by Jim H — 19 Mar 2011
A bored Texas housewife begins an affair with a troubled younger man, who works with her at the Retail Rodeo.
The supporting characters in this film are truly excellent. Zooey Deschanel and Tim Blake Nelson are fantastic as the main couple's co-workers, Deschanel caking makeup on her face and slipping in snarky comments over the Retail Rodeo's P.A. and Nelson's characteristic commitment to the playing the hick fool. I even found Jennifer Aniston's performance strong, eschewing her Rachel from Friends schtick and adopting a confined gait.
The script also succeeded on many levels. The film was able to render the claustrophobic nature of these characters and this place so much so that I almost found myself rooting for Gyllenhaal's unstable character. On a certain level, the script almost convinced me that he had a point.
However, the ending is rather predictable, and as the plot thinned, so did my interest. And Justine's penultimate choice makes her a highly "unfeminist" character, one to whom we may be able to relate but ultimately never want to cheer for.
This review of The Good Girl (2002) was written by Jim H on 19 Mar 2011.
The Good Girl has generally received positive reviews.
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