Jennifer Under Fire
The Good Girl
Review by Ross Anthony

I quite enjoyed the first hour of the wonderful dull-faced humor. In fact, I flirted with the idea of this film being on my top ten list for the year. (All that just from screening it on VHS and a 13-inch TV.) Jennifer is delightfully fretful in her dreary little retail store life with a quirky cast of caricature workmates, her oblivious husband at home. She dons a daily upside-down smile until meeting Holden (not his real name), a misfit more miss fitting than even she. Their interaction becomes more involving until, the fresh light (despite being dark) humor turns to unpleasant complication. At which point the film becomes more annoying than fun (for me at least). It resolves, but without momentum, and without much of a change in the main character. All act extremely well with crisp sharp direction and strong original dialogue. Admittedly, it's the second half story/subject matter that steals the fun for me.



  • The Good Girl. Copyright © 2002.
  • Starring Jennifer Aniston, John C. Reilly, Tim Blake Nelson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zooey Deschanel.
  • Directed by Miguel Arteta. Screenplay by Mike White.
  • Produced by Matthew Greenfield at Myriad Pictures/In-motion AG Co./WMF V/Flan De Coco.



Grade..........................B



Copyright © 2001. Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: RossAnthony.com


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Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 08:10:08 PDT