Miguel Arteta’s The Good Girl (2002)
Written: Jan 22 '03 (Updated Jan 23 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reilly, Gyllenhaal, Nelson, Aniston, Deschanel, well written script, and great performances.
Cons: A little haphazard, and requires some use of the cerebral cortex to appreciate.
The Bottom Line: This is a highly entertaining quirky comedy, that I understood perfectly. But it probably won't play the same for everyone. I laughed until I cried.
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| artbyjude's Full Review: The Good Girl |
This is a movie that falls only a hair short of being one of the best ones. As it is, I found it hilarious, and if you can laugh at the bittersweet reality of life in a small town in a dead end job, then this movie will tickle your funny bone as well. It only fails at being one of the great ones for budget reasons , I suspect. It was filmed in a hurry, and everyone working on it was busy doing other things. It gives the film a sort of unrefined , haphazard quality. Of course, to some eyes, that may have been one of its virtues.
I suspect your response to this film will depend on your age, your experience, and probably your gender as well. This will undoubtedly also be reflective of your response to the ending of the film. The young and romantic will be disappointed, seeing possibilities they think the script may have missed. Others of us will recognize the core of truth, and the sense of rightness about the ending.
There are some extremely interesting things that happen in this film, and I believe it would be worth a look, if you have avoided it so far.
DIRECTION AND WRITING
This is the second low budget independent film collaboration for director Miguel Arteta and Screen writer Mike White. The first, Chuck and Buck, is a film at least as strange as this one, involving two guys who were friends in childhood, through some serious pathology forward to their adult lives. The premise for that film occurred when the writer wondered how he could open a film with a scene of a man with another man’s d*i*c*k in his hand. So if you saw that film (which won some awards) then you already know this team is willing to take some risks. And they aren’t going to be put off by the fact that they may have a movie whose premise is on the surface unappealing.
Mike White is an interesting if quirky writer, and the screenplay is the great strength of this movie. It is funny, looking at life through the eyes of all the characters, and of course a writer is involved in this story,. The fact that the character only writes autobiographical melodrama should not be lost on the audience. The dialog is close to being brilliant.
The director and the writer have worked together on several projects, including the TV series Pasadena and Freaks and Geeks. Mike White’s unlikely intro into writing came as a writer for Dawson’s Creek.
The director has also written and directed some TV series, and wrote and directed Star Maps, a story about a male prostitute who is trying to break out of the family business (prostitution) to become an actor.
The story speaks to really ordinary unglamorous people, who are trying to get by in their lives. At some time in our lives, (most often in our early thirties) we need to ask ourselves what we really want, or what it all means. Is this movie about doing the same things with the same people every day? Is it about love, or lust? Or is it just that everyone seeks to escape the mundane details of every day life for a while? It is something that ought to set those introspective cogs whirring in your head, at least for an hour or two. Think about it. Why do we watch movies, anyway?
OTHER FILM ELEMENTS
PACING AND EDITING
The pacing of the film is pretty irregular. Plot developments occur, and are necessary for the story to develop, without much to set up the scene. Although there is nothing that comes off as a loose end, it is like missing the timing on a great joke. It was improvisational on some levels as the quickly put together flick , with good, but not great editing. A few of the scenes could have used another shoot. It feels a little choppy, although the story movies forward . The middle seems more muddled than the rest.
MUSIC
The original music by Stephen Thomas Cavit (Chuck and Buck) is merely traveling music that connects the scenes, although the old folk song at the end credits is good listening, with or without the film.
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SET DESIGN
The cinematography, by Enrique Chediak (Boiler Room)is straightforward an uncomplicated, nicely framed but nothing more, except for one shot of our main character reading a letter in a closed bathroom stall, shot over the top. The set design is consistent, the costuming appropriate for the characters, who are working class folks without much sense of style.
The set design is a little bit of a problem for me, because this building (abandoned in Simi Valley) looks exactly like an old K-Mart structure, and the folks working there call out specials like a K-Mart, but one of the important jobs is doing cosmetic make- overs at a counter. I worked at K-Mart for a couple of years- and they never did that. This activity is more of a Dillard’s, Macey’s or even a Penney’s thing. I know that is a quibble of insignificance to most, but hey, I am a connoisseur of Discount Stores. Details are important.
PERFORMANCES
There are some fantastic performances by some soon to be extremely well known actors, although two of them may never get the romantic lead role. Jennifer Alliston is credible as the “Good Girl” although she is neither good nor just a girl. She is a little awkward in a few scenes, doing things outside her acting experience, but it was a good try. Mike White (the writer) has a supporting role in this flick, and I think hi s portrayal has some basis in his own experience, and it is as funny as you want to take it. The real stars of this flick though, are Jake Gyllenhaal as the young writer, John C. Reilly as the husband, and Tim Blake Nelson as Bubba. Zooey Deschanel is hilarious in her role as a Retail Rodeo clerk.
DVD EXTRAS
There is a feature length commentary by the writer and director, which is amusing, but won’t add anything to your understanding of the film. In fact, you will do much better interpreting this intriguing story on your own. There are some cute scene-specific commentaries from star Jennifer Aniston, some deleted scenes, and some out-takes, which are amusing. The DVD itself requires that you flip the disc to get all the features, and this is something I find at least mildly annoying. Two discs work better for me any day.
THE PLOT
The plot, centers around the character of a married woman, aged 30 years, who works in what looks like a revamped K-Mart. Justine’s boss is a typical mid level manager, her best friend is an older woman who sells cosmetics, and the extent of excitement offered in this dreary little Texas town is Bible study on Wednesday nights.
Justine is married to Phil, who paints houses for a living, but smokes pot most of the rest of the time. His best friend and partner, is a guy called Bubba. Justine and Phil have been working on making a baby, but so far have not been successful. Justine hates her job, and at thirty, she realizes all these details of her life have added up to about nothing, and she is depressed and bored. Or maybe she is bored and depressed.
Then one day a young man comes to work at the Retail Rodeo. His name is Tom Worther, although he calls himself Holden, after the character is Salinger’s book ,( Holden Caulfield). He keeps to himself, and Justine tells him that she can see that “he hates the world”, as she does. He is only 22 years old, a college dropout, a loner, and lonely. He has beautiful eyes, radiates raw passion, and he tells her he is a writer.
You know it is inevitable that these two will get together, but you need to see the movie to see what well- known tragic device brings her to his arms. I was rolling on the floor laughing. (I have heard it before). Then Justine may get to know him better. When her older female friend succumbs to some botulism- ridden blackberries, Justine's conscience may take a holiday.
The rest of the movie is about what happens if their secret is no longer a secret, and how they play this out. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE will become involved in this well- contrived plot before it ends! There will be many twists and turns, each a little more intricate than the last, and involving choices that must be made by Justine.
There is much much more to come. Have you ever heard that smoking marijuana may interfere wit sperm production? .
THE CAST
Jennifer Aniston as Justine Last-I have never seen the TV series Friends, for which the actress is famous. She has been married to Brad Pitt for a few years, a fact in which I have NO interest, although I don’t believe it has hurt her career. The love scene (groping scene) filmed in this movie was her first. Part of it could have been direction, but it was also extremely awkward. The other grope scene was actually pretty good, as Justine doesn’t participate in any discernible way(a directed). This character is really not about sex. That is just incidental.
In most other scenes it was excellently performed, although the character’s flat affect is a little disturbing at times. This character recognizes herself as selfish, although somewhere inside a warmth occasionally shines through. She created a viable character, who I liked a lot more and more as time went on.
Deborah Rush as Gwen Jackson- the older friend. This actor was set up as an older friend, always ready and willing to give advice, and the day she gets ill, her character gets dumped by Justine at the hospital, while she goes off to meet the young man for the first romantic encounter.
She is funny, both in her health habits, because she succumbs to health food, and just in how she acts. Because we all know someone just like her. She has been in many a TV show.
Mike White as Corny. This is “the insecurity guard” and also the writer of the screen play. This character is the well meaning guy who invited Justine to Bible study. But there are a few quirks in this character to come to light. His father, Mel White, has some history in the fundamentalist movement, so he actually plays the part from some personal experience. He wasn’t bad, and played it pretty sincere. Odd looking duck, but a brilliant writer, I think. He starred in Chuck and Buck.
John Carroll Lynch as Jack Field Your Store Manager-This actor will be known to fans of the Drew Carey show, in several episodes. Like all the characters in this screen play his part is significant, as sort of the superego of the group, both as the boss and the good boss. Check out the eulogies and the music he plays on the PA system to the employees.
Jake Gyllenhaal as Holden Worther-The young writer, melodramatic, tragic, passionate, like most young writers, right? (Like you or me at that age? ) This character is extremely disturbing at first, and it was played deliberately that way. Mike White is delivering a punch to himself to be sure. The critical question you will have at the end of the movie is, whether this character succeeded in fulfilling his dream. He says a few times he wants to do something significant, and then no longer exist. His hero is the character in Catcher in the Rye. And his writing is at best mediocre.
The word is when he auditioned for this part , he was at he home of the director, and was definitely into his method to the point that he threw a chair through the dry wall of director’s new home. This actor is really only 22 years old, has a charismatic screen presence, and you may already know him in the title role of Donnie Darko, one of my favorite quirky flicks. But a seriously demented character that reprises itself here seems a limitation to what this guy has the potential to accomplish. (I hope) An extraordinary performance, by an extraordinary young actor.
Zooey Deschanel as Cheryl-If there is any character that I identify personally with on some essential level, it is this one. She watches everything, and comments on most everything. Her interaction is limited to the Retail Rodeo. When she takes over at the cosmetic counter, she spends a lot of time changing her own makeup. Watch the mole which moves all over her face. Her dialog is outrageous. I won’t spoil it for you by repeating it.
The actress had her film debut in Mumford (1998) and has yet to get a BIG role. But I can’t help but be looking forward to it.
John C Reilly as Phil Last-This is Justine’s house painting, pot smoking husband, whose heart is the best part of the flick. This actor is not a guy with Hollywood looks, but he is always, always a class act. This is by far the warmest fuzziest character in this screen play, and I really liked him. In 2002 he appeared in Gangs of New York, this film and Chicago. He was nominated for a Golden globe for Chicago. He was also in Magnolia, Anniversary Party and Boogie Nights. If you have a job to do, this guy can do it, and you will believe every word that he utters as perfectly sincere.
Tim Blake Nelson as Bubba-A wonderful character, will engender your tender sympathy. He is Phil’s buddy, always jealous of the great friend, his wife, and his life. Even Bubba's actions which are disgraceful are in the end just sad. I found I really liked him but I can’t think why I should, except that he is such an exceptional performer. You may recognize him as the nurturing Delmar in O Brother Where Art Thou? Don’t miss his interaction with his German Shepherd , Bits.
Bits-the dog. The most unselfish performance of all. Uncredited.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
In every life, there are choices to make. They aren’t always moral choices, although there is that. This movie has layers and spirals of plot and character for you to explore, and it is pure entertainment. This movie successfully overcomes some of its shortcomings, and makes me look forward to the next contribution by this director/writer combination. There were no bad performances in this flick. I enjoyed it, more than once. It is definitely worth a look!
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: jude paxton
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