The Good Girl

Somehow this turned into Jennifer Aniston week, and I promise you this will be the third and final post that involves her for at least a little while. This completes the Jen trilogy, and I do believe these are her 3 best movies. This film actually depicts her a plain, unhappy woman stuck in the rut of middle age. She is not unattractive (that's impossible), but she is not glamorous like most of her other roles. Justine (Aniston) has been married for way too long. Her husband, Phil (John C. Reilly) doesn't seem to appreciate her, they are working class-so life is tough, and she is really unhappy. She works at a local department drug store where everyday is the same. Then one day Holden (Gyllenhaal) begins working there. The age difference between them doesn't deter them from having an illicit affair. He adores her, but he has issues of his own. He actually believes he is Holden Caulfield, who is the protagonist from the book, The Catcher in the Rye. She feels guilt at first as anyone would, but she begins to justify her actions to herself. He is falling for her when she feels enough is enough. She and Phil have decided to have a baby, so she thinks it should be over. it was just a phase, and now she will move on with her normal middle American life. She thinks it is behind her, until Phil's best friend Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson) catches her with Holden and threatens to tell Phil. He actually blackmails her which is all too creepy a situation considering the parties involved. With her pregnancy troubles, life has gotten even harder, so when she does get pregnant with the possibility of 3 different men being the Father, she can do nothing but wait. It is depressing, yet heartfelt. She doesn't seem to love Phil anymore, but she doesn't want to do anything to hurt him. It is a great independent film with an all star cast. I do recommend it for anyone who likes movies.

NBM rates The Good Girl - Awesome