SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

GazerRise Fantastic!

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

flarepunk The Good Girl was a movie I just happened on. After watching it, I took Jennier Aniston completely seriously as an actress. This movie goes beyond what I had expected from it. There are a few reviews that claim she was evil and despicable by doing what she did - but I find her to be realistic. She wanted to escape her monotonous life, wanted to make something, and wanted to dream. Holden represented this unhinged dream. She hated everything in her life, and so did he. But the two, unfortunately for both, had different limits. His passion was boundless, with large ideas that he could likely never achieve. Her passion was a dream, and became far too real as she began to live it out. I found every single choice made by her in the film to be a realistic one. I believe I see myself in her character a lot, and that might be why I love the movie so much. She was willing to sacrifice a lot to hold onto her dream while she could, but when things became too real, she backed out, realizing she prefers the comfort of the monotony over the 'wilderness' that was Holden. Loved it!

sol- Mostly memorable for Jennifer Aniston's lead performance, 'The Good Girl' offers the Golden Globe actress perhaps her finest acting hour, cast here as an unhappily married store clerk who sees life passing her by. The promise of something new, exciting and different comes in the form of a much younger coworker who fancies her, but is there really a possible 'happily ever after' scenario for them? And does she really love him or simply what he represents with his championing of 'The Catcher in the Rye' and ramblings about defying social norms? Their affair eventually leads to a fork in the road in which Aniston is forced to make a choice and her decision, while perplexing at first, seems simply inevitable in retrospect. The film is well acted by not only Aniston, but also a stellar supporting cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Zooey Deschanel, 'Zodiac''s John Carroll Lynch, John C. Reilly and Tim Blake Nelson, and yet, the film does not quite have the same effect upon revision. The script relies heavily on elements of surprise for impact and none of the twists (other than Aniston's choice at end) have that much power once one knows they are coming. The philosophical voice over narration also seems to spell about a bit too much, especially concerning Nelson's character, upon revision. Aniston's internal strife resonates either way though, and her down-to-earth performance ensures that the film is engaging the whole through. 'The Good Girl' might not be a flawless film, however, if nothing else it will make you think twice before eating blackberries again!

buiger This is an ill-fated attempt by Hollywood to make a "European" movie about a "Sartresque" issue, the (non)sense of life. It poses some interesting questions, but it is not dark enough, it cannot escape from the endemic US optimism that creeps up every now and then, even in such a film. Thanks god, such things are much better left to Europeans, Hollywood should go on doing what it is best at... Great entertainment!On a surprisingly positive note, Jennifer Aniston is great in her role, one would never have expected she can actually do a 'serious' role (no disrespect intended)... As one critic put it, 'Her performance is forceful and effective'. I could not agree more.

Enchorde Recap: Justine feels like her life is prison. She is stuck in a job that she hates, and stuck in a marriage that she resents. Her husband is more of a pothead than a painter. But one day there is a young new cashier at her job, Holden. He wakes up feelings in Justine that she hasn't felt in a long time. Curiosity, closeness. Desire. They start to have an affair but then guilt strikes Justine. She feels guilty for abandoning her friends, she feels guilty for abandoning her marriage and finally she doesn't know what to do. Stay in her marriage or run with Holden, but Holden shows to be more fragile than herself. And in the midst of this, she is suddenly pregnant.Comments: Much more of a drama than of anything else. It is listed as a comedy and a romance too, but it isn't very funny, and not very romantic either. In my opinion, just because one of the ingredients is marriage and adultery, it isn't a love story. This is really a movie about being stuck in one place with no expectations, coming to resent it and being desperate to leave or change it, by any means. It is a drama, don't expect anything else.I had my hopes for a bigger element of comedy, especially with accomplished comedians Jennifer Aniston and John C Reilly leading the cast, so it didn't meet many of my expectations. It wasn't bad, but not very good either. The only fun parts sprung from the equally bored character Cheryl, played by Zooey Deschanel, who tries to live up her day by breaking all the rules.Otherwise it is pretty dark, full with misery. It is not a feel good movie, and it never really changes gear. Justine just stumbles along the story, from event to event, scene to scene, more or less in misery. But still in misery all the way. Not very uplifting to watch. This is only for those who like their stories full of melancholy, not anyone else. Do not, like me, get fooled by the cast, to think it is something else.5/10