Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- morose
- melancholic
- reflective movie night
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a sharp, moving dark dramedy elevated by Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal's performances and Mike White's perceptive script.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film combines dark comedy with marital frustration, illicit passion, jealousy, and escalating personal distress.
Justine feels imprisoned by her marriage, routine work, and small-town life before pursuing an affair with Holden.
Justine's passionate relationship with the younger discount-store stock boy becomes an outlet from her unhappy marriage.
Jennifer Aniston's portrayal of lonely, morose Justine sharply contrasts with her familiar television comedy image.
Films like The Good Girl, and why
Little Children
shares a darkly comic portrait of marital dissatisfaction, illicit desire, and emotional isolation in an ordinary American setting
The Ice Storm
shares an offbeat, melancholy romantic drama about lonely adults seeking escape from constricting domestic lives
Election
shares blackly comic suburban discontent, deadpan social observation, and characters driven toward destructive personal rebellion
Movie Details
- Director
- Miguel Arteta
- Release Date
- 2002-08-07
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (702)
Cast
- Jennifer Aniston
- Zooey Deschanel
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- John Carroll Lynch
- Tim Blake Nelson
- John C. Reilly
- Deborah Rush
- Mike White
- John Doe
- Roxanne Hart
Common questions
- What is The Good Girl about?
- A lonely married retail worker risks everything for an affair that briefly makes her stagnant small-town life feel vivid and escapeable.
- What is The Good Girl like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Good Girl as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Good Girl violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Good Girl as mild.
- What did critics think of The Good Girl?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a sharp, moving dark dramedy elevated by Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal's performances and Mike White's perceptive script.
- Which films are like The Good Girl?
- Films with a similar feel include Little Children, The Ice Storm, and Election.
- How long is The Good Girl?
- The Good Girl runs 93 minutes.
