The Good Girl

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The Good Girl

R

Released Aug 7, 2002

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

158 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Justine (Jennifer Aniston) is the good girl. Thirty years old and working in a Texas discount store, she is dissatisfied by her routine and disgusted by her lazy, pot-smoking husband. Her life is nearly at a standstill, until she suddenly notices Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) a few cash registers away. He is young and seemingly as disaffected as she, and together the two forge a passionate connection destined to shatter everything Justine stands for, or at least thinks she does.

Critics Consensus

A dark dramedy with exceptional performances from Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal, The Good Girl is a moving and astute look at the passions of two troubled souls in a small town.

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Bill Stamets

Chicago Reader

...this is hardly Flaubert, but it is a fairly beguiling look at moral calculation...

May 7, 2021

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Christy Lemire

Associated Press

"The Good Girl'' will finally make Jennifer Aniston a movie star.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 12, 2018

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David Rooney

Variety

A warmly satisfying comedy about dissatisfied people seeking to escape from the personal prison of their mundane lives in soulless suburbia.

Mar 31, 2009

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Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

The film is unexpectedly chewy, following a rather tender and unpredictable route up to the very end.

Dec 9, 2021

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Arteta's third feature is good step in the right direction, for him as a disrector and for Jennifer Anniston as an actress

Rated: B

Jun 7, 2011

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Jennifer Aniston is excellent in what is the best performance of her career, yet.

Apr 29, 2009

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Jim H

This film is a testament that indie features can be subtle in presentation and still do well at the box office. Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal are both at their finest. The third act falls a bit flat in the pacing, but it's definitely worth a watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/19/25

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Faiz D

Better than I expected.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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THE NASHVILLE I

The Good Girl is not great. Unfortunately a loaded cast with an interesting idea falls terribly flat. To be honest, the dialogue’s a bit pathetic. The writers were overconfident thinking their idea was so good that they could write anything and it’d sound interesting. This is honestly a very disappointing watch

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/10/25

Full Review

Sarah A

An interesting film. Well shot cinematography and story telling. Fascinating to see the character go through a slew of events only to end right where things began, but the only difference is a seemingly new life although the question is, did anything really change? Such dramatic events and movement for things to somewhat remain the same. What an interesting and insightful look into life.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/25

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Diane S

A really different kind of role for Jennifer Aniston. John C. Reilly and Jake Gyllenhaal were great too. Mike White’s script was involving as well. Worth a watch!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/24

Full Review

Uynga U

very good movie like it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/24/24

Full Review

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Miguel Arteta

Director

Jennifer Aniston

Justine Last

Jake Gyllenhaal

Holden Worther

John C. Reilly

Phil Last

Tim Blake Nelson

Bubba

Zooey Deschanel

Cheryl

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Synopsis

Justine (Jennifer Aniston) is the good girl. Thirty years old and working in a Texas discount store, she is dissatisfied by her routine and disgusted by her lazy, pot-smoking husband. Her life is nearly at a standstill, until she suddenly notices Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal) a few cash registers away. He is young and seemingly as disaffected as she, and together the two forge a passionate connection destined to shatter everything Justine stands for, or at least thinks she does.

Director: Miguel Arteta
Producer: Matthew Greenfield
Screenwriter: Mike White
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Myriad Pictures, Flan de Coco Films
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Pervasive Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 7, 2002, Original
Release Date (DVD): Jan 7, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.0M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround