Good Girl, The MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 1/2 Content: -4

Working at the Retail Rodeo in a small Texas town, Justine (Jennifer Aniston) begins to regret her drab life and marriage to marijuana smoking house-painter Phil (John C. Reilly). Shes drawn to the young, brooding new cashier, Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), who takes his name from J. D. Salingers Catcher In The Rye, and enters into an affair. Although she worries about the consequences of Phil finding out, she forgets about other consequences of her actions. She even has sex with Phils partner, Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson), to hide her affair. But when Holden robs the store, Justine must decide whether to abandon her dull but secure life, or remain THE GOOD GIRL. While Anistons popularity from the TV show Friends may draw audiences to this complex character study, many will be surprised by the characters depth.

The film explores some difficult issues such as adultery and reconciliation as well as showing the characters self evaluation along the way. Although presented somewhat comically, a Christian character is portrayed as sincere when he invites Justine to a Bible study. And she almost commits to the study until Holdens parents arrive. However, the same character is called a pervert after comments he watched the security monitor while Justine had sex in the storeroom. Phil and Bubba are frequently seen smoking marijuana. Although tests show him impotent, Justine lets Phil think he fathered her child. Graphic sexual encounters, male frontal nudity when a dog pulls a mans toga-like sheet off, and explicit sexual discussions further degrade the story. Despite the redemptive tale of reconciliation, THE GOOD GIRL isnt.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Fox Searchlight, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035