Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Massawyrm had this turned in to the Labs by Thursday night. I can’t explain what kept it from being published until right now, but, hey... it’s aged well, like a particularly stinky cheese.
Wait. I think that didn’t sound as complimentary as it was supposed to...
Hola all. Everyone's favorite Chain-smoking, Dr. Pepper Swilling, Indie schilling menace at large here with a brief look at this weeks indie worth seeking out, The Good Girl. The Good Girl is that Jennifer Aniston film you've been hearing on again/off again about since Sundance that is just about to go from limited release to a fairly wide art house run. I saw this a few weeks ago and have been dying to talk about it, but, well...you know how embargos are. So here goes.
The Good Girl Re-teams director Miguel Arteta with writer Mike White who together were responsible for creeping out America with their all-too-odd indie 'Chuck and Buck'. Couple that pairing with the fact that Mike White is responsible for penning my worst cinematic experience of the year to date with the dreadful attempt at comedy 'Orange County' and I wasn't quite sure how I was going to react to this. Was I going to shift around uncomfortable in my seat and require a shower after the viewing like 'Chuck and Buck'? Or would I stare, mouth agape at the vapid black hole of humor like I did with 'Orange County'? Well, as they say folks, the proof is in the pudding: Artists can change, grow and hone their craft to a fine cutting edge in a surprisingly short amount of time.
The Good Girl is a Nigh Perfect indie film.
This film accomplishes what both of Mike White's previously penned adventures did not for me: It beautifully illustrated a slice of life reality while making me double over in my seat with laughter. Everything hits dead on here. The humor is biting, wicked and sharp, sometimes going for the fun jokes and sometimes making you guffaw with an "Oh, no they didn't!" as some of the jokes are just so wrong on so many levels that you would be embarrassed to be caught laughing at them in front of your mother. And all the while, White is telling a perfectly crafted tale about a depressed woman who feels trapped by the life she just happened into. A life many of us share or have endured for a number of years.
Justine Last (Aniston) is a 30 year old, married small town southern girl trapped in the dead end environment of her local 'Retail Rodeo', a Pic and Save meets Piggly Wiggly ripped right out of reality and wonderfully molded into the setting to bring back every retail sales nightmare you may have experienced as an employee back to the forefront of your mind. The Retail Rodeo is populated with the typical quirky characters you'd expect from Mike White (including Mike White himself as an overzealous born again Christian security guard) except that everything his characters failed to be in Orange County, they are here. Each character is the type that you can easily say you've worked with before, while managing to make each one three dimensional and funny as hell. Zooey Deschanel (William's older sister in Almost Famous and Dizzy's female band member and good friend in The New Guy) makes a hilarious turn as fellow disenfranchised employee Cheryl, who I swear to Christ I've worked with before. Her over-the-intercom rants are worth seeing this film for alone as each one is perfectly executed and amazingly funny. John Carroll Lynch (a character actor with small roles all over the map) is 'Jack Field, Your Store Manager' and is the embodiment of EVERY GOD DAMNED retail manager I've ever had the displeasure of working for. His delivery is pitch perfect and dead on, giving the movie some of its more 'wrong' moments.
Justine sleep walks through her job day in and day out, only to go home to her perpetually stoned, and otnay-ootay-ightbray husband Phil (played wonderfully by John C. Reilly) and his cohort Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson). When the Retail Rodeo hires a new employee, Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal from Donnie Darko, Bubble Boy and otherwise known as that guy you SWEAR was Tobey Maguire when he's flashed on the screen for less than 2 seconds), Justine is confronted with his youth, dreams and talent. She's never known anyone like Holden before and she starts to question the life she feels she didn't really choose, but rather just happened. Then things begin to spiral out of control.
The one problem some people might have with this movie is that there simply aren't any 'smart' characters. It's not that everyone is dumb, it's just that many of them are simply going through their lives without thinking much about them. Now normally movies like this get on my bad side rather quickly, as I have a low tolerance for movies that derive it's laughs at the expense of 'real' portrayals of common, everyday people. Most of these films are mean spirited, attempts at low brow humor disguised with a high minded veneer. In 'The Good Girl' however, White and Arteta make sure to give everyone their likeable (or at least understandable) good side, and showcase each characters humanity throughout the whole of the story. There isn't a single character who isn't proven in some way human by the final frame. And you feel for all of them at some point.
What I really love about this film is that it is a complete 180 from everything I hated about White's 'Orange County'. Rather than simply being a collection of quirks, all of the characters serve a purpose and I cannot stress how wonderfully placed and acted all of them are. And when the ending comes, rather than pasting on some cornball easy-way-out, everyone instead earns their ending the hard way. The Good Girl sets up several possible easy endings, but instead thumbs its nose at them and delivers a real life, hard fought wrap up that really pays off for everyone involved as well as the audience. It is, in fact, the only way this could have ended properly. And its perfect.
Finally, Jennifer Aniston has been given a role she deserves, something she could chew on and really prove she's more than just Rachel from 'Friends'. There isn't a single moment in this film where you look at her and can even in a blink mistake her for any of her other characters. She carries herself different, smiles different, and her southern drawl never sounds forced or contrived. I really want to see her get more roles with this much depth, because she really shines here and brings the whole movie together.
This is the type of film that could have only been made as an indie. No studio exec in his right mind would allow an ending like the one this film has to offer in one of their films. The Good Girl is the very reason many of us search out indies. It delivers on every level and gives us a glimpse into a life that may well be your own. I'm very curious as to what Mike White will do next. Independent Cinema seems to be where he shines best (or at all). I'm gonna keep my eye on Mr. White, because there seems to be alot of talent hoarded in this odd little man. Here's to hoping he doesn't squander it again under the bright, shiny lights of the studios.
For those of you looking for something solid to chew on after a summer filled with fluff (very fun fluff, yes, but admittedly only sparse periods of depth to be found anywhere) than this is the cure for that hole in your viewing selections. I highly recommend making the trip to your local arthouse for this one. Odds are you're not going to be disappointed.
Until next time friends, smoke 'em if ya got 'em. I know I will.
Massawyrm
