The Good Girl

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2:12

The Good Girl

R

2002

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Justine is the good girl. Thirty years old and working in a Texas discount store, she is dissatisfied with her routine and disgusted by her lazy, pot-smoking husband. Her life is nearly at a standstill, until she suddenly notices Holden 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

May 7, 2021

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

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Christy Lemire

Associated Press

Jun 12, 2018

3/4

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

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David Rooney

Variety

Mar 31, 2009

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

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Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Dec 9, 2021

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

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jun 7, 2011

B

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

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Apr 29, 2009

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

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Andres E

@Andre805 Oct 16, 2026

I'm a Jennifer Aniston fan. She plays the lonely bored wife pretty well in the movie.

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Scott R

@ScottR Aug 2, 2026

Suggested by Taylor this was a pleasant surprise that reminded me of Raising Arizona. Anniston’s deadpan was a key feature to the movie’s success. Other than that, the other characters were cast well and the obscurity of the bizarre SW culture. The drama of the sad lives of people stuck in dead end jobs and marriages makes for some poignant moments, but those are alleviated by the comedy. Saw on box.

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Jim H

@RT24238400 Jun 19, 2025

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.

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Faiz D

@RT95588871 May 13, 2025

Better than I expected.

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THE NASHVILLE I

@Nshvlleindie Feb 7, 2025

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

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Sarah A

@RT28550666 Jan 27, 2025

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.

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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 is the good girl. Thirty years old and working in a Texas discount store, she is dissatisfied with her routine and disgusted by her lazy, pot-smoking husband. Her life is nearly at a standstill, until she suddenly notices Holden 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

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