The Good Girl

Short: A woman (Jennifer Aniston) who is bored with her life and her stoned husband (John C. Reilly) has an affair with a strange younger co-worker (Jake Gyllenhaal).

Now, I don't know about you, but, when I am bored, I go have an affair with a slightly psychotic younger man. Okay, so the point I was trying to make was that the actions of the characters are questionable. I've never been in the positions they are in, so perhaps they would seem more reasonable to me if I had been.

The film gives Aniston the opportunity to prove that she can handle something beyond Friends. Previous attempts such as Picture Perfect suggested that she couldn't, but, somehow, she pulls through this one to a fairly impressive performance. Her Justine is as naive as she is manipulative, and she balances both with a quiet introspective glaze over her eyes. I'm not ready to bet the farm on Aniston just yet, but she does have something to her.

As always, Gyllenhaal dives head first into his character, providing a powerful performance for Aniston to steady herself against. Gyllenhaal, with the exception of Bubble Boy, excels in the role of a youth that has been "put upon" in some way or another. I can't wait to see what he does as he continues to age.

The director, Michael Arteta, made a name for himself directing episodes of shows such as Freaks and Geeks and Six Feet Under. I am a fan of both, and he does pretty much the same thing with the same sort of material that writer Mike White gives him.

The movie is darkly focused on the perceived emptiness of people's lives. It contains no redeeming message of hope at the end, which could be considered a blessing or a downfall. You decide.