The Good Girl gives us a post-Friends Jennifer Aniston desperately trying to obliterate the memory of her friend’s character Rachel Green from the minds of the film going public.  In The Good Girl Aniston plays Justine Last, a sales assistant at the discount chain Retail Rodeo, who is bored with every aspect of her hum drum life including her marriage to her husband Phil (John C. Reilly).  She longs to escape and soon starts to take action.  However the actions she takes to escape her life are anything but good – including ignoring a sick friend, attempted poisoning and most catastrophically, adultery. 

In fellow Retail Rodeo employee Holden Worther (Jake Gyllenhaal) Justine finds a like minded, if deeply troubled, spirit, with whom she begins an affair.  Holden is far from emotionally stable and things start to get complicated when Justine falls pregnant – especially complicated considering husband Phil is infertile.  Justine must learn to make some hard choices, but not before things get further complicated. 

On paper the good girl sounds like an interesting idea, the execution however is somewhat lacking.  Director Miguel Artera and Aniston do a good job of building the boredom of Justine’s world; however it also has the effect of boring their audience.  Justine is not likeable, some of her decisions are detestable and yet the film leaves her in a position she doesn’t deserve.  What does this say about how we should live our lives?  Do bad and everything will turn out ok?  Maybe I missed the point (if there was one) that Artera, and writer Mike White, were trying to make. 

Side character Cheryl (Zooey Deschanel) is perhaps the most engaging character, even if she is being played for comic relief.  Indeed a much more engaging film might’ve been had if the world of the Retail Rodeo was explored.  Gyllenhaal plays tortured Holden well, channelling Donnie Darko perhaps, and John C. Reilly continues to fine tune put upon husband persona.  However it is Aniston’s film, and even though she does a fine job, nothing about her screams leading lady, and The Good Girl was not the film to try and prove she had what it takes.