THE GOOD GIRL
Jennifer Aniston is just right as Justine, a not
especially bright 30-year-old working a dead-end job
and married to a house painter (John C. Reilly) who
spends his free time smoking pot with his hayseed of
a best friend (Tim Blake Nelson). Justine sees an
opportunity for escape through her affair with a
22-year-old coworker (Jake Gyllenhaal), but once her
illicit activity causes complications (as inevitably it
must), she’s forced to make a series of hasty
decisions that could hurt rather than heal her situation.
Director Miguel Arteta and writer Mike White earn our
empathy by bouncing humor off the situations rather
than the characters, resulting in a sterling example of
the sort of “introspective cinema” that not enough
filmmakers tackle. DVD extras include audio
commentary and deleted scenes. 
1/2
Also New:
SIGNS
It grossed $228 million, yet I can’t think
of another 2002 release that left so many viewers
dissatisfied. Mel Gibson is rock-solid as a former
reverend who suspects an alien invasion is imminent,
but the effective air of ambiguity established in the first
hour gives way to a thuddingly obvious second half
(think Independence Day without a budget).
1/2
UNDERCOVER BROTHER
Beating the
Austin Powers films at their own game, this
blaxploitation spoof (and, surprisingly, a favorite more
with critics than audiences) downplays the raunch in
favor of gags that rely on the strength of their own
cleverness as opposed to the extent of their
outrageousness. Granted, this hit-and-miss mode
results in a lot of groaners, but the big laughs are
tumultuous enough to barrel right over the slow
patches.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2003.
