Review by Bryce Zabel
In both these films, Jennifer Aniston plays an underemployed and unchallenged woman who's not very successful in the finding love department. The fact that she made both these movies while being married to Brad Pitt and/or on the cover of nearly every celebrity magazine available in the global market and still pulled off very credible performances, well, that shows she's got more going on than your average sitcom star.
The movie you can find in your local indie theater at the moment is "Friends with Money." In this film, Jennifer (the ex-"Friend") is the only character among a group of friends who doesn't have much cash. The film, directed by Nicole Holofcener is about four Los Angeles women who are, truth to tell, pretty fucked up in one way or another. Jennifer is so at sea as a person that she's working as a maid, stealing cosmetics and getting high all the time.
"I am so screwed up that I'm actually willing to sleep with you."
Our challenger is another indie favorite, "The Good Girl." In this film, Jennifer lives her life of quiet desperation clerking at the Retail Rodeo. Instead of being a pot-head, she's married to one (played by John C. Reilly). Her life is such a depressing mess that she takes up with a young guy named Tom (Jake Gyllenhaal before he started riding the range).
"I am so screwed up I am actually willing to sleep with you, too."
Neither one of these movies is going to win any comedy awards. Despite the fact that each one of them has elements of humor, the truth here is that they're both walking on the dark side of life. "The Good Girl" is the more focused film because it's all about Jennifer's character, Justine, and it has a real, albeit difficult, resolution. "Friends with Money" feels more like a slice of life, joining its characters in progress, going further with some than others, and leaving a lot of things up in the air.
Both of them, I suspect, hit close to the mark in bringing to film characters who really do exist. These days I'm closer to the LA pod-people of "Friends with Money" than the low-level slackers of "The Good Girl" but I recognized a lot of truth in both of them. My family had no money to speak of and I've worked at my share of really crappy jobs at a few places that make Retail Rodeo look like Beverly Hills, so I can relate.
"The Good Girl" takes this Smackdown on points. You may have already seen it but, if not, check it out. "Friends with Money" is a good film, too, but there's no compelling reason to run out an spend your money today to see it in a theater. It's small because that's the way it was meant to be. It will work just fine for you when you're sitting on the couch. You may even be inspired by the sight of Jennifer Aniston in a skimpy maid's outfit to get up and do a little cleaning...
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