They begin a very hot affair, until things start getting complicated for them at work and for Justine at home when her husband's best friend, played by indie filmmaker Tim Blake Nelson (Wonderland), who discovers their secret and makes Justin sleep with HIM to keep his mouth shut.

Eventually, Justine becomes pregnant and has no idea who the father is, except she knows it's not her husband Phil, played by John C. Reilly (Chicago), after discovering he is sterile.

If things aren't bad enough for Justine, when she tries to break away from her love affair, Holden becomes obsessive and dangerous.

This movie is very unusal for writer Mike White, who's only other movie to do well was "School of Rock." Comparing the two pictures together, "The Good Girl" shows a far higher amount of talent for these abnormal slice of life pieces.

Director Miguel Arteta's style (Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?, Date School) is somewhat stale visually, but it is obvious, since there isn't a soft performance by any actor in this picture, that he is truly an actor's director, very much in the vein of Mike Nichols.

The best part of this picture--and don't let the fact that I'm totally infatuated with her have any bearing on my opinion--is Jennifer Aniston. She has been in movies before, but they were low-minded quirky comedies, which simply allowed her to show the same talents she'd already proven on television.

For Aniston, this movie is absolute proof she can put a character together and remain consistent as its lead. The story is set in the south, and she grasps the accent, as does everyone in the picture, with expert believability. So far, this is the best performance she's given in any movie.

As you can imagine, Justine has a lot of things going on in her head, and Aniston's unspoken abilities are pure and more than able to include the viewer in her inner motivations and conflicts.

This movie is all about Aniston with a solid supporting cast and solid writing. Because of the problems Justine runs into, the picture's stale look is supplemented with the need to know what's going to become of this cutie.

If the picture appears to be slow at first, it is simply because Arteta is attempting to have the viewer feel the same way Justine felt about her life before her affair. In the end, the picture gives us a message saying even if your life and marriage are simply boring, straying can only mean trouble.

Justine was married to a responsible and caring man, who simply didn't have a personality that excited her. This picture shows what can happen to a woman when that isn't enough for her and becomes ultimately selfish.

"The Good Girl" is one of my favorite indie made movies to come along in a while. I think you may find it highly interesting as well. The DVD has a great gag reel, deleted scenes that do nothing for the story, and a very interesting commentary track from Arteta and White, and Aniston for some scenes.