2002. United States. 93 mins. (Slice Of Life-ish, Growin-upish, Romantic, Comedic) Jen Aniston is America's Julia Roberts. Aren't they both Americans? Well, they both are entitled to the same passport. The difference is Julia has a passport. She gets to live in swank hotels from Istanbul to Paris and have a great affairs with guys like Clive Owen (Duplicity). Jennifer Aniston gets raped (we're led to believe)in a pay-by-the-hour motel room while Clive Owen lies beaten senseless on the floor. Julia's one moment of every girl role was Mystic Pizza. Then she became a big movie star who could beam condescending smiles at us little people. But Jennifer's mouth is too wide for those smiles, her jaw is too jutting, and she doesn't have an hourglass figure. She's the waitress in the diner, the wife who dreams of more, the victim of ruthless villains. She's tough but desperate for love. She's one terrific actress who probably always knows her lines, always waits patiently for her scenes, and thanks everyone at the end. Hey, she came out of TV where you learn humility as part of the job. She's our star but she'll never have the wattage of a movie star like Julia even if she can act the Victoria's Secret panties off her. The Good Girl has her married to John C. Reilly, a TV couch potato who yuks it up smoking dope with his post adolescent friend Tim Blake Nelson. Jen sits patiently doing her nails while they light yet another doobie. If she thinks there must be a better life she doesn't show it until Jake Gyllenhaal shows up as a stock boy in the store where she works as a cashier. She's up for a little affair, he's looking for deep meaning in his life. Any writer knows this can't end well, especially when Tim Blake Nelson sees them at the motel and demands a piece for himself. The scene where she gives him sex-on-demand is brilliant and something Julia could never do (Oh Lord, what would my audience think if I got on my knees?) Jen has no such dilemma. She's a survivor. Love is something you hope for after you've paid the rent. That's why we love her. There should be an Oscar for effort, and she's my candidate.