Jersey Girl (2004)

After his career is sidelined from an unexpected tragedy and a personal blowup, a single man must take care of his precocious daughter.

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith

Stars:

Betty Aberlin, Raquel Castro, Ben Affleck

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Betty Aberlin	...	Teacher
Matt McFarland	...	Boy #1
Sarah Stafford	...	Girl #1
Paulie Litt	...	Bryan (as Paulie Litowsky)
Christian Fan	...	Boy #3
Victor Chavez	...	Boy #4
William Mace	...	Boy #5
Raquel Castro	...	Gertie Trinke
Ben Affleck	...	Ollie Trinke
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith	...	Susan (as Jennifer Schwalbach)
Jennifer Lopez	...	Gertrude Steiney
George Carlin	...	Bart Trinke
Stephen Root	...	Greenie
Mike Starr	...	Block
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Doctor #1

Storyline

Ollie Trinkie is a publicist, who has a great girlfriend, Gertrude, whom he marries and they are expecting a baby but while he is looking forward to being a father, he doesn't lighten his workload. Gertrude gives birth but dies in the process. Ollie doesn't live up to his responsibilities as a father. Eventually the strain and pressure of losing his wife and being a father gets to him and he has breakdown, which leads to his termination. So with nothing much to do he tries to be good father to his daughter, Gertie. He also meets a young woman name Maya, who likes him but he is still not over his wife.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | publicist | love | death | aneurysm | 

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Taglines:

He wanted it all...but he got more than he bargained for.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 on appeal for language and sexual content including frank dialogue

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fatherhood Project

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$167,297 (South Africa) (29 October 2004)

Gross:

$402,997 (South Africa) (12 November 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, View Askew Productions, Beverly Detroit

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Mewes was originally intended to play Arthur Bankman, but his problems with substance abuse caused him to drop out. Jason Lee also auditioned for this role, which ultimately went to Jason Biggs.

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Goofs

When Ollie Trinke is checking out at the video store, the VHS boxes behind Maya change between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Teacher: Everyone, please take your seats. You heard the bell. You know what it means. Last week, the assignment was to write an essay about your family. Who they...
Teacher: [class: "Are!"] And what they...
Teacher: [class: "Mean to us!"] Excellent droning.

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Crazy Credits

Jay says "Nooch." during the View Askew logo that plays at the end of the credits.

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Connections

References The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Wandering"
Written by Ben Folds and Darren Jessee
Performed by Ben Folds
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A new direction for Smith.

Overall this was a good, heartwarming and funny film from Kevin Smith, much different than his previous Jersey flicks. In typical Smith fashion, Affleck stars with cameos by Jason Lee and Matt Damon, and when Affleck's daughter wants to do a musical for her school talent show, she doesn't choose something sweet and simple, but a song from Sweeney Todd.

There are some cliched moments, such as Affleck being torn between a job interview and going to his daughter's talent show, and of course choosing the talent show and staying in NJ, but this was a pretty good film. Don't expect Jason Mewes and his homously foul mouth to be popping up anywhere, just expect to be pleased with Smith's ability to embrace the mainstream while playing fast and loose with the rules.