Dziewczyna z Jersey (2004)

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

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro

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:

karma | baby | publicist | childbirth | death | 

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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 [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 2004 (Poland)

Also Known As:

Dziewczyna z Jersey

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,319,171 (USA) (26 March 2004)

Gross:

$25,266,129 (USA) (25 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, 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

When the script was first written, it was a number from "Cats" that Gertie was to perform at her school play, but the show closed before filming started. It was replaced with a number from "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street".

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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

THE DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE TO THANK: God - Who still seems to be a fan of mine. And vice versa. Jenny - The proof that God's still a fan. I love you so, so much, my muse. Scott - Love you too. You're the James Brown of film, dude. Mom - Thanks for raising me right. Harley - The original Jersey Girl. Gail and Byron - The Glue. Philbert - aka Mosier Junior. Laura - She who makes it all happen. Lehrman - An A.D. so good, he was practically the D. Vilmos - The master of light. Ben - You were flat out brilliant. George - Funny, smart, and a great actor. It's just not fair. Liv - My new favorite actress. You elevated Maya. Raquel - Kid, you're a star. Jen - Who inspired Ben to greatness and while being great herself. Root and Starr - The mid-life Jay and Silent Bob. Biggs - You've now lived down the Pie. Betty - The best teacher the kids could have. Will - I love you all the way to the moon and back down to the dirt. The Crew - The true filmmakers. Carol - For riding shotgun. Sue - For grace under pressure. Charlie - For our third act show-stopper. Jon G. - Officially Miramax, unofficially View Askew. You're the fourth Beatle, dude. Harvey - For an excellent suggestion. Phil - My deal-maker and friend. Sloss - The legal eagle. Pierson - Who keeps me honest. Mas - For support from day one. Sondheim - For "Sweeney" in both our movie and real life. The Boss - For lending us his art. Twice. Stevie, Aimee, Ben, and Pete - For flick-defining tunes. Joey, Zack, and Donald - For lots of Crystal Light, Baja Fresh chicken, and smoke runs. Carol - Who keeps me rolling in dough. Ming - The Architect. Chappy - My merch partner in crime. The City of Philadelphia - For being great hosts. The Town of Paulsboro - For the locations and the street. The Town of Highlands - For giving a fat kid a nice place to grow up. And the Tabloids - For nothing. When in Red Bank, New Jersey, visit Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. When in Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, Red Bank, New Jersey, purchase a ton of quality merchandise manufactured by Graphitti Designs.

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Connections

References Miasteczko Pleasantville (1998)

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Soundtracks

That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart
Written and Performed by Aimee Mann
Courtesy of Superego Records

User Reviews

I left this on the shelf far too long

So after reading many a disconsolate review from Kevin Smith fans I decided to purchase the DVD anyway. Yet all the negative comments had left their toll on me and the DVD stayed on the shelf in its shrink wrapper for FAR TOO LONG. You motor heads! Yes this movie is sweet and yes it's sometimes even sickly but it's endearing and moving. Ben Athleck switches in and out of competence a few too many times to make his performance IMO a completely solid one but frankly he does a good job of holding all the disparate threads of the movie together.

If you want to live in 1994 dick & fart jokes then simply put Clerks in the DVD player and play it again! However each of Kevin's films go someway in their own right into the exploration of inter-personal relationships and the impact of consequence in our daily lives. Jersey Girl is no different in this respect than Clerks.