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

The first of Kevin Smith's films to be rated PG-13 in the US, although it was initially rated R until appeal.

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Goofs

After their argument, Ollie goes upstairs and sits on Gertie's bed. He finds out that his daughter sleeps with her mother's pictures. Ollie picks up the picture from Gertie's hands, and after she wakes up and they speak, Ollie gives the photo back twice.

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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 Air Force One (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Let My Love Open The Door (E.Cola Mix)"
Written and Performed by Pete Townshend
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group

User Reviews

Very Sweet Movie

In New York, the young executive Oliver "Ollie" Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a successful PR of the music industry. He meets and falls in love for Gertrude Steiney (Jennifer Lopez), who soon gets pregnant. However, she dies in the childbirth and Ollie decides to return to his father's home in New Jersey. Pressed by the situation of lonely father, the workaholic Ollie blows-up in an important press conference and makes a fatal statement, losing his job and becoming blacklisted in his publicist career. He promises to be the "best father in the world" to the young Gertie, and stays single, grieving his beloved wife, without dating any woman for seven years and trying to retrieve a position of public relation. One day, he meets the rental clerk Maya (Liv Tyler), they become friends and she helps him to supersede his past life.

"Jersey Girl" is a very sweet movie about family, and honestly I could never expect such sensitive story from Kevin Smith. I like his work a lot, and I have all his movies in my collection. "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy" are amazing, and I must confess that I was tired of "Jay and Silent Bob". The shift in his career could not be better. The story is great and very well balanced with drama, comedy and romance. Liv Tyler is fantastic, showing a great chemistry with Ben Affleck. George Carlin is great, without being corny, in the role of Bart Trinke. But the girl Raquel Castro is stunning: very bright and smart, she steals all the scenes and seems to be a future star. I really loved this movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Menina dos Olhos" ("Apple of the Eyes" – meaning something very dear")