Jersey Girl (2004)

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

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith

Stars:

Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro

2 wins & 7 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

karma | hare krishna | baby | publicist | childbirth | 

---

Taglines:

Forget about who you thought you were, and just accept who you are.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

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 USA:

$8,319,171, 28 March 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$25,266,129, 27 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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Affleck's character's name comes from the first name of the popular DC superhero, Oliver "Ollie" Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow. Kevin Smith wrote fifteen issues of Green Arrow just prior to working on this film.

---

Goofs

Ollie cautions Gertie to flush the toilet, but never mentions that she should wash her hands after using it. For a protective father like he is, this makes little sense.

---

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.

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

References Fletch (1985)

---

Soundtracks

Worlds They Rise and Fall
Written by Mike Heron
Performed by The Incredible String Band
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

More sugar than a jumbo-sized bag of Skittles

"Jersey Girl" is one of the biggest pieces of syrupy tripe I've seen in a while. In fact, it's so sticky sweet that, if not for the credits and his face on the DVD case, I'd never know it was Kevin Smith's work. Other than some of his trademark rapid-fire dialogue and scatological humor (which often doesn't work well this time around), it's hard to believe that this film came from the same guy's pen as "Clerks" or "Chasing Amy," the latter of which is still his best film.

"Jersey Girl" stars Ben Affleck as Ollie Trinke (I'll address character names in a bit), a self-centered Manhattan whiz kid of the music business who, after personal tragedy, completely unravels in a most public way and torpedoes his own career. Blackballed and defeated in the big city, Ollie is forced to return to his blue-collar roots on the Jersey side, with his infant daughter in tow. Cue the cutesy and heart-tugging scenes here.

Already burdened with an unrealistic script, "Jersey Girl" also suffers from some weak Ben Affleck acting, particularly in an overwrought scene in which Ollie is crying next to his daughter's crib. You just don't buy it from this character, or from this actor.

The only true highlight in the film is George Carlin, who plays an authentic and likable working-class father (complete with the clichéd heart of gold) who tries to teach Ollie the importance of family over material. Carlin more or less is playing himself, but it fits the role nicely. His occasional, "Aw, Jesus Christ" lament and eye-roll are more amusing and genuine than much of the more elaborately written dialogue which, until this film, was always Smith's strong point.

Now, to the character names. Jennifer Lopez plays Affleck's wife (insert your own joke on that one), Gertrude Steiney. Does Lopez even remotely look like a woman who would have such a name? For someone of obvious Hispanic lineage, it's absurd. Their daughter is subsequently named Gertrude ("Gertie") as well. Gertie? Ollie? What year is this?!?

I'm guessing that this will be Smith's last attempt at a mainstream romantic comedy. As a longtime fan, I surely hope so. He's a much better filmmaker when in an edgier and unsweetened form.