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

Oliver Trinke has always tried to put his Highlands, New Jersey past behind him, but it has been a difficult task for the past six years. Ollie was a successful New York City music publicist. He and his wife Gertrude had a daughter, immediately after which Gertrude died leading to Ollie naming their daughter Gertie. Unprepared to be a father let alone a single father, Ollie, through a single incident largely putting his desire for professional success over his responsibilities as a father, became persona non grata in the entertainment publicity industry, resulting in Ollie and Gertie needing to move back to Highlands, moving in with his father, Bart Trinke, until he got back onto his feet. But unexpectedly for Ollie, getting back on his feet in an immediate sense meant getting a job working side-by-side with Bart in the Borough of Highlands works crew, a job he still has. Ollie still has the desire both to get back to a New York City life and a high powered job as an entertainment ...

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Plot Keywords:

hare krishna | labia | karma | blue bra | sex | 

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Taglines:

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

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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:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Kevin Smith Project

Filming Locations:

Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,300,000, 28 March 2004

Gross USA:

$25,268,157

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,492,921

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

Kevin Smith has acknowledged that his crush on Stacie Mistysyn prompted his naming of Clerks (1994) character, Caitlin Bree, in honor of Mistysyn's Caitlin Ryan character (from Degrassi High (1987), School's Out! (1992), and Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001)), and subsequently tried to cast her in Mallrats (1995). However, in spite of all this adulation, it appears that he titled this film before knowing of Mistysyn's Jersey Guy (2003) released only a few months earlier. Smith would later guest star on five episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001), as a fictional representation of himself, flirting with, and attempting to seduce, Caitlin Ryan.

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Goofs

While Gertrude is putting on her earrings during her fight with Ollie, she leaves the room without having put the left earring on. In the next shot of her in the next room, there is an earring in that ear.

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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

Before the end credits, a dedication appears to Kevin Smith's father, who died before the film was released.

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Alternate Versions

Kevin Smith has a three-hour "director's cut" version that has screened in Los Angeles and in New Jersey at his Vulgarthon all-day film events. Smith says he will release the longer version on DVD for the film's eventual tenth anniversary.

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Connections

References Night of the Living Dead (1990)

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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

This is a good movie.

Jersey Girl I think is an average movie. Definitely not one of my favorites, but at the same time not the worst movie I've ever seen. The plot of the movie is well thought out and is a good idea for a movie. Ben Affleck who plays Ollie Trinke is a Manhattan music publicist. He later meets the girl of his dreams and she becomes pregnant. However, his life completely changes when she dies while giving birth. He moves back in with his father in New Jersey to raise his daughter, Gertie, by himself. This movie has emotion and drama, but also comedy at the same time. This film is heartwarming because of the way Ollie Trinke steps up to be the best dad he can be. He really ends up caring for his daughter after getting thrown a curve ball of becoming a single dad. This would be a great family movie.