Search - Jersey Girl [Widescreen]

Writer and director Kevin Smith embraces his warm and fuzzy side with this comedy drama about a man who learns a lot about life and love in the wake of a personal tragedy. Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a guy who seemingly has it made -- he has a great job as a music publicist with a major Manhattan public relations firm, and he's madly in love with his wife, Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez). Ollie is very much excited about the fact he and Gertrude are soon to become parents, but Ollie's joy turns to despair when Gertrude dies in childbirth. Emotionally shattered, Ollie isn't sure what to do next, and he and his newborn daughter, Gertie, soon move to New Jersey to live with his father, Bart (George Carlin), who grows tired of playing babysitter after several months. Juggling his career with single parenthood proves to be more than Ollie can manage, and one day he's fired after he bungles a major press event. Unable to find work, Ollie eventually takes a dead-end job in New Jersey's public works department, and devotes himself to his daughter as he retreats from his own life. But after frequent visits to the local video store, he strikes up a friendship with Maya (Liv Tyler), a pretty girl who works behind the counter. As Ollie finally begins to come out of his shell, he's offered a chance to move back into the music industry, but he realizes that would mean moving back to Manhattan -- and Gertie (Raquel Castro), now seven years old, makes it clear she doesn't want to go. Jersey Girl also features cameo performances from Kevin Smith regulars Jason Lee and Matt Damon, and significantly is Smith's first feature not to include Jason Mewes and Smith himself as stoner archetypes Jay and Silent Bob. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ben Affleck - Ollie Trinke
Liv Tyler - Maya
Jennifer Lopez - Gertrude
Raquel Castro - Gertie Trinke
George Carlin - Bart Trinke

While Kevin Smith tends to divide audiences with his films, most people agree that his commentary tracks are some of the best in the business. Jersey Girl may be one of his less successful films, but this disc offers a pair of hilarious commentary tracks. The film itself is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The disc does a fine job of capturing Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography, which made this easily the best-looking Kevin Smith film. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. The first commentary track features Smith, producer Scott Mosier, and Smith associate Jason Mewes. They have an irreverent, wide-ranging conversation that touches on a variety of topics including sex, how Gigli hurt this film's box-office potential, and a hilarious digression in which they discuss a version of Jersey Girl that could have borrowed elements from Village of the Damned. The second commentary track consists of Smith and star Ben Affleck. They have a genuine rapport with each other and talk about everything anyone could hope for, including the decision to cast Jennifer Lopez, Smith's feud with the British press, and the economics of the film industry. Interviews with the cast and crew, a video interview between Smith and Affleck, and a handful of Smith's "Roadside Attraction" pieces for The Tonight Show round out this release, which turns a less than interesting film into a highly entertaining DVD. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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