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Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Raquel Castro, George Carlin ... see more see more... , Jason Biggs , Mike Starr , Stephen Root , Jennifer Schwalbach Smith , Matt Damon , Jason Lee , Charles Gilbert

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) i... read more read more...s 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, Rovi

Flixster Users

52% liked it

127,522 ratings

Critics

41% liked it

170 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Kevin Smith

Release Date: March 26, 2004

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DVD Release Date: September 7, 2004

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Stats: 5,202 reviews

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Arwen! Busted! "Ollie" is scared to open his heart again "Gertie" and "Ollie" visit the city "Ollie Trinke" and his daughter, "Gertie" George Carlin plays the father of Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) in Jersey Girl Jersey Girl Kevin Smith, director of Jersey Girl Jersey Girl Jersey Girl Jersey Girl
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Flixster Reviews (5,202)

  • jmanard52
    January 19, 2009
    jmanard52
    Kevin Smith scores again. I hadnt seen this one yet for some reason. It only took me 4 years but this is why Kevin Smith is amazing. And Ben Affleck just needs to do Kevin Smith films and he will be okay. Wonderful movie.
  • CreedsDelight
    July 28, 2011
    CreedsDelight
    Ollie: You're riding that Batmobile, aren't you?! How cool is that?

    Kevin Smith's weakest film by far. I'm not saying I hated it, but I expected more from probably my favorite director. I will say this: this is the perfect love story; simple, nothing new, yet incredibly predicta... read moreble. I was disappointed with the formulaic tone the film kept throughout. Aside from that, this film has great Kevin Smith humor and a brilliant script, which is why my rating is so high. We also have great cameos from Smith's previous films, including Jason Lee, Matt Damon and many others. Also, Ben Affleck and Raquel Castro were instantly likable. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it remains a solid Smith film. Highly recommended.

    Read more reviews at www.CreedsDelight.com
  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    A good film. Ben Affleck is beautiful and this is a classic chick flick.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    May 28, 2011
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    He wanted it all...but he got more than he bargained for.

    Good movie, I really liked the story. Jersey Girl is a good film, I don't know why anyone would say that this is a bad film, I understand people not liking it, but the story was very decent and the acting was I'd say abov... read moree average. One of the things I loved was that the story was very human, the little girl who played Gertie, Raquel Castro, was perfect for the role and didn't over do anything or made her character annoying. I recommend that every parent who has small children watch this movie because it's so tough been a parent these days thus making time for your children and having to worry about your job all the time.

    In New York, the young executive Oliver "Ollie" Trinke is a successful PR of the music industry. He meets and falls in love for Gertrude Steiney, 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, they become friends and she helps him to supersede his past life.
  • kenstachnik
    March 9, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Unfairly maligned by fan boys, Jersey Girl is not the train wreck you've heard about. The movie is in fact pretty good. While it suffers from an overly saccharin soundtrack the film has a lot of great moments.

    It's also hands down the best looking Kevin Smith film to date. The ... read moreclean subtle cinematography by Vilmos Zigmond give the film a great feel.
    Worth checking out if you're in the mood for a super cute romantic comedy.
  • Redlats
    June 1, 2010
    Redlats
    Ben Affleck, up and coming publicist exec, is left raising a daughter on his own. He has to choose between being a family guy or the successful exec. Of course, this is smaltz - you know how it is going to end, but I liked it anyways.

    There is a scene with Will Smith (he get... read mores no credit for some reason) that is pretty good. But it is pretty bad writing that a publicist would not know what the play Sweeney Todd is all about.
  • ythelastman89
    January 3, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It's an odd movie in that it's not all that great, but I wouldn't exactly call it bad. I commend Kevin Smith for trying something new, but it just didn't work out like some of his other movies have. It's just a little too corny and meaningless to be set next to his other films, w... read morehich are all pretty consistently unique.
  • cosmo313
    January 9, 2009
    cosmo313
    Despite that this film sees Kevin Smith going in a different direction, it does not suck, and it is very sweet, charming, and funny, even if it is contrived and formulaic here and there. It still has the witty and brilliant dialogue that Smith is known for, and the supporting cas... read moret (and cameos) are great as well. Say what you want about Ben, but he did a good job here. So did Jennifer Lopez. She's a much better actress than her filmography makes her out to be. The most props though, I feel, need to go to Raquel Castro, the cute and precocious little girl who plays the titular character. She does a great job holding her own against the vast talent (starring and supporting) she's working with, and, unlike a lot of roles children like her get, this one doesn't see her playing an annoying kid, and, while she is smart, she's still shown as a vulnerable young kid, and not a grown up trapped in a seven-year-old's body. This film gets a lot of undeserved flack, but I say see it and give it a chance.
  • sanjurosamurai
    July 1, 2008
    sanjurosamurai
    i absolutely loved this flick. i found the film to be a bit uncomfortble at times and affleck gave a typical boring performance of affleckian measure, but everything else about this film touched me quite a bit. i have been slowly growing to love liv tyler over the last year whe... read moren as recent as two years ago she was one of my least favorite actresses of all time, and this film put me over the top. tyler was the best part of the film and im now convinced of her sexyness and charm as an actress. each of the other performances save afflecks were also very good and the film brought me smiles.
  • DrZeek
    April 10, 2008
    DrZeek
    Ollie: "Cats" is the second worst thing that ever happened to New York City.

    What can I say, I am biased towards liking Smith's movies. It's not part of the View Askewneverse and Jason Biggs is for some reason involved, but I liked it. I think everyone does a good job here and ... read moreI enjoy watching it.

    Ben Affleck was a big player in New York, until his wife, Jennifer Lopez, dies during child birth, eventually resulting in Affleck moving back to Jersey to live with his father, George Carlin, and raise his daughter.

    Years later, he must struggle with trying to find another job in New York while also raising his daughter. He has also just met a local girl, Liv Tyler, who takes a liking to this duo.

    If there is any problem with this movie, its that it eventually follows a familiar formula. Its not a bad thing, but it doesn't make the movie stand out too much. It does help that there are a number of scenes that show off Smith's talent for dialog. It also helps that the girl playing Affleck's daughter is very good, especially for a young child actor, and not in an annoying cute way either.

    Overall its decent and enjoyable, but Smith should stick in R rated territory.

    Ollie: Isn't that cute? It's 8 o'clock and you both get a bottle.

View All Jersey Girl Reviews

Critic Reviews

Joe Leydon
June 23, 2008
Joe Leydon, Variety

The script stoops to cheap gags that undercut Affleck's efforts to sustain a believable character. Full Review

J. R. Jones
March 27, 2004
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The grating sense of commercial calculation in Jersey Girl consistently undercuts Smith's fine writing. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
March 27, 2004
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Inspired by Smith's own awe and amazement at being a father, the movie is modest and entertaining, with a minimum of sentimental goo, and it demands little of us except a good-natured willingness to g... Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
March 26, 2004
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

The filmmaker drowns his trademark edgy stew of smutty humor, stiff acting and dime-store insight into human nature with a gravy of glutinous bathos, making for a singularly unpalatable dish.

Desson Thomson
March 26, 2004
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

This kind of weepy material works in the hands of melodrama masters like Douglas Sirk or Pedro Almodovar. But here, it's over-the-top and it's just horrible.

Mike Clark
March 26, 2004
Mike Clark, USA Today

Smith is looking more and more like a developing major talent, so it could be years until we get a handle on this movie's legacy. Full Review

Peter Howell
March 26, 2004
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Watching Jersey Girl is akin to being smothered by a basket of warm puppies. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
March 26, 2004
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Smith is trying to say something heartfelt, even as he's using formulas that are unworthy of him. Thus, Jersey Girl is a step, not a misstep. Full Review

Joe Baltake
March 26, 2004
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

With Jersey Girl, [Smith] stopped fooling around, finally got his act together and made a real film. For once, he deserves the moniker 'filmmaker.' Full Review

Jay Boyar
March 26, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Sweet and conventional, with just enough wacky Kevin Smith moments to keep it going. Full Review

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Jersey Girl Trivia

  • Mostly known for his roles in the American Pie movies and possibly Saving Silverman, he also had minor roles in Boys and Girls and Jersey Girl.  Answer »
  • Which actress has appeared in the following movies: Armageddon, Empire Records, The Lord of the Rings, Jersey Girl and Stealing Beauty?   Answer »
  • What two movies did Ben Affleck & Liv Tyler act together in?  Answer »
  • What actor or actress can be accredited to the following titles? Daredevil Jersey Girl Gigli Armageddon Good Will Hunting Hollywoodland Pearl harbour   Answer »
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