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“Good Girl Jane” overstays its welcome as it follows the downfall of a girl who falls in love with a dealer after suffering neglect and bullying.
| Director(s) | Sarah Elizabeth Mintz |
| Screenplay By | Sarah Elizabeth Mintz |
| Date Released (Film Festival – ) | |
| Genre(s) | Crime, Drama, Romance, Young Adult |
| Duration | 1 Hour, 57 Minutes |
| Content Rating | Not Rated |
| Noted Cast | |
| Jane | Rain Spencer |
| Bailey | Odessa A’zion |
| Jamie | Patrick Gibson |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Film Summary
Thanks to a massive amount of bullying she experienced, Jane and her family had to uproot their lives and switch to another school district. There, things aren’t necessarily better for Jane is still bullied online and feels as isolated as ever since her mother is critical, her father largely absent, and Jane’s sister befriends the type of people who bully Jane. So, for a moment, it seemed like a blessing to meet Bailey and eventually Jamie.
However, Bailey’s group of friends, skaters who enjoy coke and other drugs, leads Jane to go astray as she falls for their dealer, Jamie, and finds herself in a dependent relationship, with drugs making them a throuple.
Things To Note
- Reason(s) for Film Rating: Cursing (Yes), Violence (Minor Fights), Sexual Content (Partial nudity, sexual situations), Miscellaneous (Drug Use)
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Jane
Jane has been bullied for quite some time now, and it went from in-person harassment to now being online. Because of that, she is a bit shy about making friends at her new school and usually just goes to school and goes straight home. But with her chat message app flooded with derogatory statements and her being pushed to kill herself, paired with a mom who puts down her music and offers other snide comments, Jane is as isolated as ever.
Bailey
Bailey could be seen as the group’s leader and the group’s connection when it comes to Jamie, who she was close enough to, at one time, to let him borrow her car. However, in time, she finds herself sidelined for Jane.
Jamie
Jamie is a 21-year-old drug dealer who seems to not have any strong relationships with people his age, especially women, so he instead finds high school girls like Bailey and Jane who, with charm or drugs, he can seduce.
Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)
Highlights
Effects Of CyberBullying
As shown in films like “Audrie & Daisy,” the internet has given birth to a new level of bullying. Now you aren’t necessarily safe just because you left the mutual territory you and your bully share. With the internet, even in 2005, when “Good Girl Jane” takes place, there is no safe space. Their vitriol can now find you on multiple platforms, and they can do everything anonymously – in a realm where school officials can do very little and even the justice system has to make quite an effort to exert any control. And while things don’t get as dire as Audrie and Daisy’s lives got, you can see Jane spiraling to the point of your empathy creating a tightness in your chest. Heck, if you went through what she did, maybe even tears.
Jane’s Vulnerability
Which is the hook when it comes to this movie. Jane’s vulnerability, her downward spiral, as dramatic as it may seem in parts, it doesn’t have that flare of “Euphoria” or even “13 Reasons Why.” Going from being bullied and isolated to finding a group and being preyed upon but thinking you found love, it doesn’t feel farfetched. Who hasn’t known someone who was left longing by family and their community who, when adopted by outcasts, didn’t adapt to fit in?
It’s just sad to watch since you can see Jane’s mother, with all her micro-aggressions, was probably Jane’s first bully, and though Jane’s sister is nice, she can’t compensate for all Jane wants and needs in friends her own age and who she can truly feel connected with.
On The Fence
It Felt Way Too Long
Granted, maybe it is the subject matter that made this feel unnecessarily long or, simply put, not a whole lot happening. Once Jane hits rock bottom with Jamie, it doesn’t really explore addiction or gives Jamie notable layers as a person. We pretty much just watch Jane get comfortable with being at rock bottom, and even when she seeks help, the feeling you got seeing her struggle before isn’t reinvigorated when she realizes her relationship with Jamie is toxic.
Because of that, you don’t get a renewed interest in Jane’s life as she finds herself watching Jamie’s fall apart. At that point, you are just looking at the clock wine down and figure that, since you made it this far, you minas well see it through.
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