Jersey Girl

Jersey Girl has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in the US on Kanopy and Hoopla, and in the UK on Netflix. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 1,158 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Ben Affleck leads a cast with real comic timing. Put it on tonight on Kanopy and see for yourself.

There is a reason Jersey Girl keeps coming up in conversation. Jersey Girl does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Ollie Trinke is a young, suave music publicist who seems to have it all, with a new wife and a baby on the way. But life deals him a bum hand when he's suddenly faced with single fatherhood, a defunct career and having to move in with his father. To bounce back, it takes a new love and the courage instilled in him by his daughter. Ben Affleck and Raquel Castro lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2004. What keeps Jersey Girl from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Jersey Girl is a strong candidate. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Ben Affleck anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.