REVIEW #95 Good Girls (2018-Present)

Good Girls is a Netflix series about 3 women, Beth, her sister Annie and their best friend Ruby, who become fed up with their mundane lives as mums struggling to make ends meet. They decide to take action and turn to a life of crime which puts them in a hole that just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

CAST & THE ACTING 

Christina Hendricks leads the cast as Beth, the main character and I think she does really well. She fits the role as a mum perfectly but also nicely portrays that change into someone who enjoys danger and darkness. Annie is played by Mae Whitman and Ruby is played by Retta. Both of them inject a lot of humour into the series but especially Whitman who delivers the dialogue so well that the comedy is always funny and effective. I also loved the fact Matthew Lillard is in this series, the man most of us know for being perfectly cast as Shaggy in the live action Scooby doo films! His character goes on quite the journey over the 4 seasons that have been released so far, he’s had to portray every emotion in the book and I enjoyed his performance. The main antagonist is Manny Montana who plays Rio, who stirs up mixed emotions with viewers. One minute you’ll like him, the next you’ll hate him so I guess that’s a credit to how he approached the role. Overall I would say the acting as a whole was pretty good, I respected the performances but none really stood out as amazing, which I’m okay with. 

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I think the plot was the main strength of Good Girls, it gets you hooked pretty quickly and was really enjoyable. Three mums, all struggling in different ways decide to rob a grocery store, this one act leads them into a life of crime they struggle to get out of. I think what made it enjoyable was the main characters were so relatable, pretty much anyone can relate to one of their lives or their struggles and then it suddenly gets flipped on its head and now they’re criminals. That transition is exciting and you’re on the edge of your seat in anticipation of when they will be caught. It also highlights how there is a little darkness in everyone, showing the journey Beth goes on with dealing with those dangerous desires, which again is probably relatable to a lot of people. Each season ups the stakes which helps keep the series fresh and exciting, which is why season four is probably the best yet. There is some strong character development throughout those four seasons from the main characters like Beth, Annie and Ruby but also with their Husbands and even the antagonist Rio, so it’s nice to see the characters progress along with the storyline too. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

This isn’t a strong point for Good Girls, there are no effects used and the cinematography is very basic. Nothing really stood out to even use as a brief example, perhaps utilising the cinematography a little more would have helped compliment the high stakes storyline. I don’t think the series necessarily needed any technical cinematography but I believe that would have elevated the series above being just average. 

OVERALL (6.9/10)

Good Girls is a unique approach to a crime drama which has plenty of comedy, the acting is pretty good and each character shows real progression over the four seasons. The plot hooked me straight away and it definitely gets you binge watching it all for sure! There wasn’t any technical cinematography or effects used, perhaps that could have elevated the series but it wasn’t desperately needed. The key to this series is how the main characters and their lives are so relatable and that sudden switch to being criminals is exciting to watch. I wouldn’t say it’s up there with my favourite series but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would definitely recommend giving it a go.