In the beginning of Miguel Arteta’s “The Good Girl,” you can sense the birth of a revived star. Jennifer Aniston drags a muted lip color across her mouth, drones on about the world and the viewer is instantly in a world where Rachel Green (Aniston’s character on “Friends”) does not exist.

Justine lives a monotonous existence in a random, unnamed town. She works eight hours a day at the depressing Retail Rodeo, a clearly a fictional second-rate Wal-Mart. She works with Cheryl (Zooey Deschanel), a young woman who amuses herself (and the audience) with veiled, sarcastic comments about the depressing nature of the store and those who shop there, and Gwen (Deborah Rush), who lectures Justine on the values of makeup and work.

There’s also Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), whom Justine identifies with on a level she never knew was possible. She notes that they both hate the world and those around them. This unlikely bond is the center of the film. After each long day at the Retail Rodeo, Justine goes home to her stoned husband (the always-great John C. Reilly), a man who wants to make Justine happy, yet doesn’t know how.

Her life inevitably takes a downward spiral as she begins spending more time with Holden, whose deep thinking simultaneously intrigues and frightens her. Justine is forced to confront her values and priorities, and the fact that she is letting others down by losing her “good girl” image.

The film is at once dramatic and comedic, touching without being sappy and saccharine. Mike White’s script is wonderfully dark and amusing. The cast is superb, with Aniston, Deschanel, Gyllenhaal and Reilly each standing out in memorable roles. As the world-weary Justine, Aniston is only now shedding her television persona in theaters and showing promise of a future career beyond “Friends,” outside of the “Scream” movies.

The DVD itself houses good, if traditional, supplemental material. Director Arteta provides insight into his film on a feature-length commentary, and Aniston gives her remarks on select scenes. Deleted scenes abound, including an alternate ending montage, and a gag reel.

With “Friends” now scheduled for a (possibly) last season, all the cast members need something to move on to in their careers. In “The Good Girl,” Aniston proves that she has a bright future in front of her in films, one where she isn’t always stuck playing the token “Rachel” character.