The Good Girl is a dark comedy and a small gem. It's especially
worth studying for its tight focus (I believe the protagonist is in every scene) and its solid
3-act dramatic structure.
Structural Analysis
Hook
The protagonist is unhappy with her life -- her job and her marriage are both
unfulfilling.
Complication
She's attracted to the new cashier, a loner who is much younger than she is.
Call to Action
She goes out of her way to meet him. When he demands a romantic rendevouz, she gives
in and meets him even though she's supposed to stay with a co-worker in the hospital.
Act One Plot Point
She begins an affair with the young cashier.
Midpoint Plot Point
Feeling guilty, she stops the affair. But she learns she is pregnant, and her
husband has bad sperm.
Act Two Plot Point
The cashier goes nuts without her. He robs the store where they work and wants her
to run off with him. But she turns him in -- and when the police close in, the cashier kills
himself.
Climax and Resolution
She has the baby and the husband believes it is his. Life goes on.
Notes
Low key, full of dark humor about the human condition, great character roles -- a small gem.
MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting