Three star

MRS Brad Pitt plays the title role of Justine in this black and sometimes bleak comedy about one woman's battle with her heart and her mind.

Justine and her clueless husband Phil (John C Reilly), have been trying to start a family but she has been unable to conceive, leading her to wonder whether it's because of all the pot Phil smokes with his brainless buddy Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson.)

She grows to hate her humdrum life and job at the Retail Rodeo, until she embarks on an affair with a passionate and creative younger man, co-worker Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal.)

But instead of the escapism she hoped for, Justine finds herself caught up in a web of blackmail, deceit, crime and obsession - before finding out she is finally pregnant.

Can Justine make the right choice between her hapless but dependable husband who loves her and creative but disturbed bit on the side who vows to go to any lengths to make her happy?

Or will the affair be discovered long before she has the chance to make up her mind?

Aniston, who made her name playing dizzy Rachel Green in Friends, is fantastic in what is a welcome departure from her usual sitcom/romcom roles but Gyllenhaal steals the show as vulnerable, childlike and captivating Holden.

The only criticism is the movie's slow pace.

But it does work well with the portrayal of life in a sleepy Texan town.

MC