Jennifer Aniston Watch

As we already know, Jen is set to produce and star in Getting Rid of Matthew, a film based on the novel of the same title by Jane Fallon. Whenever I hear about a potential upcoming project for Jen, I can’t help but imagine it a bit, and this especially goes for movies based on books. With the story already available to read, the curiosity nearly always gets the best of me, and I end up reading it often before production has even started. It happened with Derailed, it happened with Marley & Me, and now it has happened with Getting Rid of Matthew.

Spoiler alert under the jump . . .

According to the author, she had always thought that Jen would be an ideal choice to play Helen, and having now read the book, I have to say that I agree. This is despite the fact that on the surface she doesn’t seem to be an obvious choice - not only is the story set in London, and Helen presumed to be British, but Helen is described as a brunette. Looking at the heart of the character, though, it’s easy to see how Jen is really a perfect fit. She does very well with morally ambiguous characters - an immediate comparison can be drawn between Helen and Jen’s Olivia character in Friends With Money - and above all, Jen has the emotional capacity to keep that ambiguity ambiguous. Even though Helen has an affair with a married man and continues to manipulate those around her, the insight into the character that the novel provides keeps Helen from coming across as pure evil, and I can think of nobody better than Jen to bring that to life on the screen. All the surface stuff, if it’s even necessary, can very easily be achieved with accent coaching and hair dye.

As for the other characters, there have not been any casting announcements so far, so naturally, the imagination runs wild as the possibilities abound. First up is Sophie, Matthew’s wife, who is just a few years older than Helen and a successful professional in her own right. For some reason, as I read the book, I could not help but picture Catherine Keener in the role. At every turn, she seemed to be a perfect fit, especially as Helen (or her alter ego “Eleanor”) befriends her. As for Leo, Matthew’s son from his first (pre-Sophie) marriage? He is described as being “well-built,” which made imagining this one rather fun; I can see Matthew McConaughey fitting the bill. As for Matthew himself? That’s where I’m stumped. And that’s where I’d like to hear what you think - who do you imagine playing the part?

No matter how this plays out, I’m sure that the finished product will be terrific. With this wonderful book as its basis and with Jen attached, how can it not be?