It stars Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler with George Carlin (in his final film appearance), Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Raquel Castro, Jason Biggs and Jennifer Lopez in supporting roles.

The film follows a widowed man who must learn how to properly take care of his precocious daughter after her mother dies during childbirth.

Ollie is devastated and avoids his feelings of grief by burying himself in his work, spending even longer hours at the office.

He denies he feels any grief, but spends very little time with his newborn daughter because she reminds him of his late wife and all he lost.

He is blacklisted by every NYC public relations firm, forcing him to take a civil service job in the borough where he now lives.

Another turning point occurs in Ollie's life when his employer schedules a major public works project that will temporarily close a street in the neighborhood.

Seeking a change, he contacts Arthur Brickman, his one-time protégé, who sets up a promising interview in New York City.

A few days later, father and daughter reconcile, apologizing for their hurtful words, and Gertie accepts that they will be moving to New York.

Smith doesn't remember the past incident with him, but their conversation about work and children convinces Ollie to skip the interview and leave.

Smith wrote the first fifty pages of the script with Bill Murray and Joey Lauren Adams in mind.

[5] Academy Award-winning Vilmos Zsigmond, its director of photography, was said by Smith to have been "an ornery old cuss who made the crew miserable.

"[6] Paulsboro, New Jersey served as another of the shooting locations; scenes were shot there at its municipal building, Clam Digger Bar, and high school.

[8] It is the first major theatrical release to include a joke about the September 11 attacks: when Gertie asks to see Cats, Ollie refuses on the grounds that it is "the second-worst thing to happen to New York City.

The extended version included much more of the Jennifer Lopez section, Ben Affleck's full speech at city hall, a longer ending, and some music changes.

[citation needed] On the film's audio commentary, Smith stated that a longer version would be released within the next year.

The website's critical consensus reads, "A surprisingly conventional romantic comedy from Kevin Smith, Jersey Girl is warm but often overly sentimental".