1996 Rewind: Beautiful Girls


It's hard to believe, but 1996 was 30 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 1996 that are turning 30 in 2026. Today, it's the start of a franchise.

Paul: Supermodels are beautiful girls, Will. A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you've been drinking Jack and Coke all morning. She can make you feel high full of the single greatest commodity known to man - promise. Promise of a better day. Promise of a greater hope. Promise of a new tomorrow. This particular aura can be found in the gait of a beautiful girl. In her smile, in her soul, the way she makes every rotten little thing about life seem like it's going to be okay. The supermodels, Willy? That's all they are. Bottled promise. Scenes from a brand new day. Hope dancing in stiletto heels.

Beautiful Girls
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Rosie O'Donnell, Natalie Portman, Michael Rapaport, and Mira Sorvino
Director: Ted Demme
About: The late Demme is an interesting filmmaker. This is probably one of his most remembered, a classic for many who saw it. It's also a controversial movie because of one of the storylines in particular. Look, I am a fan of some of the comedy, the cast, and the general vibe of the film. I own it on disc and I've enjoyed it since college. I won't defend the creepiness of Hutton's interactions with Portman, a pre-teen, in this film. I believe it's meant to be unsettling, and so that's what I'm going with. Otherwise, for a slice-of-life kind of character piece. I think this works pretty well.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Now Playing

Image
  It was an interesting week for new releases in theaters. Below is my take on the two big theatrical films from the weekend. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734. Boy Kills World (Theaters) Starring : Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Rothe, Famke Janssen, Brett Gellman, and Michelle Dockery Synopsis : We have seen a lot of action films this year. Many have featured violent sequences, but some have been more artful than others. The new film, Boy Kills World, provides plenty of violence. It’s right there in the title. But where it falls short is in building something compelling beyond the killing spree. We’re introduced to a Boy (Skarsgard) early in the film. He tells us that his world is ruled by the Van Der Koy family, whose head, Hilda (Janssen) keeps the people in line through an annual Culling, where she kills “enemies.” Our protagonist’s mother and sister were among her victims. The Boy barely survived; saved by the Shaman (Yayan Ru...
Read more

Now Playing

Image
  It was a solid week for new releases, including my favorite animated film of the year. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.  Brats (Hulu) Synopsis : From Andrew McCarthy, this new documentary takes a look at the infamous Brat Pack. The film features interviews with the members as they look back at the title that branded them and helped define some of their career. As a member of the group, McCarthy brings a unique perspective. Often the interviews, with actors such as Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Timothy Hutton, and Demi Moore, among others, feels more like old friends catching up. There’s a sweetness and a lightness to the documentary that is incredibly appealing. The film does a good job of capturing the highs and lows, and helping these actors and actresses give an account of what the pressure of that time—and these high-profile films—meant in their lives and their careers. As a child of the 1980s, I was fascinating by t...
Read more

Fall TV Roundup, Week 16

Image
  It’s Christmas week, and you might find yourself looking for some distractions in the form of new shows to check out. But which are worth checking out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new shows this Fall. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Tuesdays: American Auto, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC (Premiered December 13) About: A lot was made of the fact NBC, former home of Must-See TV, launched a schedule this Fall with no sitcoms. NBC isn’t planning to do the same in the winter, and they got a jump start to close the year, offering two-episode previews of a pair of new sitcoms that will begin their normal runs in January. The first, American Auto , comes from Superstore creator Justin Spitzer and centers on a new CEO (Ana Gasteyer) at a car company. She doesn’t come from the world of cars but is trying to effect positive changes. I thought the first two episodes were funny and definitely filled the Superstore vib...
Read more