Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13457 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-01-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 108 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This town drama from Ted Demme centres on former classmates coming together for their 10-year reunion. Scott Rosenberg's (Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead) script thoughtfully passes over the usual grumblings of young adults who can't believe they still live in the same snowbound town. They accept--even welcome--their blue-collar jobs, whether ploughing snow or cutting hair. Willie (Timothy Hutton), the lone wanderer, returns to his listless house in a state of flux, the piano-bar circuit wearing thin as is his relationship with Tracy, a well-off attorney (Annabeth Gish). He isn't the only one with problems. Tommy (Matt Dillon) occasionally sleeps with his now-married high school sweetheart Darian (Lauren Holly) while the earnest Sharon (Mira Sorvino) is left to wait. Paul (another thick-headed role for Michael Rapaport) refuses to commit to Jan (Martha Plimpton) until it's too late. Paul is enamoured with the idea of the supermodel (the title's "beautiful girls") that, he believes, can make life perfect. It's a very satisfying comedy, with some forced poignancy (Willie's description of Tracy as a "seven and a half" comes off as a death sentence). Rosie O'Donnell's dissertation on why Playboy and Penthouse have ruined male expectations is much like Meg Ryan's orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally: it's hilarious, even memorable, but never wholly believable.

The two wild cards thrown into Beautiful Girls give the film its kick. Uma Thurman enters as the local barman's (Pruitt Taylor Vince) radiant cousin. From the big city, she can flirt with the awestruck guys and still keep her head. Willie's true emotional tug is from Marty, his precocious 13-year-old neighbour. If you didn't see Natalie Portman's sophisticated work in Leon, her performance here will come as a revelation. You deeply believe that Willie and Marty are connected despite their age difference. Their courtship will never come to be, but the way the two talk (and talk some more) about their lives is the most insightful part of Rosenberg's script. Everyone's so comfortable in his or her roles that you may truly feel sad when the film ends. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
In this post-coming-of-age comedy, a high school reunion in a small Massachusetts town gives a group of buddies plenty of opportunities to try and sort out their views about women and life. From the former stud-turned-snowplow operator to the aspiring nightclub musician who escaped to New York, these clueless cads can only hope for some female guidance.

Customer Reviews

beautiful girls......beautifully evocative
I happily stumbled across 'Beautiful Girls' one evening on terrestrial TV and was at first captivated by the great cast. Timothy Hutton, Michael Rappaport, Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Annabeth Gish and Martha Plimpton are all actors that have popped up in films that are not necessarily well known, but stretch back over my film watching history. It seemed fitting that they were playing in a film that mirrored the current stage of my life, albeit in a different place and lifestyle.

That is where Beautiful Girls hits the mark; it evokes universal feelings for time and place the way that Ang Lee's 'the ice storm' did for the bored married, or 'the Breakfast Club' did for the teen.

Its not a showy movie, but lulls you with well realised set pieces and dilemmas. Rosie O'Donnell's diatribe is fantastic, but it is Natalie Portman's astute turn as Marty that makes the film for me. You truly believe that Willie would fall for this smart 13 old - who wouldn't? She exudes intelligence and vitality and communicates with a man who 'was in 12th(?) grade when she was a zygote' on his level, reducing him to a nervous suitor at points with her wit. The Pooh and Christopher Robin reference is a poignant tool which the actors use to its full potential in this setting.

All in all, the film is a quiet pleasure, sketching the difficult, indifferent 20-something descisions of life - do you cling to your youth or move on to the next stage of life willingly? Ted Demme and cast do an admirable job.

Beautiful girls, beautiful story
Despite its rather suggestive title, this film is as sweet and innocent as the lovely Natalie Portman making snow angels.

There is, of course, a more substantial level to the film - leitmotivs of friendship, love and return to innocence feature strongly - which leave you with something more than feeling good about the world. Although the principles of good ol' hometown America are prevalent the feel of this film is anything but conventional, introducing us to the sometimes bizarre world of mid-west America. It's not uncomfortable, just different.

A truly lovely film that will help you appreciate your friends and their often brutal honesty....

A brilliant, underated portrait of a smalltown reunion
Ted Demme's film is extremely warm, despite its snowbound landscape- more suited to Egoyan's 'The Sweet Herafter'. This film did squat at the box office, despite the fact that it has a wonderful script by Scott Rosenberg (Things to do in Denver when you're Dead, High Fidelity, Er, Con Air...)and a wonderful ensemble cast. Tim Hutton puts in the best performance of his career, Natalie Portman is beguiling in a reverse-Lolita role and Uma Thurman is simply angelic. Think 'Swingers' with a dash of Capra or 'My so-called Life'. Other plus points include The Afghan Whigs as the local bar band, an extremely amusing Neil Diamond singalong and a wonderfully slobbish Michael Rappaport- with his disturbing philosphy on women ("they're all sisters Wil. Leave it alone!"). If you liked 'Grosse Point Blank' or 'Swingers' this is as good. 'Beautiful Girls' may have been overlooked because its just too human- maybe a little old fashioned and it hasn't got cool pastiches of Scorsese or Tarantino- which may mean critical reassessment in the future when we're bored of all those 'I'm worried I might be homosexual, so here's some stylised-violence'films (think Guy Ritchie or parts of 'Grosse Point Blank'). The perfect film for the upcoming winter and an example of Hollywood at its most thoughtful. Really!