Demme's conversational film is about the gaping chasm between what men say and what they feel. It may not tell us anything new, but its eloquence is quietly rewarding.
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:44
Fresh:35
Rotten:9
Average Rating:7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: "Beautiful Girls" takes place in a sleepy New England town, the bucolic home of a group of Generation X-ers involved in a number of romantic goings-on. The film takes a close look at the... "Beautiful Girls" takes place in a sleepy New England town, the bucolic home of a group of Generation X-ers involved in a number of romantic goings-on. The film takes a close look at the differences between men and women, particularly in matters of love, sex and relationships. Perhaps the most intriguing pair in the movie is Willie and his (female) neighbor Marty -- who's only 13. The streetwise, flirtatious Marty has a killer crush on Willie (who is intrigued by her), but both are well aware that she's "jail bait." The duo considers waiting five whole years for Marty to become of age... but can they really do that? [More]
Starring: Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Timothy Hutton, Mira Sorvino
Starring: Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Timothy Hutton, Mira Sorvino, Rosie O'Donnell, Natalie Portman, Noah Emmerich, Annabeth Gish, Lauren Holly, Max Perlich, Martha Plimpton, Michael Rapaport, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Director: Ted Demme
Director: Ted Demme
Screenwriter: Scott Rosenberg
Reviews for Beautiful Girls
Beautiful Girls is always in touch with reality but never drowned in it.
Natalie Portman, as a 13-year-old on whom Hutton develops a strangely affecting crush, is a delight.
Portman steals all the scenes with Timothy Hutton and lights up the movie in each and every one of her scenes with her beauty, charm and utter exuberance.
This startlingly uneventful compendium of thick-headed boy-talk and female tolerance squanders a fine cast on incredibly ordinary characters and situations.
Despite the title, Demme's coming of age tale is about guys in their 20s who refuse or are unable to mature, which might explain why the most captivating relationship is between Timothy Hutton and the then 13-year-old Natalie Portman.
Not a whole lot goes on, but what does go on is engaging enough to merit a look.
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