Casey Powell is a young teenage girl who is secretly suffering from anorexia nervosa, a mental and physical illness of deliberately starving herself or self-induced vomiting, because of her... See full summary »
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Casey Powell is a young teenage girl who is secretly suffering from anorexia nervosa, a mental and physical illness of deliberately starving herself or self-induced vomiting, because of her troubled home life and problems at school in which her bickering parents must put aside their differences to help her recover before her condition kills her. Written by
Anonymous
The leading role originally went to Jodie Foster, but withdrew, since she was attending at Yale. See more »
Quotes
Clay:
How do you feel about all this, Casey?
Casey:
I don't know... I don't want to know. I don't want it and I hate it.
Clay:
What do you hate?
Casey:
My family. I hate them... but I want them... and I hate wanting them.
Clay:
Why do you hate it?
Casey:
I hate wanting. Wanting something means that you'll never get it.
Joanne:
Haven't we always given you what you wanted? You have everything you've asked for.
Casey:
Tell me one damn thing that I ever asked for? What... what did I ever ask for? I asked for nothing... and that's what I got. Gail got ...
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"The Best Little Girl In The World" is a made-for-TV movie dealing with anorexia/bulimia. While it does have that "After-School Special" feel, it features good performances from great actors. Charles Durning is excellent as always as Casey's angry, disinterested father, and Jennifer Jason Leigh really establishes herself here as a great actor. The downside to this movie? It's a bit melodramatic- for example, every time Casey stumbles from weakness a dozen horns blare from the soundtrack. And there are laughably funny moments, such as the New Year's Eve sequence, where Charles During tries to force-feed Casey peanut butter sandwiches until she gains weight. She winds up biting his hand like a snarling dog. Or when Casey takes off her robe to reveal her sickly-thin body, it's obviously a body double. But if you are looking for a movie that deals with this subject honestly and respectfully (as opposed to all those Lifetime movies in which a man is always at fault), "The Best Little Girl In The World" is worth tracking down.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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"The Best Little Girl In The World" is a made-for-TV movie dealing with anorexia/bulimia. While it does have that "After-School Special" feel, it features good performances from great actors. Charles Durning is excellent as always as Casey's angry, disinterested father, and Jennifer Jason Leigh really establishes herself here as a great actor. The downside to this movie? It's a bit melodramatic- for example, every time Casey stumbles from weakness a dozen horns blare from the soundtrack. And there are laughably funny moments, such as the New Year's Eve sequence, where Charles During tries to force-feed Casey peanut butter sandwiches until she gains weight. She winds up biting his hand like a snarling dog. Or when Casey takes off her robe to reveal her sickly-thin body, it's obviously a body double. But if you are looking for a movie that deals with this subject honestly and respectfully (as opposed to all those Lifetime movies in which a man is always at fault), "The Best Little Girl In The World" is worth tracking down.