Beautiful Girls (1996)

A piano player at a crossroads in his life returns home to his friends and their own problems with life and love.

Director:

Ted Demme

Writer:

Scott Rosenberg

Stars:

Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Annabeth Gish

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Dillon	...	Tommy 'Birdman' Rowland
Noah Emmerich	...	Michael 'Mo' Morris
Annabeth Gish	...	Tracy Stover
Lauren Holly	...	Darian Smalls
Timothy Hutton	...	Willie Conway
Rosie O'Donnell	...	Gina Barrisano
Max Perlich	...	Kev
Martha Plimpton	...	Jan
Natalie Portman	...	Marty
Michael Rapaport	...	Paul Kirkwood
Mira Sorvino	...	Sharon Cassidy
Uma Thurman	...	Andera
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Stanley 'Stinky' Womack
Anne Bobby	...	Sarah Morris
Richard Bright	...	Dick Conway

Storyline

New York based jazz pianist Willie Conway heads back to his small hometown of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts for a high school reunion. The trip is as much to go to the reunion and see his old friends - none of whom left Knights Ridge after graduation - as it is to get away from his current life, at which he is at a crossroads both personally and professionally. He is just eking out a living with his piano playing gigs, and as such he is thinking about taking a sales job. He's also not sure if he's ready to marry his long time girlfriend, lawyer Tracy Stover. Most of Willie's Knights Ridge blue collar friends' best days were in high school, they still having that "trophy" mentality of girlfriends and wives. Only Michael "Mo" Morris is happily married with a family. Paul Kirkwood, whose room is plastered with magazine pictures of models, wants his waitress ex-girlfriend Jan back only because he knows now that he can't have her. And Tommy "Birdman" Rowland, who was the big man in high ...

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Plot Keywords:

reunion | small town | pianist | town | hometown | 

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Taglines:

good times never seemed so good

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and nude pin-ups

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brincando de Seduzir

Filming Locations:

Bryant-Lake Bowl - 810 W. Lake Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$20,837,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Woods Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ted Demme told Timothy Hutton to kiss Natalie Portman on the cheek. She did not know it so her reaction in the film is spontaneous.

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Goofs

Gina mentions to Tracy that she looks like Ally Sheedy from The Breakfast Club with the Estevez Brothers. Ally Sheedy and Emilio Estevez were in Breakfast Club but his brother Charlie Sheen (Carlos Irwin Estevez) was not.

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Quotes

Tracy: You look awful.
Willie Conway: I've been drunk for two weeks.

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Connections

References The Goonies (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Be For Real"
Written by Frederick Knight
Performed by The Afghan Whigs (as Afghan Whigs)
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group for the world excluding the U.K. and Mute Records for the U.K.

User Reviews

Beautiful Girls... beautiful movie...

Easily one of the most overlooked movies considering how good it is. There are several ensemble movies out there, but this movie is definitely one of the best ones.

The key word in ensemble cast is obviously "cast". And this movie has a stellar cast. Timothy Hutton, as Willy, is perfectly cast. Yes, this is an ensemble movie, but it sort of hovers around his character and he carries the movie so well. And to play off him, Natalie Portman is tremendous in this movie. Despite being the youngest cast member, she outacts most of the adults in this movie. Her chemistry with Timothy Hutton is amazing.

The other cast members, including Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Rappaport, Uma Thurman, and Matt Dillon are also really good in their respective roles. Rosie O'Donnell delivers a hilarious monologue about the differences between men and women and it should not be missed.

The story is relatively simple... a man going back home to attend his 10 year reunion. But because of the complex characters and their various storys, it becomes much more than just a high school reunion. Its a story about a man finding himself. Its a story about a young girl getting a taste of what love might be, despite it being in an unlikely person. Its a story of a man who has to grow up and let go of the long gone high school glory years. Its a story about relationships, between friends, family and couples. All these tales are interwoven into a heartwarming story.

This movie ranks as one of my all time favorite movies.