My Girl (1991)

A young girl, on the threshold of her teen years, finds her life turning upside down, when she is accompanied by an unlikely friend.

Director:

Howard Zieff

Writer:

Laurice Elehwany

Stars:

Anna Chlumsky, Macaulay Culkin, Dan Aykroyd

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Aykroyd	...	Harry Sultenfuss
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Shelly DeVoto
Macaulay Culkin	...	Thomas J. Sennett
Anna Chlumsky	...	Vada Sultenfuss
Richard Masur	...	Phil Sultenfuss
Griffin Dunne	...	Mr. Bixler
Ann Nelson	...	Gramoo Sultenfuss
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Dr. Welty
Jane Hallaren	...	Nurse Randall
Anthony R. Jones	...	Arthur
Tom Villard	...	Justin
Lara Steinick	...	Ronda
Kristian Truelsen	...	Charles
David Caprita	...	Ray
Jody Wilson	...	Mrs. Hunsaker

Storyline

1972. Vada Sultenfuss (played by Anna Chlumsky) is an intelligent, bubbly, hypochondriacal 11-year old girl. Her father, Harry (Dan Aykroyd), is a mortician and a widower. Her best friend is Thomas J Sennett (Macaulay Culkin). Then her father hires a new receptionist, Shelly (Jamie Lee Curtis), and life will never be the same again.

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | 11 year old | receptionist | first crush | widower | 

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Taglines:

When your Dad's an undertaker, your Mom's in heaven, and your Grandma's got a screw loose...it's good to have a friend who understands you. Even if he is a boy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis also worked together in Trading Places (1983).

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Goofs

Harry tells Shelly that he was a popular date in high school because he did "a killer frug." This can't be because the frug was a dance popular in the mid-1960s. The movie takes place in 1972, when Vada is 11. That means she was born in 1961. Her mother died two days after she was born. So Harry was not in high school when the frug was popular.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Vada Sultenfuss: I was born jaundiced. Once I sat on a toilet seat at a truck stop and caught hemorrhoids. And I've learned to live with this chicken bone that's been lodged in my throat for the past three years. So I knew Dad would be devastated when he learned of my latest affliction.
[to Harry]
Vada Sultenfuss: Dad, I don't want to upset you, but my left breast is developing at a significantly faster rate than my right. It can only mean one thing: cancer. I'm dying.
Harry: [making a sandwich] Okay, sweetie, hand me the ...

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Connections

Referenced in Svengoolie: Terror Out of the Sky (2018)

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Soundtracks

More Today Then Yesterday
Written by Pat Upton (as Patrick Upton)
Performed by The Spiral Starecase
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A timeless tale about your first love

I just finally watched My Girl last night, never saw it before, never really had the opportunity too, but my friend mentioned it while we were renting over at Hollywood Video and she said it was a really cute movie that could bring a few tears to my eyes, I wasn't in the mood for sad, but I have heard quite a bit about this film. I have to say that despite the fact that I wasn't blown away by the movie, it was a nice and honest film that you don't see in today's films, not to many are genuine like this.

Vada is a little girl who basically surrounded by death in some aspects, her mother passed away and her father works in a funeral home. When a make up artist, Shelly, comes to work for her dad, Harry, Vada is a little threatened that her dad might be taken away from her. But she has another love, an English teacher who's class she starts taking just to impress him, but another little boy, Tommy, has a little crush on Vada, but as soon as she realizes what she has lost, maybe she should take a closer look at things.

My Girl is a sweet and charming film that could make anyone feel very good and just makes you want to hug someone afterwards, as cheesy as it may sound. Even though I didn't cry, it does have some sad little moments, Macaulay shined in this movie, you could just tell this kid was star bound, wish someone would give him a break, because he is slowly climbing to top again. But he and Jamie were the stars of the film and really made it worth a watch.

6/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 November 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Girl

Filming Locations:

113 Magnolia Ave, Sanford, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,391,783, 1 December 1991

Gross USA:

$59,489,799

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$59,489,799

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1