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, Timothy Hutton, Noah Emmerich

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:

friendship | lolita | cheating wife | high school reunion | ex girlfriend | 

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Taglines:

good times never seemed so good

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | 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:

Lake William, Shorewood, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$10,597,759

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Woods Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul's monologue to Will, "A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you've been drinking Jack and Coke all morning. She can make you feel high full of the single greatest commodity known to man - promise. Promise of a better day. Promise of a greater hope. Promise of a new tomorrow. This particular aura can be found in the gait of a beautiful girl. In her smile, in her soul, the way she makes every rotten little thing about life seem like it's going to be okay." is in the intro to the demo version of a Taking Back Sunday song called, "Great Romances of the Twentieth Century".

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Goofs

Kev's cigar in the opening scene.

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Quotes

Paul: I don't care, man. If she can cut her own food, she's fair game.

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Connections

References The Goonies (1985)

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Soundtracks

Me and Mrs. Jones
Written by Kenny Gamble (as Kenneth Gamble), Leon Huff & Cary Gilbert
Performed by Billy Paul
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Beautifully crafted coming-of-age, slice-of-life drama

I found this one of those films that just has you saying, "yes! yes! yes!" throughout. All the requisite elements work together so well here, it views almost as a documentary. Art direction, costuming, sets, photography, direction, script, acting, editing - everyone deserved an award. It's as nearly flawless a film as i've seen. Young adults will resonate deeply to its themes, but all adults will find much to savor.

Demme deserves credit for infusing the potentially ho-hum tale of young grads gathering for their small-town high school reunion with a palpable tension that gives every development dramatic interest. Will violence erupt? Will some go to prison? Will lives be ruined? Will lovers truly find each other? How rich with dramatic possibility are the everyday moments of our lives! And how satisfying can be the rewards of just accepting the everyday prizes that come our way.