Hidden Movie Gem: “Beautiful Girls”
Today’s Hidden Movie Gem guest post comes from Chris Chun:
Movie Title: Beautiful Girls
Year: 1996
Writer: Scott Rosenberg
Lead Actors: Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Michael Rapaport, Max Perlich, Uma Thurman, and Natalie Portman
Director: Ted Demme
Plot Summary: A piano player at a crossroads in his life returns home to his friends and their own problems with life and love.
Why I Think This Movie Is A Hidden Gem: On the surface, this movie appears to be a simple, straightforward ’90s dramedy.
It has a recognizable concept. An outsider from the big city returns to his hometown. It has a familiar theme. Late-twenties guys all struggling to grow up and move on to the next stage in their lives. It has conventional character-types. Willie (Hutton) is the cool-but-not-too-cool-guy. Tommy (Dillon) is the jock juggling two girls. Paul (Rapaport) is the guy that can’t get over his ex. Kev (Perlich) is the little guy who’s been overlooked his whole life. Andera (Thurman) is the ultimate “beautiful girl.”
Yes, Beautiful Girls is comprised of story-tropes that we’ve all seen before — but it’s the script that makes this film transcend its archetypes. The characters, the dialogue, the relationships, and the problems all come alive because of Rosenberg’s ability to make the simple, straightforward elements of this story standout on the page.
The funniest, most poignant moments in this film don’t come from elaborate setups or long-awaited payoffs. Instead, Rosenberg utilizes the small moments, the everyday conversations, to create a story that has the emotional authenticity to connect with its audience.
In an ensemble film, with many interesting relationships, it’s the connection between Willie and Marty (Portman) that provides the most compelling scenes in this film. The notion that a twenty-nine-year-old musician is pining for his thirteen-year-old neighbor should feel immoral and disturbing. But Demme and Rosenberg handle this concept with such confidence — and Hutton and Portman pull off such amazing performances — that the relationship comes off as earnest and heartfelt.
Ultimately, it’s Willie’s friendship with Marty that allows him to see that he needs to move on to the next stage in his life. It’s only after Willie rejects the irrational fantasy of waiting five years for Marty to become eighteen, that he realizes that he wants to move on to the next stage in his life. Marty is the catalyst that allows Willie to grow up.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie: Willie explaining to Marty that he doesn’t want to be “Winnie the Pooh” to her “Christopher Robbin.”
My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie (had to pick two):
Paul: 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. The supermodels, Willy? That’s all they are. Bottled promise. Scenes from a brand new day. Hope dancing in stiletto heels.
Willie: What’s your name?
Marty: (sheepishly) Marty.
Willie: As in Martha?
Marty: As in Marty. Named for a grandfather I never even knew, Martin. So, now I’m Marty. Just Marty. A girl named Marty. It is I think the bane of my existence.
Willie: Mmm…hmm…how old are you?
Marty: Thirteen. But I’m an old-soul.
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie:
1) The scene where Timothy Hutton kisses Natalie Portman on the cheek was not written in the script. During production, Demme told Hutton to kiss Portman without telling her beforehand. Her reaction in the film is a spontaneous reaction
2) When we first meet Sharon (Mira Sorvino) we never get a clear shot of her face (as she’s sleeping on Tommy’s lap). The next time we meet her, we once again do not get a clear shot of her face (after she and Tommy have had sex). It’s interesting to see just how long Demme delays Sharon’s introduction to the audience (at least in terms of her face), as this accentuates how Sharon is overshadowed throughout much of the film by Tommy’s other lover, Darian (Lauren Holly).
3) The Sweet Caroline bar-sing-along scene almost never happened. Rosenberg wanted the song to be Sweet Caroline. Demme wasn’t sure that the song would work. So when Demme, Rosenberg, and the cast were at a Minneapolis bar one night, Rosenberg paid the piano player ten dollars to play Sweet Caroline. Eventually, the whole bar was singing-along to the song. Afterwards, Demme agreed to use the song in the film.
Movie Trailer:
Thanks, Chris! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
Tomorrow: Another Hidden Movie Gem!
Note: At this point, we have 28 guest posts. We are shooting for 31. If you’d like to submit a post for one of your favorite Hidden Movie Gems, please use the above template and email to me.
Also I’m looking for a special horror gem to post on Halloween Day.
You’ve done a great job so far, folks. Let’s finish this series strong!