Beautiful Girls (1996)

78% of critics liked it
(46 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(20,892 ratings)

A high-school reunion in a snowy New England town brings together a diverse band of former classmates. They include NYC pianist Willie Timothy Hutton who has found only small success playing night clubs and is considering taking a job as a supply salesman. While in town, Willie, who is having… More A high-school reunion in a snowy New England town brings together a diverse band of former classmates. They include NYC pianist Willie Timothy Hutton who has found only small success playing night clubs and is considering taking a job as a supply salesman. While in town, Willie, who is having relationship problems with his girlfriend, finds himself becoming friends with 13 year-old Marty Natalie Portman. Then there's Tommy Matt Dillon, the aging jock who though seriously involved with Sharon Mira Sorvino, cannot resist the occasional walk down memory lane by sleeping with the former prom-queen Darian Lauren Holly, who is married but believes that her husband won't find out. Paul Michael Rapaport is dumped by his waitress girlfriend Jan Martha Plimpton, in part because of the swimsuit-clad supermodels plastered all over his walls. Paul then becomes attracted to Andera Uma Thurman, who is visiting her cousin Stinky Pruitt Taylor Vince, a local tavern owner. Also among the group -- Gina Rosie O'Donnell, who fancies herself a feminist counselor and who, in one of the film's highlights, delivers a poignant rant against how magazines present unrealistic images of women. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Ted Demme
Written By: Scott Rosenberg
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Feb 9, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Apr 3, 2001
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Beautiful Girls is always in touch with reality but never drowned in it.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
This startlingly uneventful compendium of thick-headed boy-talk and female tolerance squanders a fine cast on incredibly ordinary characters and situations.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
It's the women who break the monotony of this dudes-in-flux saga...
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
In a relationship that skirts bad taste, Hutton and Portman make tender movie magic, giving this big-screen spin on Friends its only moments of true romantic yearning.
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times
The dialogue isn't the only problem with Beautiful Girls. The characters are bad, too.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Portman, a budding knockout, is scene-stealingly good even in an overly showy role.
Darren Bignell, Empire Magazine
This film really succeeds with its warm treatment of ordinary hang-ups -- no life-shattering revelations or pain repressed since childhood, just the genuine, everyday trials of life.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Natalie Portman, as a 13-year-old on whom Hutton develops a strangely affecting crush, is a delight.
, Film4
Demme's conversational film is about the gaping chasm between what men say and what they feel. It may not tell us anything new, but its eloquence is quietly rewarding.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Portman steals all the scenes with Timothy Hutton and lights up the movie in each and every one of her scenes with her beauty, charm and utter exuberance.
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Talky '90s romance; kids may be "just not into" it.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Ted Demme's coming of age tale is about guys in their 20s who refuse or are unable to mature, which might explain why the most captivating relationship is between Timothy Hutton and the 13-year-old Natalie Portman.
, Time Out
Women may be unimpressed, but men will squirm with recognition.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
A film about relationships and growing older that's funny and smart.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Not a whole lot goes on, but what does go on is engaging enough to merit a look.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Red L

This would qualify for my teen angst movies, except it is 20's angst. Six small-town guys are in town for a school reunion, and all are in various crossroads. Do I get married? Do I continue my affair? What about my job? The only thing wrong with the movie is that in one… More
This would qualify for my teen angst movies, except it is 20's angst. Six small-town guys are in town for a school reunion, and all are in various crossroads. Do I get married? Do I continue my affair? What about my job? The only thing wrong with the movie is that in one short weekend, they mostly figure out what they want to do with their lives. If only life was so easy.
Alice S

I freakin' love this movie. I can't even explain it.
Jennifer X

Natalie Portman is the only person that would make a quasi-romance with a 40-year-old seem somewhat appealing.
Cassie H

Fairly decent but kind of odd.
Dean M

Another rueful comedy about commitment-shy twentysomething men and the women who are too good for them. Scott Rosenberg's script takes a condescending view of its own characters, and his dialogue is often pretentious and literary; some lines are almost literally unspeakable.… More
Another rueful comedy about commitment-shy twentysomething men and the women who are too good for them. Scott Rosenberg's script takes a condescending view of its own characters, and his dialogue is often pretentious and literary; some lines are almost literally unspeakable. Fortunately, the cast is packed with first-rate talent, and the film is much better acted than written.
Daniel P

Think of The Deer Hunter. Now remove the war, likeable characters and anything interesting ever happening. What you're left with is Beautiful Girls: a slice-of-life attempt at nostlagic/romantic comedy (or something) wherein, despite everyone being back in town to go to the high… More
Think of The Deer Hunter. Now remove the war, likeable characters and anything interesting ever happening. What you're left with is Beautiful Girls: a slice-of-life attempt at nostlagic/romantic comedy (or something) wherein, despite everyone being back in town to go to the high school reunion, the characters don't think or talk about it the whole way... then don't even get there in the end (I'll leave the reasons out of it, not to avoid spoiling it, but because they're notably lame). This movie is barely watchable. The musical interludes between scenes are annoyingly long, the drama feels contrived (though not as much as the "heartwarming" moments including the gruelling full-cast sing-along to Sweet Caroline), and I didn't care about any of the characters. Rosie O'Donnell running her loud mouth? Imagine... I think she's playing herself. (There's a reason I don't watch The View...) Even Uma Thurman couldn't save this bland script filled out by a particularly lifeless Matt Dillon and Mira Sorvino, the untalented Lauren Holly, the more-one-dimensionally-annoying than ever Michael Rappaport and the very, very, very poor (think homeless) man's John Travolta, Timothy Hutton. (When you're a clone of someone who already sucks, it's bad, Tim.) If Natalie Portman's performance can break away from the rest of the cast AT THE AGE OF 14, there's something wrong... Though it might sell itself as an "ensemble cast", it's little more than a support group excercise for B-list actors. They spent all their money on song rights, too many sets and one good actor (Thurman), and as a result, I don't think they could afford any writers. While it wasn't without its moments, the most interesting thing about this film is that it wasn't a made-for-TV movie. Simply awful.
David L

How long did it take you to grow up, and how did you know when you got there? I find that as I get older, the less I appreciate films "aimed" at younger audiences. I'm 35 ( as of this writing) and for me, most "teen" comedies are insufferable, and those… More
How long did it take you to grow up, and how did you know when you got there? I find that as I get older, the less I appreciate films "aimed" at younger audiences. I'm 35 ( as of this writing) and for me, most "teen" comedies are insufferable, and those that are about twenty-somethings are gradually sliding into that category as well. I begin to wonder: Is it me? Do I just not get it? Is it just my age? Then, I pull out my DVD of Beautiful Girls, which reminds me that when movies are good, it doesn't matter how old you -- or the characters -- are. We come to know the characters, we come to care about what is happening, and we even forgive them some of their shortcomings. They seem like people we might know. It's not easy to do that in a movie. Director Ted Demme sets just the right pace, and lets the story unfold as a sequence of humanly unpredictable events. The dialog is natural and easy. There are several scenes of enjoyable, realistic dialog that don't particularly forward the plot in any direction -- these scenes (like Timothy Hutton's scene with Uma Thurmann in the Ice Fishing shack) lend depth to the characters by letting them say what a person might actually say. And thus the story seems natural and unforced. The film takes place over the course of, oh, I'd say about 2-3 weeks. How much growing up have you done over the last 2 -3 weeks? This is a great movie and well worth checking out.
Michael G

Like watching The Deer Hunter minus the bonecrushing depression and Russian Roulette. I feel filthy every time I watch this because Natalie Portman's character is the one I'm most attracted to.
Leigh R

It was okay.
Mark A

Surprisingly good romantic comedy. Willie (Timothy Hutton), who plays in piano bars in NYC, returns home for a high school reunion and reconnects with his running buddies from high school who have remained in the town they grew up in. Each of them is dealing with relationship issues… More
Surprisingly good romantic comedy. Willie (Timothy Hutton), who plays in piano bars in NYC, returns home for a high school reunion and reconnects with his running buddies from high school who have remained in the town they grew up in. Each of them is dealing with relationship issues and it is the intersection of these various issues that provides the dramatic framework for the film. Great cast, terrific script and an oddly moving story that touches on our expectations and how life doesn't always turn out the way we pictured it. Michael Rapaport stood out as Paul, a real first class jerk who had perfected the art of being "teflon" before teflon was cool. In the end, he proves to be human after all. And a very young Natalie Portman turned in a carefully nuanced performance as the little girl next door, who catches the attention of Willie and causes him to inspect the consequences of his choices so far and to contemplate where his life is going. This viewer particularly enjoyed their playful, yet circumspect developing relationship. One feels they may become life-long friends. The film also looks at loyalty, fidelity, and the secrets we think we have hidden, but which are plain for all to see. One felt a part of this small town and this group of friends from the outest and for that I credit the acting. Laugh out loud funny at times. Don't miss Rosie's monologue about the ideal women on the pages of men's magazines. It is priceless! All in all the film was a wonderful surprise that this viewer enjoyed immensely.
Joey N

Standard, enjoyable fair with some great touches that set it a part: First of all, the phenomenal talent that is Natialie Portman as a child star. She's 13 here (or at least she's playing it), but she sparkles. Rosie O'Donnell's dissection on God's fairness… More
Standard, enjoyable fair with some great touches that set it a part: First of all, the phenomenal talent that is Natialie Portman as a child star. She's 13 here (or at least she's playing it), but she sparkles. Rosie O'Donnell's dissection on God's fairness with, ahem, larger women and their proportionate assests stands out. It was enough to temporarily make me forget what a turn-off her carrer is now. Also, the "beautiful girls are fuel" speech by Michael Rapaport was nice, albeit off putting since it cut to a montage of fake super-models, but hey, whatareya gonna do?
Sunil J

This is a hard one because there's a lot of funny in this movie and some of the characters are great. However, Timothy Hutton's infatuation with 13 year-old Natalie Portman is just plain creepy - no matter how much he tried to justify their friendship. Also Lauren Holly is… More
This is a hard one because there's a lot of funny in this movie and some of the characters are great. However, Timothy Hutton's infatuation with 13 year-old Natalie Portman is just plain creepy - no matter how much he tried to justify their friendship. Also Lauren Holly is very over the top and annoying here. Michael Rapaport's character is by far the best and most interesting and Natalie is always wonderful.
Erin C

Lots of good actors in it, which I think is what saved it. It did have a story in which almost everyone could relate to in some way or another.
Leo L

Love this movie!