Angelina Jolie, Mercedes Ruehl, Faye Dunaway

America's first supermodel Gia Carangi lives hard and dies young in the glamorous, excessive urban wilds of 1970s New York City. Adapted by Cristofer and novelist Jay McInerney from the biography "Thi...( read more  read more... )ng of Beauty" by Stephen Fried. Made for HBO. Available in rated and unrated versions.

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82% liked it

17,214 ratings

R

Directed by: Michael Cristofer

Release Date: December 31, 1998

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DVD Release Date: August 24, 2004

Stats: 2,867 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,867)


  • July 24, 2009
    Quite simply put, it's one of the best films I have ever seen. Putting aside the facts that some of it is not quite accurate, it is still brilliant.

    I'd heard of this film some years ago but never had the opportunity to see it. But recently, I decided to give it a shot, not know...( read more)ing I was about to be put through one hell of a ride.

    It's probably Angelina Jolie's best acting to date - I've always liked her anyway, but in this she really shines, vividly showing us the wild and tragic life of Gia in a way that I doubt very, very few actresses of today could carry out. She flies from mood to mood with an honesty so passionate that it is hard to believe Jolie herself isn't truly Gia.

    Elizabeth Mitchell plays her off-and-on lover, Linda with such care and understanding that you want to fall in love with Linda as well as Gia. The chemistry between the two of them is incredible. Mitchell is, very unfortunately, one of the most underrated actresses around. Critics and fans alike are right to wonder why on earth this woman hasn't won some kind of award for her pure talent.

    Put these two together and you get a recipe for one of the most well-acted films of the last fifteen years. And adding Faye Dunaway to the mix... well, what can I say.

    The film follows the tragic life of Gia Carangi, America's first supermodel. From beginning to end you are assaulted with anger, sadness, happiness, and a growing sense of falling and dread so intense that after it finished I let out a breath as if I had been holding it the entire way through the film. For days afterwards the film kept itself firmly in my mind until I just had to watch it again and put myself through the almost harrowing experience that it is.

    Harrowing, yes. It is a film that can be hard to watch. But it is worth it.
  • April 25, 2009
    "This is life... not heaven... you don't have to be perfect."

    Movie based on the life of Gia Carangi, a top fashion model from the late 1970s.

    REVIEW

    This film is a poignant story about Gia Carangi, ...( read more)America's first supermodel, who rose to fame in her late teens and died of AIDS at the age of 26. Angelina Jolie is incredible as Gia. She never holds back, letting emotions fill the screen in every frame. The scene with Gia and her mother in the apartment, as well as the rehab and hospital scenes, are devastating.

    The supporting cast is very good, too, particularly Elizabeth Mitchell as Gia's lover Linda, who can only watch helplessly as her girlfriend descends into drug hell, and Mercedes Ruehl as Gia's mother Kathleen, whose influence returns when it is too late. Excellent drama, made even more tragic by the fact that it is true.
  • September 22, 2008
    "You scare the shit out of people so they can't see how scared you are."

    "This is life, not heaven. You don't have to be perfect."

    Knew I loved Angelina after this movie. ♥


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  • July 8, 2008
    angelina jolie was excellent and the soundtrack was solid, but everything else about this film was terrible. it was trashy, oddly directed, and incredibly boring. not worth the watch.
  • July 6, 2008
    I don't know what's worse, Angelina Jolie or the movie...
  • October 18, 2009
    I see a lot of references about inaccuracies in this movie. If anyone wants to share what they were, I'd be interested.

    This movie was okay. I was surprised how wild Gia was. I mean from the start! She had a rage inside, and I'm not sure why. Something was just not righ...( read more)t with this child. I understand drugs can make you act crazy, but she seemed pretty crazy long before the drugs and the modeling.

    When she was modeling, she acted like a caged animal (reference the nude fence scene) Later she was screaming, throwing things, breaking things. Just a wild child, who got famous because of her looks. Bizarre!
  • October 11, 2009
    Although I wish the film could have provided a more accurate and in depth look into Gia's life, it was focused and moved me incredibly and I really felt for this tormented and vulnerable soul.
  • September 4, 2009
    well, i know i've seen it, but i don't remember anything about it :)
  • September 4, 2009
    One of Angelina Jolies better performances.
  • August 26, 2009
    vary moving story about Gia Carangi, through the drugs and the lifestyle and the sickness that ended her life to soon. did not like sex scenes nor the homosexuality through-out.other than that Angelina Jolie did a great job in this proformance.

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Comments


  • lauramunteanrok
    February 14, 2009
    hey,chawndie2krunk ! go fuck yourself and if you can't, call me
  • dana23cro
    February 14, 2009
    GIA- best movie;)
  • dana23cro
    February 14, 2009
    who the fuck are you...chawndie2krunk? =that is a crap shit....not the fact that angelina is playing a lesbian...in that movie...why didn`t you see the drug problem?????...a lot of people confrunt with ...and this could prevent others... but you didn`t see only that in this movie it was a lesbian...:)))) how stupid can you be?
  • vampirehs
    January 7, 2009
    i think angelina jolie is artist that when she is not lesbian she acted this role and its very great movie that showes mothers acting in children life is so important i think gia is not real lesbian she search for one mother its very artistic movie
  • chawndie2krunk
    December 20, 2008
    Angelina jolie is a lesbian in this film and this shit dumb too
  • chawndie2krunk
    December 20, 2008
    Angelina jolie is a lesbian in this film and this shit dumb too
  • boxedinn
    December 1, 2008
    I find it funny how more women liked this movie than men
  • dimitraa
    March 26, 2008
    where can i find the dvd of the movie???????????:D:D:D
  • sachitaroita
    June 4, 2007
    i love this movie, i love angelina.. this one's i cannot forget even if time passes by..i first watched it when i was in high school i want to watch it again.. her life, gia is nakakapanghinayang.. she only needs to be guided.
  • Javagurl1
    March 21, 2007
    It is very loosely based on the real life events of Gia Carangi...

    They took a few facts and fluffed them up so to speak..

    They left out all of the ugliness the life of a junkie is about after your pretty looks are gone along with your constant cash flow...

    Gia lived a relatively short and very tragic life. She was a lesbian who turned to prostitution to support a Heroin habit she felt she couldn't or didn't want to break.

    Don't take it from me, read the book written by Stephen Fried.

    The movie rocked, Gia rocks, Angelina as Gia rocks, Angelina as herself rocks!

    This is a must have for anyones collection.

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Gia Trivia


  • Which actress played the role of Supermodel Gia?  Answer »
  • In which movie did Angelina Jolie play a Drug Addict/Model?  Answer »
  • What Angelina Jolie movie is based on the true story of a top fashion model from the late 1970's?  Answer »
  • Angelina Jolie played a lesbian model in this film  Answer »

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