Girls Town (1996)

88% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(551 ratings)

When one of their friends commits suicide, three young women learn to stand up for themselves and strike back against male-dominated society in this drama. Patti (Lili Taylor), Emma (Anna Grace), Angela (Bruklin Harris), and Nikki (Aunjanue Ellis) are four teenage girls who attend the same high… More When one of their friends commits suicide, three young women learn to stand up for themselves and strike back against male-dominated society in this drama. Patti (Lili Taylor), Emma (Anna Grace), Angela (Bruklin Harris), and Nikki (Aunjanue Ellis) are four teenage girls who attend the same high school in inner-city New York. Patti is an unwed mother struggling to complete her education as she deals with her irresponsible boyfriend, while the other three are good students going on to college after completing their final year of high school. One day, seemingly without warning, Nikki kills herself. Struggling for clues to explain the tragedy, the other three girls discover her diary and learn that she had been raped while serving an internship at a magazine. As the girls compare notes, they realize that they've all been treated badly by men; Emma was also raped, and Patti sardonically says that if rape is having sex when you don't really want to, then she's been raped by practically every guy she's ever gone out with. Eventually, the three decide that it's time to stand up for themselves and retaliate against the men who have wronged them; they begin by vandalizing the car of Emma's attacker and then formulate a plan to punish the man who raped Nikki. Screenwriter Denise Casano and writer/director Jim McKay developed much of their screenplay through improvisations with the four leading actresses, giving the film's dialogue a natural rhythm and feel. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Jim McKay
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Feb 4, 1997
Studio: Hallmark Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
As a male writer-director, McKay proves to be extremely sensitive to the feeling and words of working-class women (Lili Taylor among them), determined to establish their self-worth as well as to fight against the social ills of the oppressive system
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Taylor, Harris and Grace come up with some watchable, genuine moments. But they're often too involved in themselves; the movie indulges them too much.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Constructed without a traditional denouement, Girls Town will nevertheless satisfy viewers who want something that feels more like life than like art.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
A welcome little gust of teen-age realism.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The performances and the film's plausible handling of an unusual movie subject make Girls Town special.
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Features good work from its performers.
Rob Nelson, City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Girls Town Subverts the Patriarchy.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A fresh, funny, and abrasive film about three high school seniors.
Lael Loewenstein, Boxoffice Magazine
Holds appeal, partly because it could so easily have been an uplifting message movie but it refuses to be so simplistic.
Leslie Rigoulot, Film Scouts
An empowering feminist tale made authentic by the actresses participation in the scripting.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
A mix of reality and zip that nicely conveys the heady atmosphere of almost-adult life.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
The film wanders around aimlessly like a ship without a rudder or a captain.