Beautiful Girls [Blu-ray]

Well this is the first review that I have ever written, so my grammar and punctuation are really lacking, my college days are far behind me. I have been watching movies for over 50 years(like a few other reviewers), and I felt I had to say something about this movie. How I missed this movie over the years, I do not know, but it was one of the best movies I have ever seen.I had caught the movie (Leon-The Professional) on television, and wondered who that little girl was that played such a fantastic part in what I thought was to be just a action flick. I did some research on the net and found out who she was, and ran across her name cast in Beautiful Girls, so I purchased the DVD just to see what part she played in it. Man how lucky I was to find such a goldmine! Definitely a collectible to be watched many times. I was able to relate to all of the characters in the movie one way or the other, and it brought back so many memories of my twenties life. Natalie Portman (Marty) and Timothy Hutton (Willie), knocked my socks off. I have had a couple of encounters of the same kind in my lifetime,and it is like two people have the same heart and soul, but the age and timing were always wrong. It left me wondering sometimes if I had been born at the wrong time in life. The way their scenes were portrayed was amazing. At first the scenes seemed too fast, and it was hard to understand every word. I had a hard time with the New England accent, being a southern boy, so I put on the closed caption, and played it in slow motion. Marty kinda started it off with her lines, "I'm 13, but I have an old soul",and "my name is the bane of my existence".She told Willie he was a "you're a dude in flux".Her intellect,personality, and perception were way beyond her age,plus she was a (beautiful girl). The scene with Marty and Willie at the ice pond was the best for me,when Marty wanted Willie to be her boyfriend, with lines like "but if your feelings for me are true, you will wait","Yep,wait 5 years for me I'll be 18",and "we can walk through this world together". Awesome! Then Willies denial with the Winnie the Pooh, and Christopher Robinson, comparison was great. Their gestures and eye contact were realistic, heart moving, and sad, in all their scenes. I do not know if Willie really denied Marty completely or not. At the end of the movie he drove off with his girlfriend, still staring at Marty in his rear view mirror. Plus Andera(Uma Thurman), threw him a curve in the ice fishing hut. Surely wish there had been some kind of sequel, this is a movie that you did not want to end.All of the characters played excellent parts, and would recommend for all above (R) rating age. A tremendous movie about real people, in the real world. Kudos! to all. I am sorry I missed the rest of Natalie's growing up, she has already graduated from Harvard. Well Done Nat! Okay, enough said.....Enjoy this Movie!

It seems like there are hundreds of 10 year reunion movies and to one degree or another, they all pretty much follow the same story line. The jock, the homecoming queen, the funny guy, the sweet girl all having gone their separate ways, return to reunite like they were still 18 again. Frankly there's not much different here.But... Looking back some 17 years now check out the cast. Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Lauren Holly, Timothy Hutton, Rosie O'Donnell, Max Perlich, Martha Plimpton, Michael Rapaport, Mira Sorvino, Uma Thurman, David Arquett, Sam Robards and the remarkable Natalie Portman. Why does Portman stand out? While everyone else is just short of 30, Portman's character, Marty, is only 13 and lives next door to the Conway home. Willie Conway (Hutton) has returned home to this New England small town, after years in the city (Boston? New York?) playing piano in small clubs. Disillusioned, he's thinking of changing careers. He's also not sure where his relationship with Tracy (Annabeth Gish) is going.He strikes up a casual conversation with Marty and finds her engaging, smart and quick witted. As Marty says of herself, "I'm an old soul." Marty develops a crush on Willie. Willie sees the characteristics in Marty that he wishes Tracy had. Before this sounds like it is going into the icky stage, it doesn't. But that doesn't mean Marty and Willie aren't marking their calendars ahead, 5 years as far as Marty is concerned, 10 for Willie. Their byplay is what makes the film special and Portman is amazing in what was her 3rd film after "Leon: The Professional" and "Heat."Another excellent performance comes from Dillon as Tommy who is currently playing house with Sharon (Sorvino) but also getting it on the side from the married beauty (Holly). Also watch for Rosie O'Donnell as Gina, who has a memorable rant about skinny fashion models, especially those that adorn the room of Paul (Rapaport). Director Ted Demme must have felt like he was wrangling cats with this ensemble, but it all works.Don't expect much on this Blu ray version. It comes in 1080p and has a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. While it is certainly watchable it is flat and lifeless. I noticed several darker scenes with background noise. The audio track is DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 and it is OK but again nothing special. The extras are pretty lame. A 27 minute "Behind the Scenes" and 3+ minute piece of what the cast sees as "True Beauty." Yawn.

From the first guy we meet, Timothy Hutton, to the last gal we are introduced to, Annabeth Gish, the viewer here is treated to a veritable smorgasbord of, not only beautiful, but extremely talented acting greats. That coupled with a grand, great, groovy soundtrack you got a superb, sublime slice of comedy / drama greatness. For what it lacks in orange explosions and red claret sprayed on the screen, it more than makes up for with a staggering array of stars - more so than any galaxy in the universe. A joy to watch and behold. It’s an adult movie for an adult audience (the smattering of F word sees to that). As relevant today as it was back then. The film is genuinely good. Four stars for the cast. And for the subtitles. (The dvd didn’t have SDH subtitles) and did I mention, the cast? One of thee very best casts ever. One note of interest: the cover image of Lauren Holly is incorrect. In the film itself she has red hair. On the cover she looks to be a blonde. Noah Emmerich is a great actor and not name checked on the front cover (lack of space maybe?), same goes for Natalie Portman. However Michael Rappaport IS featured. Don’t get me wrong I do like him but I guess he was more recognisable. Or something. One more thing the beautiful and brilliant Mira Sorvino is credited on the front but not pictured. Oh, and there’s a trailer.

Ted Demme's film is extremely warm, despite its snowbound landscape- more suited to Egoyan's 'The Sweet Herafter'. This film did squat at the box office, despite the fact that it has a wonderful script by Scott Rosenberg (Things to do in Denver when you're Dead, High Fidelity, Er, Con Air...)and a wonderful ensemble cast. Tim Hutton puts in the best performance of his career, Natalie Portman is beguiling in a reverse-Lolita role and Uma Thurman is simply angelic. Think 'Swingers' with a dash of Capra or 'My so-called Life'. Other plus points include The Afghan Whigs as the local bar band, an extremely amusing Neil Diamond singalong and a wonderfully slobbish Michael Rappaport- with his disturbing philosphy on women ("they're all sisters Wil. Leave it alone!"). If you liked 'Grosse Point Blank' or 'Swingers' this is as good. 'Beautiful Girls' may have been overlooked because its just too human- maybe a little old fashioned and it hasn't got cool pastiches of Scorsese or Tarantino- which may mean critical reassessment in the future when we're bored of all those 'I'm worried I might be homosexual, so here's some stylised-violence'films (think Guy Ritchie or parts of 'Grosse Point Blank'). The perfect film for the upcoming winter and an example of Hollywood at its most thoughtful. Really!

Despite its rather suggestive title, this film is as sweet and innocent as the lovely Natalie Portman making snow angels.There is, of course, a more substantial level to the film - leitmotivs of friendship, love and return to innocence feature strongly - which leave you with something more than feeling good about the world. Although the principles of good ol' hometown America are prevalent the feel of this film is anything but conventional, introducing us to the sometimes bizarre world of mid-west America. It's not uncomfortable, just different.A truly lovely film that will help you appreciate your friends and their often brutal honesty....

It's not the story, it's the characters, the words between the thoughts, the spare dialogues, the moments spent among friends, when you stop and reflect on the way youre life's going. And it's the basic things in life, friends, girls, past and future. All very lighthearted, no drama, just some vibes. It takes talent to tell a story where nothing great happens. The late Ted Demme at his best, with a bunch of good actors

This film is hilarious. So enjoyable. Lots of issues being brought to light without making each story line too heavy. Older man liking the very much younger girl, another girl dealing with an eating disorder as her boyfriend is having an affair with a married woman. The lives that have never changed when one man returns home from the city to try to analyse his life, and the breath of fresh air that is (apparantly) Uma Thurman, to a town of men who will never do anything but plough snow in their home town. A touching film with very amusing characters. I recommend a viewing.