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Timothy Hutton stars as Willie, an unsuccessful New York City musician who returns to his sleepy hometown of Knightsbridge, Massachusetts for his 10-year high school reunion. Using this time home to ponder his life decisions and his developing relationship with his girlfriend back in the city, he observes the lives of his friends who never left Knightsbridge, all of whom are going through various relationship and life issues themselves.

There's Tommy (Matt Dillon), the former high school hero who now works in "sub-zero water removal" (he plows snow); he's having an affair with his now-married high school sweetheart Darian (Lauren Holly), and he's also dating the devoted Sharon (Mira Sorvino), who suffers from poor self-esteem as a result of her boyfriend's philandering.

Tommy's roommate Paul (Michael Rapaport) is so obsessed with "beautiful girls" that he's named his dog "Elle MacPherson." Paul recently lost his girlfriend Jan (Martha Plimpton) to "Victor the meat cutter," partially as a result of his obsession with beauty but also because of his inability to commit to marriage. He tries to make up for this loss by pursuing Andera (Uma Thurman), a beautiful girl who's visiting town and is as unattainable to Paul as the real Elle MacPherson.

Amid these and other mini-melodramas, Willie finds himself strangely drawn to Marty (Natalie Portman), a precocious 13-year-old neighbor. Wise beyond her years, Marty has a girlish crush on Willie, who of course realizes that his interest in the girl is an impossible avenue to explore. As he says, "It's not a sexual thing… she's smart, she's funny… this girl is going to be amazing." The years separate the two, yet they are kindred spirits. This plot thread is an important part of the film, and it could have been easily botched in the wrong hands. But all concerned handle it with grace and intelligence, and particular kudos must go to Hutton and Portman for their subtle portrayals of Willie and Marty. The chemistry between the two is one of the highlights of the film.

While the sub-plots all have the potential to add up to a melodramatic mess, the creative talents at work here are sure to avoid all the typical pitfalls. Scott Rosenberg's script is smart and hilarious; it's an accurate reflection of real life situations, albeit a bit more witty and amusing than life always is. Ted Demme's direction is smooth and sure, depicting the lives of the characters and the feel of this working-class town perfectly.

The film is well cast indeed. All the players clearly know their characters and find their own niche in this ensemble piece. While Hutton is ostensibly the lead of the film, everyone else is given a chance to do their thing, and not a single performer misses a beat. Special mention must be made of young Portman, who is just phenomenal in the role of the mature, yet childish Marty. This is no Lolita role - Marty is an extremely well realized character, thanks in no small part to Portman's vast talent. I suggest naysayers of her performance in THE PHANTOM MENACE sit down and watch her carefully in BEAUTIFUL GIRLS.

The film also features a very cool rock and retro soundtrack, with music from the likes of Roland Gift, Chris Isaak, The Rolling Stones and Neil Diamond (yes, Neil Diamond, and it's cool!).

Even the end of BEAUTIFUL GIRLS is pure real life. As Willie rediscovers his true ambition and his decision is supported by his girlfriend Tracy, the two drive away from Knightsbridge together. As they leave town they pass Willie's buddy Kev in his truck, who wishes them a quick goodbye and reminds Willie to "stay cool… stay cool forever." There's no doubt that he'll do just that, as will BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, which happens to be one of the most honest films I've seen in some time.

The DVD presents the film in widescreen format, and includes chapter selections and English captions for the hearing impaired. No other extra features are to be found here, though the theatrical trailer at the very least would have been nice (and has almost become expected at this point in the DVD arena). - SCOTT COLLURA - iF Magazine (http://ifmagazine.ifctv.com)

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originally posted: 06/29/99 16:45:37
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