Beautiful Girls *** (1996, Matt Dillon, Timothy Hutton, Noah Emmerich) – Classic Movie Review 1671

Director Ted Demme’s 1996 comedy drama stars Timothy Hutton as Manhattan-based jazz pianist Willie Conway, who is hesitating over his wedding to long-time girlfriend, lawyer Tracy Stover (Annabeth Gish). He returns back to his small home town of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts, for a high school reunion and finds his old buddies’ lives still much the same.

Only one of them, Michael ‘Mo’ Morris (Noah Emmerich), is happily married with a family. Another one of them, Tommy ‘Birdman’ Rowland (Matt Dillon), has two gals on his hands – Mira Sorvino and old flame Lauren Holly, who is now married. Paul Kirkwood (Michael Rapaport) wants his waitress ex-girlfriend Jan (Martha Plimpton) back only because he knows it’s impossible. 

Precision acting by an extremely fine and classy ensemble makes screenwriter Scott Rosenberg’s rather inconsequential, talky comedy mean more than it’s really worth. But it’s still a sweet, appealing and amusing, even if ‘seen-it-all-before’ movie. Teenager Natalie Portman steals the show in a touching performance as a sophisticated 13-year-old Lolita targeting Hutton.

Rosie O’Donnell, Max Perlich and Uma Thurman also star. And Pruitt Taylor Vince, Anne Bobby, Richard Bright, Sam Robards, David Arquette, Adam LeFevre and John Carroll Lynch are also in the all-star cast.

There’s some swearing:  it’s rated R for strong language and Paul Kirkwood’s nude pin-ups.

Ted Demme died on 13 January 2002 in Santa Monica of an accidental cocaine-induced thrombotic heart attack.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1671

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