Beautiful Girls

1996

Beautiful Girls

Critics Consensus

A warm, thoughtful dramedy about male insecurity, Beautiful Girls is buoyed by an excellent cast - particularly Natalie Portman in a stunning early role.

79%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 47

81%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 22,108

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Movie Info

A high-school reunion in a snowy New England town brings together a band of former classmates who go from tavern to tavern discussing sex and relationships. The classmates include NYC pianist Willie who has found some success playing night clubs. While in town, Willie finds himself unnaturally attracted to a seductive 13-year-old girl. Then there's Tommy, the aging jock who though seriously involved with Sharon, cannot resist the occasional walk down memory lane by sleeping with the former prom-queen Darian, who is also married. Immature Paul is so obsessed by the swimsuit-clad supermodels plastered all over his walls that Jan, his waitress girlfriend, dumps him. Paul then begins going out with gorgeous Andera, who tries to explain that she is more than beautiful. Finally there is Stinky, who is just visiting, and Gina, who fancies herself a feminist counselor.
  • Rating:
    R
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Ted Demme
  • Written By:
    Scott Rosenberg
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Miramax Films

Cast

Matt Dillon
as Tommy Rowland
Lauren Holly
as Darian Smalls
Timothy Hutton
as Willie Conway
Natalie Portman
as Marty
Uma Thurman
as Andrea
Michael Rapaport
as Paul Kirkwood
Martha Plimpton
as Jan
Mira Sorvino
as Sharon
Annabeth Gish
as Tracy Stover
Rosie O'Donnell
as Gina
Noah Emmerich
as Michael Morris
Max Perlich
as Kev
Pruitt Taylor Vince
as Stanley
Sam Robards
as Steve Rossmore
David Arquette
as Bobby
Anne Bobby
as Sarah Morris
Richard Bright
as Dick Conway
Adam LeFevre
as Victor
John Carroll Lynch
as Frank Womack
Sarah Katz
as Kristen Rossmore
Camille D'Ambrose
as Sharon's Mother
Martin Rubin
as Chip
Tom Gibis
as Peter the Eater
Allison Levine
as Waitress at Moonlight Mile
Earl R. Burt
as Bartender
Gregory Dulli
as Lead Singer, Afghan Wigs
Trent Nicholas Thompson
as Michael Morris Jr.
Nicole Ranallo
as Cheryl Morris
Joyce Lacey
as Reunion Classmate No. 1
Matthew Nathan Castens
as Reunion Classmate No. 2
Anne W. Erickson
as Coffee Shop Waitress
Ollie Osterberg
as Drinker No. 1
Sterling Robson
as Drinker No. 2
Edward Kaspszak
as Drinker No. 3
John Scurti
as Ticket Agent
Herbie Ade
as Bar Owner
Ben Gooding
as Customer
Frank Anello
as Irv
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Critic Reviews for Beautiful Girls

All Critics (47) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (10)

  • Beautiful Girls is always in touch with reality but never drowned in it.

    November 27, 2009 | Full Review…

    Richard Schickel

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic

  • This startlingly uneventful compendium of thick-headed boy-talk and female tolerance squanders a fine cast on incredibly ordinary characters and situations.

    March 26, 2009

    Todd McCarthy

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • Women may be unimpressed, but men will squirm with recognition.

    January 26, 2006 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • It's the women who break the monotony of this dudes-in-flux saga...

    June 18, 2002 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Edward Guthmann

    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic

  • In a relationship that skirts bad taste, Hutton and Portman make tender movie magic, giving this big-screen spin on Friends its only moments of true romantic yearning.

    May 12, 2001 | Rating: 3/4

    Peter Travers

    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic

  • The dialogue isn't the only problem with Beautiful Girls. The characters are bad, too.

    February 14, 2001 | Full Review…

    Jack Mathews

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (47)

Audience Reviews for Beautiful Girls

  • Jul 10, 2020
    I can not get over the the feeling that Timothy Hutton's character behaves like a pedophile. The object of his attention, played by Natalie Portman, was coming off Luc Besson's The Professional, another film that reportedly is a fan of pedophiles. I think Hollywood filmmakers have a social responsibility to deal with the topic of teen (and pre-teen) girls as the object of adult male affection in a more thoughtful manner.
    Aldo G Super Reviewer
  • Jan 26, 2013
    Beautiful Girls screenplay deals with youth transition into adulthood, where it tells the story of a 'lost' late 20's guy who came back to his hometown to attend his high school reunion. The movie depicts a close-knitted friendship, small town's vibe and the rough transition every adults came through with finding love and whatnot. Although not a perfect-solid casts, Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman without a doubt shines in this one. Loved Rossie O'donnell and Uma Thurman too, but the rest of'em kinda tanked in their 90's cliche and wooden acting bit. Not a bad one but definitely didn't exceed my expectation. 6.2/10.
    Mesh B Super Reviewer
  • May 03, 2012
    This would qualify for my teen angst movies, except it is 20's angst. Six small-town guys are in town for a school reunion, and all are in various crossroads. Do I get married? Do I continue my affair? What about my job? The only thing wrong with the movie is that in one short weekend, they mostly figure out what they want to do with their lives. If only life was so easy.
    Red L Super Reviewer
  • Aug 18, 2011
    The first time I saw this movie, I LOVED IT. The second time, I thought it was just okay, maybe even a little below okay. Perhaps, due to the lack of subtitles on this particular disc I now own, I couldn't READ the movie while viewing it, so I noticed that a few performances didn't capture the gravitas of the screenplay. I remember loving Paul's slam poetry ode to supermodels (how "they're bottled promise...hope dancing in stiletto heels" and how that's as good as love), but something in Michael Rapaport's faux-gangsta posture and gait seems stilted, as if he wasn't completely sold on his character's near sociopathic rant of genius. I also remember loving Willie's meditation on thirteen-year-old Marty (how she will blossom into awesomeness in ten years and that he'd wait for her), but the cinematography is too staid and the effect of the moving monologue whispers pedophilia before it whispers, say...imprinting (ala Twilight werewolves). I also also remember loving Mo's raving, nonsensical battle cry, "YOU FUCK WITH ME, YOU FUCK WITH YOU! YOU GO TO THE FOUNTAIN, YOU DRINK? YOU DON'T DRINK!" but the loud audio makes it difficult to hear actual words. All in all, a damn shame cuz the coming-of-middle-age story is quite beautiful, and the young Natalie Portman as Marty is indeed precocious and magnetic.
    Alice S Super Reviewer
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