SummaryAn all-star cast sparks this comedy about a group of old friends whose 10-year high school reunion creates some unexpected surprises. (Miramax)
Directed By:Ted Demme
Written By:Scott Rosenberg
Beautiful Girls
Metascore
Generally Favorable
65
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
56% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
39% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
User score
Generally Favorable
81% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
13% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Dec 12, 2020
10
This is the first review I write on Metacritic as I watched the movie yesterday night for the umpteenth time an just felt like giving my two cents: Even though I should have outgrown it as it revolves mainly around characters in their late 20s, it doesn’t feel like that at all. In fact it’s my personal top five favorite movies of all time (as a frame of reference: I was born in the late 60s), and one of a few on my annual watch list -- though yesterday I just found out that it’s best enjoyed in early February! It’s all about coming home, camaraderie, the coziness of having a place in the world and the discomfort of still looking for it. The cast is killer, they have an unbeatable chemistry and a very young Natalie Portman is the magic sparkle – she straight outplays all her seniors. There are quite a few tremendously great monologues that are just as quotable as from any bigger movie. And the songs chosen for the piece hits all the right notes – it actually expanded my music universe quite a bit (unfortunately, the soundtrack album doesn’t contain all the tracks in the movie, but the one that really set the mood for the movie are there). It’s just a precious little Ted Demme gem that I always pick up at flea markets whenever I see a DVD of it in a forgotten sales bin: Do the same, give it to one of your friends, preferably male (though I can imagine that the movie also works for women ... to a certain degree).
Jul 20, 2014
10
Beautiful Girls is an excellent comedy drama with a popular cast. Uma Thurman, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman and Mira Sorvino are just some of the actors in the movie. The movie is a wonderful movie to watch with your significant other, friends or family.
75
What saves director Ted Demme's comic talkfest from sitcom slickness is a quirky script by Scott Rosenberg and an appealing cast.
67
With beauty and talent to spare, Portman is something to behold: It's as if Elizabeth Taylor and Jodie Foster were somehow genetically melded at an early age. She's definitely a beautiful girl to watch for.
60
It's too long by half an hour, and the director, Ted Demme, can't hold onto a rhythm, but the actors are uniformly sharp, and so are the actresses.
50
Beautiful Girls follows the boys as they work their way through these crises, and it's about as much fun as a neighborhood bar on a Tuesday night. Its crisis: not much happening.
38
Something in Hutton's wounded puppy look always communicates an untapped intelligence or wasted potential, both of which are perfect for this role.
Nov 23, 2018
8
Just a gem of a film... every actor & actress was on point... this is one of those movies that has replay value.
May 27, 2016
7
A fantastic look at male insecurity, immaturity, and our inability to commit, Beautiful Girls is a truly sentimental film. A great look at returning home to think things out while being confronted with your past and having to learn how to move on, the film can be a little too obvious and thinks itself more profound than it really is, but that said, it is a really engaging and compelling look at life, love, and finding that "perfect" person for you. An actor's showcase, Beautiful Girls presents fantastic performances from Natalie Portman, Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Michael Rapaport, Rosie O'Donnell, and Uma Thurman. Sweetly written, the sentimental nature of the film hits all the right notes and truly fills you up with nostalgia for the way things used to be and really uses this nostalgia as a good jumping off point to dive into its psychological musings. Overall, Beautiful Girls is a pretty good film overall that really is a pleasure to watch.
Jan 16, 2015
4
OK so I cannot issue a full review as I stopped watching at 59 minutes in, had seen enough to realize my life did not need to waste a further 50 minutes watching this dated flick. Would I recommend, maybe in 1996,..then again most likely not ever.
Production Company:
- Miramax
- Woods Entertainment
Release Date:Feb 9, 1996
Duration:1 h 52 m
Rating:R
Tagline:good times never seemed so good
Awards
San Sebastián International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
• 2 Nominations
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Nomination
