Beautiful Girls Review by Beth Ann Griese

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Starring	Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Michael Rappaport, Mira Sorvino, Rosie O'Donnell, Lauren Holly, Uma Thurman
Director	Ted Demme
Year	1996
What it's worth		Second run (See it as part of a double-feature or at a dollar house.)

Willie (Timothy Hutton) is the one who's made it out of town, and is working as a piano player in New York City, the big time. He's been seriously dating Tracy (Annabeth Gish) for about a year, and he's starting to wonder about marriage. Tommy (Matt Dillon) was the king of the high school, but now just owns a part share of a snow-plowing and construction business, and his high school sweetheart is married to another man. That doesn't, however, keep him from fooling around with her in between dates with his current girlfriend, Sharon (Mira Sorvino), much to her despair.

You might already have the general idea of the theme. Both of these men (plus a few more in the ensemble cast) have women in their lives who they could live quite happily with. In all cases, the women they have are kind, loving, and nice-looking. The guys, however, are thinking that something better may come along someday. Paul (Michael Rapaport) makes sure this is not missed in a speech about how supermodels embody hope, the glamour assurance that somewhere out there is a perfect life and the perfect woman just waiting for them. The other characters pursue this idea, too, just more subtly; Tommy by sleeping with his high school girl as a memory of when everything was possible, Willie by mooning over the 13-year-old neighbor girl, the young woman to be who may be more perfect than anything he has now.

That 13-year-old girl, by the way, is Marty, and the best role in the movie. The actress, Natalie Portman, was the young girl in The Professional, and hopefully someone we'll see a whole lot more of in films to come. She plays, according to her own line, "an old soul," who peers up at Willie with wise eyes that go beyond her years. It's a great part, and this young girl manages to upstage her formidable cast with it.

The women in this movie do get their say occasionally, most notably with the parts of Gina (Rosie O'Donnell), and Andera (Uma Thurman). O'Donnell is really just an extended cameo appearance, as a woman at the local beauty parlor who appears out of nowhere every once in a while to spout off at the guys and lay it on the line. I think the idea was that she went to the high school with them, too, but it's never really explained. She has no actual reason to be in the plot, but it can be forgiven, since she's so funny when she does show up. O'Donnell gets some of the best lines in the film, explaining to the menfolk exactly why they really need to get a grip and start appreciating what they have.

Uma Thurman appears as Andera, the prime example of what these men don't have but might want. She's gorgeous, she's funny, she knows to the day how long it is until spring training starts. She also has a boyfriend, knows exactly who she is and what she wants, and while she enjoys talking with Willie and Paul and their friends, she has no need for their come-ons. She and Willie have a great conversation in the middle of an ice-fishing cabin about whether the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence, or if he may not very well be standing in the best pasture around and not even realize it.

Of course, young men don't have a monopoly on the greener-grass syndrome. But they do seem to at least corner the market on it, and this movie takes a long look at that and what it will take to make a guy decide to be content. I'm going to call it the "jock flick," since there is no name for the male equivalent of a "chick flick." Everyone knows what "chick flicks" are; they're movies that center on the women, look at their desires and dreams, and usually manage to throw a few tears in along the way. The "jock flick" doesn't bother with the tears, but it centers on the guys and their thoughts and emotions without a single car chase or bullet. The story's nothing new and the plot doesn't contain any surprises, but it does have engaging characters, some honest truths, and some very funny lines that make it worth checking out on a quiet afternoon.

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