Review of Beautiful Girls (1996) by Lo L — 23 Nov 2008

I'm such a sucker for coming-of-(any)age films, particularly those encompassed in an ensemble cast (see also The Big Chill, Diner, Return of the Secaucus Seven) and this is another great example of it.

A man in his late twenties comes home to contemplate his future and is shown the path through encounters with his various friends, all of whom are going through their own life lessons, but none of it feels forced or contrived while keeping an air of idealism and fantasy to it.

But what really makes the film stand out are the scenes shared between Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman, watching it I sometimes wish the whole film could be a series of their conversations.