My Girl (film)
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| My Girl | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Howard Zieff |
| Produced by | Brian Grazer Joseph M. Caracciolo David T. Friendly |
| Written by | Laurice Elehwany |
| Narrated by | Anna Chlumsky |
| Starring | Dan Aykroyd Jamie Lee Curtis Macaulay Culkin Anna Chlumsky Peter Michael Goetz |
| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Studio | Imagine Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 27, 1991 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $59,847,243 |
My Girl is a 1991 drama film directed by Howard Zieff and written by Laurice Elehwany. The film depicts the coming-of-age of a young girl who faces many different emotional highs and lows and stars Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis in their first film together since 1983's Trading Places. The film also stars Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky in her feature film debut.
A sequel, My Girl 2, was released in 1994.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in Madison, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1972. Vada Sultenfuss (Anna Chlumsky) is an 11-year-old tomboy and a hypochondriac. Vada's father, Harry Sultenfuss (Dan Aykroyd), is an awkward widower who does not seem to understand his daughter, constantly ignoring her as a result. His profession as a funeral director, for which the Sultenfuss' residence serves as a funeral parlor, has led Vada to develop an obsession with death. She thinks that she killed her mother, since her mother died giving birth to her. Vada regularly tends to her invalid grandmother Gramoo (Ann Nelson), who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Harry's brother Phil (Richard Masur), who lives nearby, also stops by frequently to help out the family.
Vada is teased by other girls because her best friend, Thomas J. Sennett (Macaulay Culkin), is unpopular and a boy. Their summer adventures—from first kiss to last farewell—introduce Vada to the world of adolescence.
Vada's summer begins well. She befriends Shelley DeVoto (Jamie Lee Curtis), the new make-up artist at her father's funeral parlor, who provides her with some much needed guidance. She is also infatuated with her teacher, Mr. Bixler (Griffin Dunne), and steals some money from Shelley's trailer to attend a summer writing class that he is teaching.
However, things start to fall apart. Her father and Shelley start dating and get engaged, while Vada discovers that Mr. Bixler is engaged to someone else. Vada cannot bring herself to tell her father that she has experienced her first menstrual cycle; Shelly explains it after Vada runs around the house yelling that she is hemorrhaging. Thomas dies from an allergic reaction to bee stings while searching for Vada's mood ring, which they lost while playing with "water guns" in the forest; Shelley and Harry get into an argument at his funeral.
Vada's grief, however, manages to mend the rift between her and her father. She learns that she didn't kill her mother during childbirth (her father tells her that things like mothers dying in childbirth just happen without explanation). Eventually, Vada not only comes to terms with her pain and grief but also overcomes some of her previous issues as well.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Anna Chlumsky | Vada Sultenfuss |
| Macaulay Culkin | Thomas J. Sennett, Vada's best friend |
| Dan Aykroyd | Harry Sultenfuss, Vada's father, a funeral director |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Shelly DeVoto, a make-up artist who acts as Vada's female role model |
| Richard Masur | Phil Sultenfuss, Harry's brother and Vada's uncle, who often stops by to help the family |
| Ann Nelson | Gramoo, Vada's grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease |
| Griffin Dunne | Mr. Bixler, Vada's summer writing teacher with whom she is infatuated even though he is engaged |
[edit] Music
The soundtrack of the film contains many classic 1960s and 1970s pop hits in addition to the title song, including such oldies-radio staples as "Wedding Bell Blues" (The 5th Dimension), "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival), "Good Lovin'" (The Rascals), and "Saturday in the Park" (Chicago). When she gets upset, Vada plugs her ears and sings "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," the Manfred Mann version of which is also included on the soundtrack album. In addition, Vada and Thomas J. play "The Name Game" and sing "Witch Doctor" in the film, and Vada has posters of The Carpenters and Donny Osmond on her bedroom wall.
[edit] External links
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