27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MY GIRL., June 10, 2001
I love MY GIRL. It's about an 11-year-old tomboy named Vada, who is growing up in the 70s. She never met her mother because her mother died when she was born. Vada lives with her widowed father who owns a funeral parlor and the funeral parlor happens to be Vada's home, as well. Vada is obsessed with death because she sees dead people coming into her home every day. Her best friend is a boy named Tommy J. (Macaulay Culkin) who is allergic to just about anything you can think of. Vada is also in love with her school teacher. When Vada's father hires a cosmatologist to put makeup on the dead people (and ends up falling in love with her), Vada soon starts to learn the true meaning of life. This flick also stars Dan Aykroyd as Vada's father, Jamie Lee Curtis as Shelly, the woman Vada's father falls in love with, and newcomer Anna Chlumsky as Vada. This is a great coming-of-age story that is very moving and at the same time, enjoyable and entertaining. With an all-star cast and serpurb acting, MY GIRL is a great movie to watch anytime! I also recommend the sequel, MY GIRL 2, which is just as good. If not, better!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Confused About Death, August 6, 2006
I remember when "My Girl" came out in cinemas. I was in third grade, I was at a new school, and it was the start of a new term. First thing we had to do is get into partners and tell the other person what you'd done over the holidays. I still hadn't made any proper friends yet, so no one really wanted to be my partner. I told the teacher, and he told off the class for not being very friendly. That was embarrassing, but it got me a partner. And what had I done over the holidays? I'd gone and seen "My Girl", so I talked about that...
The girl of the film's title is an eleven year old named Vada (Anna Chlumsky), and she's a little strange. Still, that's understandable given the company she's grown up with. Her all too busy father (Dan Aykroyd) runs a funeral parlour in their home, her mother is dead, her grandmother is senile, her best friend Thomas J. (Macaulay Culkin) is allergic to everything, and the other girls in town tease her about her friendship with him. Is it any wonder that Vada is confused about death and love? It is the summer of 1972, a summer where Vada will learn a little, grow up a little, laugh a little, cry a little, sing a little. It'll be a summer she never forgets.
This film looks a little older than the early 1990s, and I think that's a little bit deliberate. Might of been a filter, might have been the type of film they used, I don't know. Everything looks a little dusty and old, like a faded photograph at times. It really works well against the scenery, particularly the lake and the trees, rather idyllic. The cast plays nicely against the backdrop, particularly the young actors Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky. It's a shame Anna hasn't been in anything lately. I wonder what she's doing these days? It's always nice to see a bit of Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis too. The characters they all play are intriguing, especially the way they react to what happens in the story.
It's a sad film at times. There's one scene at the funeral parlour where the pastor is quoting a verse from the Bible, the part where Jesus says "let the children come to me", and Vada, really upset runs up to the front. It was heartbreaking and symbolic. I cried just recently watching that bit.
When I was a kid, seeing the film for the first time back in third grade, I didn't think Vada's life in a funeral parlour was that strange. Looking back on it, I can see I was a bit like her back then. I was a bit confused about death for a few reasons as well. I'd say it's a good film about coming to terms with death, actually.
Definitely worth a look. Good cast, good story, good scenery. Great film.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thomas J and Vada; together forever, July 18, 2005
A well rounded movie evocative of nostalgia, it is sure to melt your heart. We are given a glimpse into innocence that once was. Anna Chlumsky's flawless, natural, honest and mature portayal of the character Vada Sultenfuss is nothing less than perfect and Oscar-worthy. The movie is basically an intimate invitation to witness one eventful summer in Vada's life. It's about her relationship with her father and dead mother, her crush on Mr Bixley, her relationship with the cosmetologist who comes into their lives, her hypochondria and above all her adorable relationship with her best friend; Thomas J Sennett. This movie is Vada's naive yet insightful perception of life and death.
There is this one scene which brings tears to my eyes every single time I see it. And this one poem which breaks my heart everytime I hear it. I'm writing this review wishing I could give this movie ten stars instead. Definitely, one of my all-time favourites. A true classic.
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