REVIEW: My Girl (Released in 1991) [30th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: Howard Zieff

PRODUCER: Brian Grazer

WRITER: Laurice Elehwany

PERFORMERS: Dan Aykroyd Jamie Lee Curtis Macaulay Culkin introducing Anna Chlumsky

Richard Masur and Griffin Dunne

I first saw this film in junior high school, third year I suppose. Also, it had been a long time since watching it until just recently... Brought tears to heart and joy to my memories. This movie was released during the beginning phase of the 90's, a time when things were simple, fun and revolutionary. Friendships were golden for me as were family relationships, and this captures that in a very good way despite it taking place in 1972. Named after one of my favorite love songs from my favorite male group... My Girl continues to pull your emotional heartstrings as it did back then.

Telling the story of a family torn apart by tragedy during the summer of 1972, a very young Anna Chlumsky (in her debut at age 11!) plays Vada Sultenfuss who navigates through life without her mother who died after giving birth and leaving her father alone to raise her. Everybody in her neighborhood plays a crucial role in this girl's life, including her best friend played by a young Macaulay Culkin who she spends her days hanging out with. When a cosmetologist comes along, her whole world, along with Aykroyd's, is turned upside down and that's when things start to change. From there you're emersed in this realm filled with loss, regain and yes even heartbreak. Chlumsky was just a young girl when she did this role and to this day still remains her signature part. Her performance was so flawless you completely bought into her. You felt for her, you wanted to be there for her and even comfort her when she needed it most. For her to carry this film the way she did, it's no wonder where the title of this film came from. He'll always be known for Home Alone, but in my mind, this is his best line of work post-Home Alone and second-best film he's ever done during his former prime. Culkin really shines in this film as Chlumsky's companion who's just as precocious as she is, but not as reckless as she is. I remember having a friend like that in my youth and every time we were together, our times were great. Riding bikes around the neighborhood where I grew up was one of my favorite things to do in the outdoors! As for the adults, well there isn't much to say about veterans like Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis, except that they brought to light of the adult side of coming of age as there characters too, had some growing up to do.

The themes of this film are just as relevant today as they are now. As I watched it I was reminded of what made so likeable: friendships, chemistry, family and new beginnings, etc. The nostalgia aspect of it however lies in the music and settings. When Aykroyd and Curtis are dancing after a bingo date, an oldie but goodie plays in the background. I used to listen to that song like crazy as a kid. Oldies were my thing when it came to music. The 70's wasn't all bad as some thought, there were some innocence in those times and this film is proof of that. All it took for one widowed father and daughter to regain that innocence was to have someone like Curtis' character come and make up a few things. Only to become a new family themselves... so who says the 70's weren't all that great? Seeing this film for the first time in so long, felt like revisiting an old friend I've not spoken to in years. The tears were bubbling up inside me, waiting to burst out from my eyes and feeling the same emotions I did as a youth when seeing this all came back... like they never left. We all have moments and people in our lives like that right? When it came on television, I would even record bits and pieces of it, including the ending. One thing I think sticks out the most to everyone about this film is that on screen kiss between the two young leads and here's why; it was innocent, a little awkward but relatable since we all remember our first kiss at a young age. Whether those two we're meant to be together or not later in life we'll never know, but we do know their friendship was deep and unbreakable.

Despite the box office numbers, this gained a cult following over the years and still, made a star out of Chlumsky who's gone on to greater things since then. I don't think that if it connected well with audiences, it would not have come as far. But it's movies like where it really just doesn't matter. Something about it gets you, really gets you and still continues to hold on and never let go. That's what I like about coming-of-age films, they have stories to tell for everyone young and old to see. Some a remembrance of youth, others the end of it. But in that phase is a future of great promise and the assurance that youth will always live on like the people who we once loved and left at such an inconvenient time leaving us feeling empty and alone. Funny that when we get old, we feel our innocence is lost because the world is lost. But what does that say about us as individuals? Holding onto the things and people we love are what defines us correct? I laughed for the first time, cried for the first time even and was charmed by the beauty and magic of this film when I watched it. The soundtrack... who doesn't recall that? My Girl isn't just about any girl, it's about starting over and just being in the moment. About family, humbleness and looking on the good side of things... maybe there's more to this song than we may think. Happy 30th Anniversary to My Girl!

#anniversaryreviews #mygirl30 #mygirl30thanniversary #filmsof1991

MY RATING: 5 out of 5