My Girl (1991)
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The story
Set during the summer of 1972, the film follows Vada Sultenfuss, an 11-year-old girl being raised by her widowed funeral director father in her town's funeral home. As she navigates her first romance and a growing fear of mortality, she forms a close friendship with her male classmate, Thomas. The story explores her internal struggles with her upbringing and her evolving relationship with her father and a new woman in his life, all while dealing with the complexities of growing up in a unique environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Vada Sultenfuss is an 11-year-old girl living in Madison, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1972. Her father, Harry, runs a funeral parlor where they live, leading Vada to develop an obsession with death. She befriends Thomas J. Sennett, a boy with severe allergies, and a woman named Shelly who works at the funeral home. During the summer, Vada attends a poetry class and deals with the complexities of her feelings for her father's new girlfriend, Shelly. After a series of events, including a shared first kiss with Thomas, he is tragically killed by bees. Vada must process his death while reconciling her relationship with her father and accepting Shelly as her stepmother. The film ends with Vada finding peace and performing a poem in memory of her best friend.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 102
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Howard Zieff
- Writers
- Laurice Elehwany · writer
- Cast and characters
- Dan Aykroyd; Jamie Lee Curtis; Macaulay Culkin · Thomas J.; Anna Chlumsky · Vada
- Genres
- coming-of-age; romantic comedy-drama
- Themes
- mortality; coming-of-age; father-daughter relationships; grief
- Tone and mood
- tragicomedy; sentimental
- Setting
- Madison, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1972.
- Premise and plot tags
- funeral home; 1970s; childhood
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the performances and the heart of the story while criticizing its 'syrupy' and 'sentimental' execution.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 57% · review count: 23
- Production trivia
- The title refers to a 1964 song by The Temptations.; The screenplay was originally titled Born Jaundiced.; The film was originally rated PG-13 before being appealed to PG.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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