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Monday, December 21, 2009

My Girl (1991) movie


One thing about me is that it is really hard to make me cry. Sentimental moments in movies or teachers trying to guilt-trip me about my parents sacrificing a lot for me(I’m not that insensitive about this, I do feel guilty but I don’t tear up so easily) don’t have me in tears and reaching for a tissue. With the exception of PMS, there is nothing that can make me cry. Until I watched My Girl, of course.

I remember watching My Girl when I was 10 or 11, around the same age as Vada Sultenfuss, the main character in the movie. Then, a few years after, I was lucky enough to catch that movie again in HBO. A few months ago, when I was aimlessly killing time at a shopping mall, I found the DVD. I was beyond ecstatic and almost jumped in the air.

It’s weird. I watched the movie only once and it definitely became my favourite all-time movies. It was a LONG time ago, but maybe I was mesmerized and awed by the fact that there was a movie that can make me cry. Makes me feel human. Hehe. ;)

Anyway, I’m getting off-course here. So, My Girl tells us the story of an 11-year old girl, Vada, who’s very bright and precocious. Vada is played by Anna Chlumsky. Anyway, Vada lives in a funeral parlour with her dad, Harry Sultenfuss(Dan Ackryod) who runs the place, her grandmother and Uncle Phil, Harry’s older brother.

Vada longs for her dad’s attention but he usually ignores her. I felt sorry for Vada, who does everything she can to get attention but the man just doesn’t see it or chooses not to. Sure, his wife died in childbirth and you’re expected to grieve but to drag on the years and neglect his only daughter? Poor Vada.

She doesn’t have anyone to talk to except her best friend, Thomas J, played by Macaulay Culkin. (I think this was his second movie, after the first Home Alone movie) Her grandma is suffering some sort of dementia, where she isn’t aware of her surroundings. She used to take care of Vada when she was little but as she got older, she got more senile. Her Uncle Phil doesn’t seem to do much either except play with her and Thomas J occasionally.

For an eleven-year old, she’s very bright for her age. There were a few moments where she made me laugh, when she told a doctor she would get a second opinion, or when she gets her period for the first time and tells Thomas J. to come back after 5-7 days or during the meditating session where she said she didn’t think she was allowed to feel someone’s aura. Lol!

Her friendship with Thomas J is very sweet. They are best friends, they do everything together. Riding bikes through town and hanging out on the willow tree next to a lake. I think Thomas J. understands Vada very well, as he understood why Vada felt the need to go visit a doctor almost every week complaining of an ailment of some kind. And he puts up with her, even though Vada is sometimes pushy, but that’s what best friends are for. They stick with you no matter what.

One of my favourite scenes is when Vada and Thomas J. kissed each other on the lips. Thomas J. was blushing and it was so sweet when Thomas J. asked her would Vada think of him if she didn’t get to marry Mr. Bixler (Vada has a crush on her teacher). Vada smiled and said yes, which earned a big smile from Thomas J. Aaawwwww. So sweet.

Maybe the unexpected ending at the end of the movie made me like the movie more. It came as a complete shock to me when Thomas J. died of beestings. He was allergic to bees. What made it so tragic was that Thomas J. died when he was searching for Vada’s lost ring in the forest. This was after my favourite scene. Maybe Thomas J. was hoping to surprise Vada with the ring and I think he started to like her even then.

Imagine your best friend, who’s your only friend in the world, is dead. Your dad is getting married to another person, which makes you feel more of an outsider cos once your dad will be married, it’ll be even more hard to get his attention. Not to mention, you just confessed your love for your crush, only to see that he is already engaged. I would feel like it’s my whole world come crashing down with no one left to talk to.

Since I got the DVD, I have played it for over 3 times now, and everytime I do, the scene where Vada sees Thomas J. in the coffin and cries out, “Where are his glasses? He can’t see without his glasses! Put his glasses on!”, well, that line there never failed to put a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. The first time, I remember, I sobbed like crazy. I even called my best friend, and I was pretty sure she was surprised to hear me crying over a movie. Anyway, today, I watched it again with my 14-year old cousin and my 12-year old sister and I felt like crying again when I saw that part. It was so sad!!

Then, there was the poem. Vada wrote a poem about Thomas J. It was so touching and seeing Vada’s sad eyes and wobbling lower lip, made it all the more heart-wrenching. Well-played, Anna Chlumsky!! :D

In the end, Thomas J.’s mum gave back Vada’s ring, which Thomas J. had on him when he died. I felt sorry for Thomas J.’s mum because she lost her only son. And when Vada said not to worry about Thomas J. because Vada’s mum will look after him...that was so sweet! And the movie tried to make the ending sweet, even though Thomas J. died, Harry finally didn’t push his daughter away so much and Vada wasn’t so alone anymore.

I felt that this was a very sweet and touching movie. I would recommend this movie to ALL of my friends( even my future husband), and I promise you, if you don’t shed a tear or at least feel anything when Thomas J. died, then you are an emotionless person. Really. Of course, the other sweet and funny moments in the movie are a plus too. I give this movie, 5 stars. All the way!

There was a sequel (My Girl 2) to this movie. I watched that a long time ago too. But I can’t remember much of it. All I remember is that Vada was a teenager, planning to do a research on someone she had not met but admired. And she met this boy, who was really annoying. He even took Vada’s ring that Thomas J. died finding it for her and threw it in a swamp or something. It was sweet that Vada still wore that ring, but it would’ve been so frustrating and angry to see it being flung away by that boy. I would have choked that guy!

But since I don’t really remember much, I can’t do a proper review. But I’ll get to it as soon as I see it on DVD or TV.:)


Before I sign off,here's the poem that Vada wrote after Thomas J.'s death:

Weeping willow with your tears running down,
why do you always weep and frown?
Is it because he left you one day?
Is it because he could not stay?
On your branches he would swing, do you long for the happiness that day would bring?
He found shelter in your shade.
You thought his laughter would never fade.
Weeping willow, stop your tears.
There is something to calm you fears.
You think death has ripped you forever apart.
But I know he'll always be in your heart.

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