Beautiful Girls (1996)

Drama directed by Ted Demme and written by Scott Rosenberg. 

It’s a sort of grown-up “Brat Pack” drama following a group of friends based in Knight’s Ridge, Massachusetts, who come back together for a school reunion. There’s an intelligence lurking in the script but it’s also slightly muddled. Some of the performances are strong, but sometimes it’s unclear what point the film is trying to make. For example, Uma Thurman’s character – a random cousin called Andera – floats in and out of the story without much logic. And the thread about Willie (Timothy Hutton) developing an odd connection with 13-year-old Marty (Natalie Portman) raises some quite awkward questions that the film doesn’t really address. 

The ensemble cast also includes Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Lauren Holly, Rosie O’Donnell, Martha Plimpton, Michael Rapaport and Mira Sorvino.

It’s nearly there, but only nearly.

French Kiss (1995)

Lame, tepid rom-com that’s neither romantic nor funny. 

Meg Ryan plays Kate, an extremely annoying American living in Canada. She flies to France after her oddly charmless fiancée ditches her for a French “goddess”. Kevin Kline plays Luc, a small-time French crook who offers to assist Kate in getting back her fiancée, but who – inevitably – falls in love with her. 

There’s a good idea for a film in there somewhere, but the characters’ actions simply don’t ring true. Also, the convoluted “crime” sub-plot fizzles out somewhat. You see a few French locations, but it doesn’t even work as a “tourist brochure” kind of film. It’s a teeny bit racist, too. 

It’s badly in need of a sharper, wittier script to make more of Ryan and Kline’s considerable talents.