Looking for a good cry? A movie with an air of 70’s nostalgia? Or perhaps, a film that reminds you what childhood and true friendships really look like? Well, Netflix currently has the movie for you. “My Girl,” produced by Brian Grazer in 1991, is the epitome of coming-of-age stories. Set in the summer of 1972 in Pennsylvania, our main character Vada Sultenfuss, an eleven-year-old charming, tomboy-type hypochondriac is going through the most life-changing summer of her life. Her father, a widowed mortician, hires a makeup-artist, and from there Vada’s life becomes anything but normal. She finds out what it’s like to have a mother, falls in love, and loses a best friend all in two short months.
The dreamy, almost melancholy saturation of color that hits when the movie first appears on-screen sets the tone for the dreary story behind it. Be prepared for a yank on your heartstrings as you travel back in time and remember what it was like to once be a child navigating the real world for the very first time.
Lots of praise should be given to the two very talented child actors (Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin) for blowing their roles out of the water. The depth of their emotional availability was strong as were their childlike, happy-go-lucky moments. There was innocently wistful chemistry between the two that reminds us what true friendship and first loves are all about.
All in all, I would rate “My Girl” an 8 out of 10. The lovable characters and compelling plotline make for some unforgettable scenes, but one could argue that the ending felt a little unresolved. Although perhaps that is what makes the movie feel so real; nothing is more relatable in life than not knowing what comes next.