Anna Chlumsky has had a thriving career in television and independent films. The six time Emmy nominee has been in the industry for most of her life, only taking a break to go attend university. Chulmsky may be sought after now, but every actor had to start somewhere. For her it was in movies like Uncle Buck, or her first lead role in My Girl. The 1991 was a success and has long since been talked about though it has not yet been forgotten. Taking center stage as ‘Vada’, Chulmsky in My Girl credited by many to have a told a much needed story about the growth of young ladies that had long been overdue at the time.
It is the summer 1972, and eleven year old Vada is a hypochondriac with one friend in that of a young man named Thomas. She’s obsessed with death and all things related as her mother died during her birth and her father works with the deceased day in and day out.
My Girl sees Vada go through the physical changes all young girls through as they reach the right age
She then experiences emotional attachment, an ever growing curiosity about love and romance, and with the arrival of Shelly into her life, the presence of motherhood in times of need. It’s a movie for near all ages, those Vada’s age being able to affirm a better understanding of how to navigate adolescence, and the older generations able to remember what life was like in those moments back then.
Alongside Chlumsky to do the honors was Macaulay Culkin, Dan Akroyd, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The supporting cast were all pivotal in making up the world around her; Culkin as her best friend Thomas, Akroyd as her widower father Harry, and Curtis who plays Shelly, a make-up artist who has come to work for Harry at his job as a funeral parlor manager. Culkin and Chlumsky remind audiences of why they were able to work at such an early age, with Chlumsky able to stay in the game and do so relevantly. Jamie Lee Curtis performs as expected, which is to say exceptional. Dan Akroyd, known for his comedy, is a surprise in this dramatic turnaround showing that he’s not a one trick pony but a diverse actor with range and emotion.
Director Howard Zieff was rounding the last leg of the relay as he directed My Girl, his last film being the sequel just three years later. His ability to tell this story with heart and professionalism is not in question with My Girl. Thanks to him and Chlumsky especially, this film is a tear jerker in more ways than one. The emotional moments are solid, but the overall narrative of My Girl is itself an emotional telling. It’s not a movie that changes the world but it is an enjoyable, nostalgic viewing. It’s available for rent and purchase on Vudu, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV, also streaming on Netflix in select territories.
