Writer and director Michael Cristofer seems to have a deep interest for rise and fall of persons who had everything on their side, money, power, beauty, style but they lose everything, lose their minds, changed their lifestyles or were forced to it because different things happened and they didn't know how to react to the adversities. In "The Bonfire of the Vanities" (written by Cristofer and directed by Brian DePalma) we see a rich tycoon on the highest point of everything, a "Master of the Universe" who simply took a wrong turn, got involved in a strange happening and end up throwing his life into the deepest and dark abyss. In "Gia", biopic of the model Gia Carangi we look at a even more sad story about someone who had everything but didn't know how to react with the fame, the pressures of work, the loss of loving friends and other things.
Angelina Jolie plays the title role in a magnificent and bold performance. Here we know Gia since her childhood already as a very pretty girl (played by Mila Kunis) and then her transformation into a grown woman aspiring to be a model in the 1980's, her first work along with Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway), many appearances in the cover of many magazines such as Vogue; her sexual involvement with a colleague (Elizabeth Mitchell) and there's the dark side of Gia, that goes from drug abuse, many dangerous situations and to her death at the age of 26, as one of the AIDS first victims.
The movie is very good, HBO and the director handled with a very deep and controversial subject, very provocative, many sexy scenes, but I must say that it could've focus more on Gia's rising star and include more great moments of her life instead of focusing almost exclusively on her tragic life with the drugs and all (it's a fact, it happened but it became a depressive film instead of a balanced biopic of one of the most beautiful models in the world).
The most interesting things here besides the story is the performances. Jolie was great despite having little resemblance with the real Gia, but she performed brilliantly and won a Golden Globe for a exceptional and outstanding work. Elizabeth Mitchell (aka Juliet from "LOST") was amazing. She and Jolie have many moments of sexual intimacy on the film, something very difficult for actors to do but all these scenes are well performed. The brief moments with Faye Dunaway are great; and also a great performance of Mercedes Ruehl (who plays Gia's mother), she stole the show in many moments.
It's a very good movie but if it had some good treatment on the screenplay could have been great. 7/10
Angelina Jolie plays the title role in a magnificent and bold performance. Here we know Gia since her childhood already as a very pretty girl (played by Mila Kunis) and then her transformation into a grown woman aspiring to be a model in the 1980's, her first work along with Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway), many appearances in the cover of many magazines such as Vogue; her sexual involvement with a colleague (Elizabeth Mitchell) and there's the dark side of Gia, that goes from drug abuse, many dangerous situations and to her death at the age of 26, as one of the AIDS first victims.
The movie is very good, HBO and the director handled with a very deep and controversial subject, very provocative, many sexy scenes, but I must say that it could've focus more on Gia's rising star and include more great moments of her life instead of focusing almost exclusively on her tragic life with the drugs and all (it's a fact, it happened but it became a depressive film instead of a balanced biopic of one of the most beautiful models in the world).
The most interesting things here besides the story is the performances. Jolie was great despite having little resemblance with the real Gia, but she performed brilliantly and won a Golden Globe for a exceptional and outstanding work. Elizabeth Mitchell (aka Juliet from "LOST") was amazing. She and Jolie have many moments of sexual intimacy on the film, something very difficult for actors to do but all these scenes are well performed. The brief moments with Faye Dunaway are great; and also a great performance of Mercedes Ruehl (who plays Gia's mother), she stole the show in many moments.
It's a very good movie but if it had some good treatment on the screenplay could have been great. 7/10