Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman in "Beautiful Girls." (Guardian photo)

Writing In The Guardian This Morning …
… film critic Michael Hann takes a second look at director Ted Demme’s ensemble drama that gave the world, among other things, ironic singings of “Sweet Caroline,” by Neil Diamond and Natalie Portman.

I recall that my friends and I were obsessed with this movie when it came out. Most likely because we were approaching our mid-20s and having the kind of “Quarter-Life” crisis that seemed to be expected of us in that post-Grunge/”Friends” Mania era.

Here’s the nut graf:

“You could argue that Ted Demme’s Beautiful Girls is little more than an artfully arranged array of Hollywood comedy-drama archetypes. High school reunion? Yes. Bunch of tight childhood friends on divergent paths? Yes. Plus you’ve got unattainable girls, commitment issues, and the need to make a big decision that will change everything forever. And there are the character archetypes, too: the smooth lothario whose life is really a sham, the deluded jerk, the square, the happy loser, the cool but not too cool guy we’re set up to identify with, the kinda kooky but great girl we’re meant to fall in love with, the sassy best friend, the glamorous outsider with the model looks. And, yes, I guess in a way they did all kind of learn something about themselves that day.”

Read the full story here.