This was a waste of money to see in the theater and I urge everyone out there to see a REAL tearjerker like Ghost or The Cure instead of this sticky-sweet insult to good filmmaking. Or read the book version of "My Girl", which was a worthwhile read.
Why did I dislike this film so much?
It was predictable. Too much time went into warning parents that My Girl had a sad ending, at the expense of a darned good surprise.
The performances, frankly, stunk; except for a few choice moments by Veda's uncle. The dialogue was immature. The plot was choppy and tended to focus more on what a horrific brat the main character was, rather than the friendship between Veda and Thomas J.
I read the original script. The film was SUPPOSED to end with the line "My mother will take care of him!" screamed from a distance; when Thomas J's mother returns Veda's ring. It was a heartbreaking, emotional way to end a movie, and might have saved it; but someone chose to end My Girl with Veda and her "new best friend" getting on their two-wheelers and riding away. This, I presume, was meant to reassure all those little kiddies out there watching the film that Veda was "gonna be OK". How insulting. Those of us who have lost childhood sweethearts know better. We never see Veda mourn.
Other complaints: The filmmakers try too hard to make us see Veda's dad as a "nice guy", even though in the original script, he was portrayed as a cold, heartless man who ruined Veda's childhood, which would have been much more believable. Shelly was supposed to be about 20 years younger than she was portrayed in the film.
The filmmakers also switch rapidly back and forth between how "adult" the children are, and how "childish" the children are. Some films do this artfully and realistically (see "Welcome To The Dollhouse" for a good example); however, with Thomas J and Veda, it felt like an utter lack of decisiveness: "Should we cater to the kids who will watch because of Culkin or should we cater to the adults who will watch because of Curtis? Oh, well, let's try and cater to both."
This film could have been all kinds of things: thought-provoking, heartbreaking, funny, nostalgic . . . Instead we're handed one adjective that sums up My Girl all too well:
Sappy.
Why did I dislike this film so much?
It was predictable. Too much time went into warning parents that My Girl had a sad ending, at the expense of a darned good surprise.
The performances, frankly, stunk; except for a few choice moments by Veda's uncle. The dialogue was immature. The plot was choppy and tended to focus more on what a horrific brat the main character was, rather than the friendship between Veda and Thomas J.
I read the original script. The film was SUPPOSED to end with the line "My mother will take care of him!" screamed from a distance; when Thomas J's mother returns Veda's ring. It was a heartbreaking, emotional way to end a movie, and might have saved it; but someone chose to end My Girl with Veda and her "new best friend" getting on their two-wheelers and riding away. This, I presume, was meant to reassure all those little kiddies out there watching the film that Veda was "gonna be OK". How insulting. Those of us who have lost childhood sweethearts know better. We never see Veda mourn.
Other complaints: The filmmakers try too hard to make us see Veda's dad as a "nice guy", even though in the original script, he was portrayed as a cold, heartless man who ruined Veda's childhood, which would have been much more believable. Shelly was supposed to be about 20 years younger than she was portrayed in the film.
The filmmakers also switch rapidly back and forth between how "adult" the children are, and how "childish" the children are. Some films do this artfully and realistically (see "Welcome To The Dollhouse" for a good example); however, with Thomas J and Veda, it felt like an utter lack of decisiveness: "Should we cater to the kids who will watch because of Culkin or should we cater to the adults who will watch because of Curtis? Oh, well, let's try and cater to both."
This film could have been all kinds of things: thought-provoking, heartbreaking, funny, nostalgic . . . Instead we're handed one adjective that sums up My Girl all too well:
Sappy.