Angelina Jolie's Best Role!
A deeply upsetting and brutally honest biopic of a troubled model.
Gia (1998) is a stark depiction of the brief life of Gia Marie Carangi. Michael Cristofer's direction is very ambitious genuinely free. He allows his actresses to breath and just perform, giving Gia a visual freedom and narrative openness. The plot is loose, but does follow Gia's life with a painstaking harshness. All the glamour falls away to reveal her untimely drug fueled demise.
Gia contains realistic dialogue and a hazy atmosphere. The film edits itself into a frenzy, which may turn some viewers off, but I found it enthralling. Gia is split into dramatic recreations for the biopic portions and cuts to documentary style informative interviews that both provide emotional grounding for Gia.
The score from Terence Blanchard is delirious jazz that gives Gia a dreary vibe to the already melancholic tone.
The whole film is sultry and sleazy with more nude actors and actresses than you can handle. Gia is a sordid affair that addresses unhappiness, parenting, adolescence, assault, addiction, rehabilitation, AIDS, and LGBT subjects. Gia tackles each motif head on with a zealous ardor. I was not expecting a film like Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, but Gia delivers a harrowing experience that is simultaneously dream and nightmare alike.
Notably, Angelina Jolie's first major role as lead actress is in Gia, which launches her into the stratosphere of fame. For a film about a supermodel, Angelina Jolie is fittingly stunning with her alluring natural looks, dreamy eyes, and beguiling personality. Jolie is resplendent as Gia. She captures a fun playful vibe as well as the desperate attention seeking side to Gia. You would think Jolie was bipolar she portrays Gia so well. She is hypnotic when she is trying to seduce you, but repulsive shooting up heroin and doing lines of coke. Angelina Jolie should have seriously won Best Actress at The Oscars for Gia, she is that magnetic!
Similarly, Elizabeth Mitchell is enchanting as Gia's girlfriend Linda. Jolie and Mitchell's chemistry is so believable as lesbian girlfriends. While their relationship is tragic, I found their performances endearing and filled with a visual longing that impressed me. Mitchell knows how to look devastated.
Eric Michael Cole is excellent as Gia's boyfriend T.J. Cole's ability to seem carefree, then absolutely destroyed is haunting. Louis Giambalvo is heartbreaking as Gia's father Joe Carangi. Likewise, Mercedes Ruehl is outstanding as Gia's mother Kathleen Carangi.
Faye Dunaway has a neat supporting role as Gia's first modeling agent Wilhelmina Cooper.
Lastly, Mila Kunis has a neat cameo as Gia when she is 11 years old. Kunis captures Gia's mesmerizing aura even as a young actress. Mila Kunis is seriously talented and moving when she is tearing up watching Gia's parents argue. I loved this role for her.
In all, Gia is just a touching film with a superb role for Angelina Jolie to shine in throughout all the joy and pain in Gia's life. I think it is still worth seeing for Jolie's best acting.Read full review
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