Gia

Gia
DVD cover
Directed by	Michael Cristofer
Produced by	James D. Brubaker
Written by	Jay McInerney Michael Cristofer
Starring	Angelina Jolie Faye Dunaway Mercedes Ruehl Elizabeth Mitchell
Music by	Terence Blanchard
Cinematography	Rodrigo García
Editing by	Eric A. Sears
Country	United States
Language	English
Original channel	HBO
Release date	January 31, 1998 (1998-01-31)
Running time	126 minutes

Gia is a 1998 biographical HBO film about the life of model Gia Marie Carangi starring Angelina Jolie, Faye Dunaway, Mercedes Ruehl, and Elizabeth Mitchell. It was directed by Michael Cristofer and written by Cristofer and Jay McInerney. The original music score was composed by Terence Blanchard.

Plot

Gia Carangi (Angelina Jolie) is a Philadelphia native who moves to New York City to become a fashion model and immediately catches the attention of powerful agent Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway). Gia's attitude and beauty help her rise quickly to the forefront of the modeling industry, but her persistent loneliness after the death of Wilhelmina drives her to experiment with mood-altering drugs like cocaine. She becomes entangled in a passionate affair with Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell), a make-up artist. Their love affair first starts when both pose nude and make love to each other after a photo shoot. However, after a while Linda begins to worry about Gia's drug use and gives her an ultimatum; Gia chooses the drugs. Failed attempts at reconciliation with Linda and with her mother, Kathleen (Mercedes Ruehl), drive Gia to begin abusing heroin. Although she is eventually able to break her drug habit after much effort, she has already contracted HIV from a needle containing infected blood.

Cast

Angelina Jolie as Gia Carangi
Mila Kunis as Gia Carangi (at age 11)
Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper
Mercedes Ruehl as Kathleen Carangi
Elizabeth Mitchell as Linda
Scott Cohen as Mike Mansfield
Edmund Genest as Francesco Scavullo
Alexander Enberg as Chris von Wangenheim
Louis Giambalvo as Joseph Carangi
Eric Michael Cole as T.J.
Kylie Travis as Stephanie
John Considine as Bruce Cooper
James Haven as young man on Sansom street
Rick Batalla as Phillipe
Brian Donovan as junkie at Shooting Gallery
Tricia O'Neil as Vogue editor
Sam Pancake as Francesco stylist #1
Adina Porter as Girl at Group Therapy
Joan Pringle as therapist at Rehab
Michael E. Rodgers as Red dress photographer
Holly Sampson as Amy
Nick Spano as Michael
Jason Stuart as Booker #2
Audrey Wasilewski as Wilhelmina's receptionist
Chuck Zito as Harley biker

Reception

Critical reception

Gia was generally well received by critics, with an approval rating of 92% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.^[1] Kalamazoo Gazette commented: "Jolie gives it her all in a thoroughly uninhibited and highly effective portrait of a woman living from thrill to thrill."^[2] Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars.^[3] Conversely, Film Freak Central gave the film only 1.5 out of 4 stars and commented: Gia isn't hagiography, I'll give it that, but it is reductive to a fault."^[4]

Awards

Golden Globes

Angelina Jolie – Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Faye Dunaway – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture

Emmy Awards

Eric A. Sears – Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Angelina Jolie – Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

References

↑ "Gia - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
↑ Sanford, James (2003). "James Sanford reviews Gia". Kalamazoo Gazette. Archived from the original on 19 October 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
↑ Null, Christopher (1998). "Gia Movie Review, DVD Release". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
↑ Chambers, Bill (19 August 2004). "Taking Lives (unrated director's cut - widescreen DVD + Blu-ray Disc) + Gia (unrated DVD)". Film Freak Central. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2015.