Gia (1998)

Lack of good storyline.

I wanted to but couldn't!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This performance was truly the one that showed what Jolie was capable of--true commitment to her character, and an absolute fearlessness that is rarely seen (Sally Kirkland in ANNA comes to mind). Her performance is captivating, as are the other performances in the film (most notably, Mercedes Ruehl, who should have been nominated for an Emmy for her role as Gia's mother). However, I think the film is important for its form as well; the editing is special, and the script tells the story in a truly unique way. This is a biopic of the highest caliber, and showed HBO's dedication to story and to artists in the late 90's. I also like the fact that the film doesn't turn into an anti-AIDS' docudrama; it's there, and it's dealt with on some level, but the story remains the story of Gina. Well worth seeing.

Gia leaves a mark on the viewer. I know nothing about the real Gia (pardon my ignorance) but I could feel her in Jolie. I think she has acted superbly, probably she identified with Gia. The interviews of people who knew Gia actually weren't enacted that well and seemed a little made up. But in Gia, one finds the traces of that wild -tender friend, which I guess we all have. The movie falls into the category (though at a lower rank) of 'Trainspotting' and 'Requiem for a Dream'. The portrayal of the female love and the way Gia wants to be the man is quite nicely shown. I just wish that the movie had no interview format and had let Gia to tell her own story. (8 September 2006)

Gia Carangi, this is the name of America's first supermodel (considered to be) who was featured on the cover of VOGUE magazine was also a drug addict who ended up tragically when she acquired AIDS.This move is of a narrative style based for cable picture and revolves around this pretty girl portrayed by Angelina Jolie.Gia is a simple girl who had a troubled childhood with issues between her mom and dad and her drifting away from her brothers (what the movie tells us) and grew up to develop a punk like personality who lives in her own world and is quiet happy about it.Here the story takes a turn when some random events (which are not explained properly) makes her join the fashion industry and she eventually becomes a supermodel. Here the connection between her career as a model and her childhood seemed broken, so it confuses the viewer (believe me that is not what the viewer wants from this movie).The later story is well shown telling about the drug addiction of the model, her downfall and her ending tragically after acquiring AIDS. This was something that most of the stories about models have.Yes I would say that the story was great but story is not the only thing that makes a movie great it is the acting and I would have to say this that Angelina Jolie was flawless, I know that this movie is being talked mostly for Jolie being showed nude and the lesbian sex scene but this has got way more than that. Jolie displayed the right amount of emotions and she really made the viewer connect to the character. Linda Gia's lover portrayed by Elizabeth Mitchell very well supported the main character and showed a good chemistry with Jolie which provided weight to the relationship.The quality of video is not really good, so if you expect HD you'll be disappointed.I would say that this movie is worth spending 120 minutes of yours.-

It's a shame Angelina Jolie's private life gets more publicity than her professional one because she truly is an excellent actress. She gives another compelling performance portraying model Gia Carangi in "Gia," a 1998 film produced by HBO.Gia Carangi was a dark, edgy, exotic model who stepped into a sea of blonds in the '70s and became a top model in great demand, paving the way for models like Cindy Crawford. Carangi drifted into the drug culture, and with the death of her mentor and agent, Wilhelmina Cooper in 1980, she turned to heroin. The situation only became worse when her friend, photographer Chris von Wagenheim died in a car accident, and Gia became more dependent on drugs. It got to the point where no one would book her. Scavullo, who loved her work, kindly let her do a magazine cover in 1982. She died in 1986, at the age of 26, from AIDS.The film distorts time somewhat and combines incidents. It also focuses on one relationship, with a makeup artist named Linda. Linda is Sandy Linter, whom Gia pursued, but it's not clear how much of a relationship they had. Gia apparently had sex with both sexes but is believed to be predominantly gay."Gia" is energized and made interesting by Angelina Jolie's multilayered portrayal of Gia as a childish, highly imaginative, sad young woman who loved deeply and couldn't cope with loss. Sections of Carangi's journals are read throughout and point up her strong inner life. Despite some of Gia's behavior, Jolie makes her both sympathetic and likable.Sad and thought-provoking, "Gia" is a very good film with wonderful performances by Jolie, Mercedes Ruhl, and Elizabeth Mitchell.