''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

as Gia and

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, ...

as Wilhelmina Cooper, with

Mercedes Ruehl Mercedes J. Ruehl ( ; born February 28, 1948) is an American screen, stage, and television actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. Ruehl won the Academy Award f ...

and Elizabeth Mitchell. It was directed by Michael Cristofer and written by Cristofer and

Jay McInerney John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include '' Bright Lights, Big City'', ''Ransom'', '' Story of My Life'', '' Brightness Falls'', and ''The Last o ...

. The original music score was composed by Terence Blanchard. The film premiered on January 31, 1998 on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

Plot

Gia Carangi is a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

native who moves to New York City to become a fashion model and immediately catches the attention of the powerful agent Wilhelmina Cooper. Gia's attitude and beauty help her rise quickly to the forefront of the modeling industry. However, her persistent loneliness, especially after the death of Wilhelmina, drives her to use mood-altering drugs such as

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

and

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

. She becomes entangled in a passionate affair with Linda, a make-up artist. Their love affair first starts when both pose nude for a photo shoot and make love afterward. Gia tries to get clean and begins taking

methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid used medically to treat chronic pain and opioid use disorder. Prescribed for daily use, the medicine relieves cravings and opioid withdrawal sym ...

. However, Gia eventually starts using again and Linda gives her an ultimatum. Gia chooses the drugs. Failed attempts at reconciliation with Linda and with her mother, Kathleen, drive Gia back to heroin. Although she is eventually able to break her drug habit after much effort, she has already contracted HIV from intravenous drug use, which has progressed to AIDS. She spends the remainder of her life in the hospital.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception

''Gia'' received positive reviews from critics. ''

Kalamazoo Gazette The ''Kalamazoo Gazette'' is the daily newspaper in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is part of MLive Media Group, Michigan's largest local media organization. The ''Gazette'' publishes seven days a week. Papers are available for home delivery on Thur ...

'' commented: "Jolie gives it her all in a thoroughly uninhibited and highly effective portrait of a woman living from thrill to thrill."

Christopher Null Christopher Null (born September 7, 1971) is an American writer, journalist and entrepreneur. A former blogger for Yahoo! Tech, he was the editor of Drinkhacker.com, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Filmcritic.com, which operated from 1995 ...

of Filmcritic.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. 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."

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Michael Cristofer 1998 television films 1998 films 1998 drama films 1998 in American television 1998 LGBTQ-related films 1990s American films 1990s biographical drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s LGBTQ-related drama films American biographical drama films American drama television films American LGBTQ-related television films Biographical films about LGBTQ people Biographical films about models American biographical television films English-language biographical drama films Films about female bisexuality Films about heroin addiction Films directed by Michael Cristofer Films scored by Terence Blanchard Films set in the 1970s Films set in the 1980s Films set in New York City Films set in Philadelphia Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in New York City Films with screenplays by Michael Cristofer HBO Films films HIV/AIDS in American films HIV/AIDS in television Lesbian-related films