Gia (1998) MPAA Rating: R Released By: HBO Home Video Director: Michael  Cristofer Writer: Michael Cristofer, Jay Mclnerney Cast : Angelina Jolie ....  Gia Marie Carangi Elizabeth Mitchell (I) ....  Linda Eric Michael Cole ....  T.J. Kylie Travis ....  Stephanie Louis Giambalvo .... Joeseph 'Joe' Carangi John Considine ....  Bruce Cooper Mercedes Ruehl ....  Kathleen Carangi Faye Dunaway ....  Wilhelmina Cooper

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The Plot: Playwright Michael Cristofer (The Shadow Box) turned filmmaker with this sizzling made-for-cable biopic that takes an unflattering look at the fashion industry. After arriving in New York City from Philadelphia, Gia Carangi (Angelina Jolie) is discovered by a photographer while she is shopping. During her first photo shoot, she models both clothed and nude, and becomes friendly with photographer's assistant Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell). They have a tryst at Gia's apartment, but Linda leaves feeling troubled about the experience. Gia's career skyrockets, as a result of her renegade attitude and look, but she quickly develops a dependency on cocaine. After visting her mother in Philadelphia, Gia attempts to resume her relationship with Linda, who rejects her. Gia's mother begins regularly visiting Gia in her New York apartment, but an argument between the two sends her mother back to Philadelphia. Her career spiralling downward, Gia switches from cocaine to heroin. Suffering from withdrawal pains during a major photo shoot, Gia bolts off in a costly gown to score drugs. She shoots up in an alley. Realizing her problem, she makes up with Linda, who helps her dry out. Gia returns to modeling--and to using heroin, causing a reckless-driving incident. A subsequent argument severs her relationship with Linda once more. After her falling-out with Linda, she appeals to her mother, who refuses to let her return home. Finally, she successfully beats her addiction, but then becomes ill and is informed she has contracted AIDS. She has a friendly reunion with Linda, during which Gia doesn't reveal her illness. After leaving Linda's apartment she attempts to purchase a suicidal amount of heroin which results in her being robbed, and beaten. Later, her mother bids her farewell in the hospital; Gia eventually expires of AIDS-related illnesses. The tragic, true-life story of Gia Carangi contains so many highs and lows (mostly the latter) that it was merely a matter of time before it served as the source material for a movie. This small-screen production does justice to the cautionary tale of her rise and fall in fashion circles, emphasizing a lifestyle of sex, drugs, and indulgence that seemingly had to end in death. Cristofer, who has worked as an actor and writer in both theater and film, directs the film in a taut, no-nonsense style, complemented by Rodrigo Garcia's stylish camerawork. On the performance level, Angelina Jolie turns in a star-making performance as Gia, playing the part with a conviction that reinforces the dead-end trajectory of the young supermodel's life. And while the well-choreographed sexual interludes between Jolie and Mitchell may lead one to believe that the film is glamorizing Gia's experiences, Cristofer is careful to underscore the character's perenially depressed state, and the fact that her drug use stemmed essentially from a neediness that engulfed everyone with whom she interacted. Indeed, the film poses some difficult questions about the underside of glamour, and makes a very strong argument against the "heroin chic" phenomenon. (Sexual situations, violence, extreme profanity, extensive nudity, substance abuse.)  — Patrick Legare Review is taken from TV Guide Online Memorable Quotes     Gia Carangi: Life and death, energy and peace. If I stop today it was still worth it. Even the terrible mistakes that I made and would have unmade if I could. The pains that have burned me and scarred my soul, it was worth it, for having been allowed to walk where I've walked, which was to hell on earth, heaven on earth, back again, into, under, far in between, through it, and above. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Francesco: This is life, not heaven. You don't have to be perfect.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: I'm in charge, and I'm leavin'! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Are you nervous? T.J.: Yeah. Gia Carangi: Am I making you nervous? T.J.: Yeah. Gia Carangi: Well, good, that's the idea. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: You scare the shit out of people so they can't see how scared you are. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: You look so pretty. Stephanie: Thank you. Gia Carangi: I love you. Stephanie: I know, you love everyone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: I do be da pittiest pittiest girl, I do be dat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: I could do this, I could be a fucking housewife. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maurice: She hated to be photographed. You had to run after her and tie her down. And you had to get past all the junk in her hair. But she was special. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Look, this was a free trip to New York. If I had known you were looking for Marcia fucking Brady, I woulda stayed home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Well somebody has to take care of me! I'm just a kid! T.J.: Bullshit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- T.J.: Have you ever had sex with a man before? Gia Carangi: Yeah, once. T.J.: And? Gia Carangi: And... I could have done that with a German Shepard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Dear Book, this is another day in the life. A life is like a book, a book is like a box. A box has six sides. Inside and outside. So, how do you get to what's inside? How do you get what's inside out? Once upon a time there was a girl who lived in a beautiful box and everybody loved her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Dear book, this is another day in my life. A life is like a book. A book is like a box. A box has six sides. Inside and outside, so, how do you get to what's inside? How do you get what's inside, out? Once upon a time, there lived a very pretty girl, who lived in a beautiful box, and everybody loved her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Where's my knife? Who took my fucking knife? What do I look like, fucking terrorist?! Is this funny? What the fuck is WRONG with you people?! Where the fuck- get the fuck away from me! GET AWAY! WHERE IS MY KNIFE?! *crying* God, you can't... you can't do that! You don't take somebody's knife when they need it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: I have to go back to work! I know what you're going to say but I need the money because I cannot live like this. I cannot live like this. And I cannot live without you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: Where are you going? Linda: You don't have any clothes on. Gia Carangi: Don't change the subject. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: you were the one, you were the only one - and you were amazing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Linda: Behold, the florist. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: I'd tell them that you don't have to be anybody. Because I'd know that being somebody doesn't make you anybody anyway. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gia Carangi: I have an appointment to see Wilhelmina Cooper. Receptionist: What's your name? Gia Carangi: Gia Marie Carangi for 11 a.m. Receptionist: G...., I'm sorry, what? [takes out knife and carves her name into Receptionist's desk] Gia Carangi: Here! G-I-A, Gia! Just fuck the rest. Tell Wilhelmina that Gia's here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Linda: I have a boyfriend. Gia Carangi: So? Linda: So?! Gia Carangi: Yeah, so? Linda: So, I have to go. Gia Carangi: "I have to go," "I have to go," where the fuck does everybody go when they have to go?! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Mansfield: Your look is not spring. Your look is nuclear-fucking-winter.