History Film / MyGirl

''My Girl'' is a 1991 coming-of-age drama film directed by Howard Zieff and starring Creator/AnnaChlumsky, Creator/MacaulayCulkin, Creator/DanAykroyd and Creator/JamieLeeCurtis. Set in the summer of 1972, the film revolves around Vada Sultenfuss (Chlumsky), an 11-year-old girl living with her father (Aykroyd). Vada is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her dad owns a funeral parlor. Her best friend, Thomas J. Sennett (Culkin) has various allergies and her father falls in love with makeup expert Shelly [=DeVoto=] (Curtis) whom he hires for the parlor. Vada tries everything she can to split them up while sticking around with Thomas J. for some various adventures...

* TheSeventies: The first movie takes place in 1972 and the sequel takes place two years later.

** Harry proposed to Vada's mother on the second date and they were married two weeks later.

* TragicKeepsake: Vada's mood ring becomes one. In the sequel, which takes place two years after the events of the first film, she's shown to still wear it as a reminder of [[spoiler:her dead best friend.]]

The film's success spawned a sequel in 1994, with Chlumsky, Aykroyd and Curtis reprising their roles and Austin O'Brien (''Film/LastActionHero'') rounding out the cast.

!!Tropes associated with the first movie:

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!!Tropes associated with the sequel:

* AmicableExes: [[spoiler:Vada's mother's ex-husband is nothing but warm and friendly to Vada as well as having nothing but kind things to say about her mother despite them divorcing and her marrying Harry shortly after. He even says he would have loved to have been her father but she is indeed the daughter of Harry.]]
* AscendedExtra: Vada's uncle Phil went from an extra in the first film to being one of the main characters in the sequel.
* BabiesEverAfter: Vada's baby brother is born at the end of the sequel.
* DemotedToExtra: The sequel has everyone from the first film (besides Vada and her uncle) only in the film for the first 20 minutes (not counting her parents as they also appear in the ending).
* GeneHunting: The sequel is about Vada going to Los Angeles to find out more about her mother and a bit of the trope sneaks in there when [[spoiler:she worries that she might not be Harry's daughter due to her mother having been married to someone else. Her mother's ex-husband assures her that while he would have been thrilled to be her father, Harry is definitely her father.]]
* GilliganCut: "No, I'm sorry, Vada is not going to Los Angeles. Now I have made my decision, and that is final." (Cut to the airport.)
* GreenEyedMonster: Phil gets jealous when a customer keeps flirting with his girlfriend Rose. This jealousy eventually helps him realize that he wants to marry Rose and be a father to Nick.
* LighterAndSofter: The sequel tones down the drama from the first movie and becomes more of a heartwarming comedy.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Vada discovers that her mother was previously married to someone before her father and fears that he might actually be her father and not Harry. [[spoiler:Harry most definitely ''is'' her father.]]
* MysteriousParent: The sequel decides to make this the main focus of the plot with Vada learning more about her mother's life in California by meeting her friends, peers, teachers, and her first husband.
* SecondLove: Nick become Vada's by the end of the sequel.
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: At the start of the sequel, Vada's senile grandmother is revealed to have passed away. [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Her actress had died in real life.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Nick gets a taste of it though he's more prone to egging her on intentionally than Thomas J. did.

!!Tropes associated with these movies:

* AmicableExes: [[spoiler:Vada's mother's ex-husband is nothing but warm and friendly to Vada as well as having nothing but kind things to say about her mother despite them divorcing and her marrying Harry shortly after. He even says he would have loved to have been her father but she is indeed the daughter of Harry.]]

* AscendedExtra: Vada's uncle Phil went from an extra in the first film to being one of the main characters in the sequel.

* BabiesEverAfter: Vada's baby brother is born at the end of the sequel.

* DemotedToExtra: The sequel has everyone from the first film (besides Vada and her uncle) only in the film for the first 20 minutes (not counting her parents as they also appear in the ending).

* GeneHunting: The sequel is about Vada going to Los Angeles to find out more about her mother and a bit of the trope sneaks in there when [[spoiler:she worries that she might not be Harry's daughter due to her mother having been married to someone else. Her mother's ex-husband assures her that while he would have been thrilled to be her father, Harry is definitely her father.]]
* GilliganCut: In the sequel, "No, I'm sorry, Vada is not going to Los Angeles. Now I have made my decision, and that is final." (Cut to the airport.)

** In the sequel, Phil gets jealous when a customer keeps flirting with his girlfriend Rose. This jealousy eventually helps him realize that he wants to marry Rose and be a father to Nick.

* LighterAndSofter: The sequel tones down the drama from the first movie and becomes more of a heartwarming comedy.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: In the sequel, Vada discovers that her mother was previously married to someone before her father and fears that he might actually be her father and not Harry. [[spoiler:Harry most definitely ''is'' her father.]]

* MysteriousParent: Vada knows virtually nothing about her mother except small anecdotes from her father. The sequel decides to make this the main focus of the plot with Vada learning more about her life in California by meeting her friends, peers, teachers, and her first husband.

* SecondLove: Nick become Vada's by the end of the sequel.

* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: At the start of the sequel, Vada's senile grandmother is revealed to have passed away.

** And in the sequel, Nick gets a taste of it though he's more prone to egging her on intentionally than Thomas J. did.

* AdultFear: [[spoiler:Mr. and Mrs. Sennett lose their only child in a very unexpected and tragic accident.]]

* IllBoy: Thomas J. [[spoiler: This includes an allergy to bee stings, something nobody was aware of until it's too late.]]

* TraumaCongaLine: Oh God, where to start?! Her life is already a little rough, [[spoiler: but it got worse when her best friend, Thomas J, dies [[ScaryStingingSwarm in a bee attack]]. She was the one who angered the bees in the first place, and he only went back to try and find her mood ring that she lost, her father is the mortician, the funeral is held at her house, and to top it all off, on the day of said funeral, she discovers the teacher that she had a crush on is getting married. However, she gets better in the end.]]

* AscendedRole: Vada's uncle Phil went from an extra in the first film to being one of the main characters in the sequel.

* TheRunaway: Vada runs away after she finds out Harry and Shelly are getting married, but it lasts less than a day and no one notices. [[spoiler: She does it again when she can't cope with Thomas J.'s death and her guardians definitely notice.]]

* BeeAfraid: Vada and Thomas J run from a swarm of bees and manage to escape unscathed, save for Vada losing her mood ring. [[spoiler:When Thomas J goes back alone to retrieve the ring, he isn't quite so lucky...]]

* TraumaCongaLine: Oh God, where to start?! Her life is already a little rough, [[spoiler: but it got worse when her best friend, Thomas J, dies [[BeeAfraid in a bee attack]]. She was the one who angered the bees in the first place, and he only went back to try and find her mood ring that she lost, her father is the mortician, the funeral is held at her house, and to top it all off, on the day of said funeral, she discovers the teacher that she had a crush on is getting married. However, she gets better in the end.]]

* InfantImmortality: [[spoiler:Horribly averted. Poor Thomas J...]]
* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler: See above...]]

* SublimeRhyme: Defied by Vada's teacher. He tells her that a poem is more about words rhyming, it's about expressing ones self.

* {{Tsundere}}: Vada is a Type A towards Thomas J. She's hot and aggressive a lot of the time, but she does care for him a lot.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Thomas J. and Vada are a Type 2 example.

* JerkAss [[spoiler: The Bees who kill Thomas J.]]

''My Girl'' is a 1991 coming-of-age drama film directed by Howard Zieff and starring Creator/AnnaChlumsky, Creator/MacaulayCulkin, Creator/DanAykroyd and Creator/JamieLeeCurtis. Set in the summer of 1971, the film revolves around Vada Sultenfuss (Chlumsky), an 11-year-old girl living with her father (Aykroyd). Vada is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her dad owns a funeral parlor. Her best friend, Thomas J. Sennett (Culkin) has various allergies and her father falls in love with makeup expert Shelly [=DeVoto=] (Curtis) whom he hires for the parlor. Vada tries everything she can to split them up while sticking around with Thomas J. for some various adventures...

* JerkAss [[spoiler:The Bees who kill Thomas J.]]