Gia



Gia is a 1998 biographical HBO film about the life and times of one of America's first supermodels, Gia Marie Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with 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 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. Gia's attitude and beauty help her rise quickly to the forefront of the modeling industry, but her persistent loneliness, especially after the death of Wilhelmina, drives her to experiment with mood-altering drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

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. 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

 * Angelina Jolie as Gia Carangi
 * Mila Kunis as Gia Carangi (at age 11)
 * Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper
 * Mercedes Ruehl as Kathleen Carangi, Gia's mother
 * Elizabeth Mitchell as Linda
 * Scott Cohen as Mike Mansfield
 * Kylie Travis as Stephanie
 * Edmund Genest as Francesco Scavullo
 * Alexander Enberg as Chris von Wangenheim
 * Louis Giambalvo as Joseph Carangi
 * Eric Michael Cole as T.J.
 * 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
 * Michael E. Rodgers as Red dress photographer
 * Nick Spano as Michael
 * Jason Stuart as Booker #2

Critical reception
Gia was generally well received by critics, with an approval rating of 92% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Kalamazoo Gazette commented: "Jolie gives it her all in a thoroughly uninhibited and highly effective portrait of a woman living from thrill to thrill." Christopher Null 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

 * 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