Seventeen year-old Gia Marie Carangi (Angelina Jolie) is a rebel in Philadelphia working in her father's diner. She moves to NYC and becomes a fashion model. Immediately she catches the attention of powerful agent Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway). Gia had no intentions of becoming a model, she just becomes one--a supermodel on the cover of Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Her attitude, beauty, and willingness to pose nude help her rise quickly to the forefront of the modeling industry, but her chronic loneliness drives her to experiment with illicit drugs like cocaine. She becomes involved in a passionate lesbian affair with Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell), a make-up artist. However, after a while Linda begins to worry about Gia's drug use and gives her an ultimatum. She asks, "...this or me?" Gia chooses the drugs. Failed attempts at reconciliation with Linda and with her mother Kathleen Carangi (Mercedes Ruehl) drive Gia to begin using heroin. Although she is eventually able to break her drug habit after much effort, she has already contracted HIV from a needle containing infected blood and dies of complications from AIDS in 1986 at the age of 26.
Based on the real life of Gia Carangi, Angelina Jolie's unforgettable performance, a good story line, and above average casting make this made-for-TV HBO film well worth watching. Gia's tragic self-destruction is compelling but very sad. It's not really sensational, some scenes are laughable, and it's basically a cliche--a movie about a rebellious druggie who messes up her life. But it really happened. Both Jolie and Dunaway won Golden Globe awards for their performances. Terence Blanchard composed the music. The screenplay was written by Jay McInerney and Michael Cristofer, who also directed.
