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Few “family movies” have traumatized as many viewers in the best possible way as
My Girl. You sit down expecting a cozy coming-of-age story and suddenly you’re
ugly-crying over a mood ring and a pair of glasses. More than 30 years after its 1991
release, this small-town story about Vada Sultenfuss, her best friend Thomas J., and a
very complicated summer in 1972 is still one of the most talked-about emotional
rollercoasters in 90s cinema.
In this guide to My Girl rankings and opinions, we’ll break down the
characters, scenes, themes, and even some unpopular takes that still stir up debate.
Think of it as a nostalgic rewatch with a friend who won’t judge you for knowing every
line of “The Name Game.”
Why My Girl Still Hits So Hard
On paper, My Girl sounds simple: an 11-year-old girl named Vada grows up in a
funeral home, navigates first crushes and best-friend adventures, and learns what death
really means after a devastating loss. In practice, the movie is a
layered mix of comedy, drama, and genuine heartbreak. Critics have called it sweet,
sincere, and also accused it of being an aggressively engineered tearjerker, especially
in its final act.
What keeps viewers coming back isn’t just the pain; it’s the honesty. The film doesn’t
talk down to kids about grief. It lets them sit with it. Vada’s obsession with death,
her hypochondria, her guilt over her mother’s passing, and her total collapse after
Thomas J.’s death all mirror recognizable stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining,
sadness, and acceptance. Wrapped around that is a cozy 70s setting,
an unforgettable soundtrack, and some genuinely funny, awkward, very real kid moments.
My Definitive My Girl Rankings
1. Most Memorable Characters (Ranked)
- Vada Sultenfuss
Vada is the emotional core of the movie and the reason it still resonates decades
later. Anna Chlumsky plays her with this perfect mix of tough, sarcastic, and
heartbreakingly vulnerable. Vada’s anxious questions, her budding
poetic side, and her fierce loyalty to Thomas J. make her one of the most believable
child characters of the 90s. She isn’t “cute-kid perfect”; she’s messy, moody, and
painfully real. - Thomas J. Sennett
Thomas J. is the kind of friend everyone wishes they had growing up: gentle,
supportive, and just awkward enough to feel authentic. Macaulay Culkin steps away
from his Home Alone chaos persona to deliver a softer, more vulnerable
performance as a boy “allergic to everything.” His quiet bravery,
especially in the woods and at the lake, makes the later tragedy hit like a freight
train. - Shelly DeVoto
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Shelly is one of the film’s secret weapons. She’s the warm, grounded
adult Vada desperately needs. Shelly respects Vada’s feelings instead of dismissing
them as “just a phase,” and she gently challenges Harry’s emotional distance. Recent
interviews show how seriously Curtis took the responsibility of modeling kindness and
stability for young viewers and actors alike. - Harry Sultenfuss
Dan Aykroyd plays Harry as a lovable but emotionally constipated dad. He’s not cruel;
he’s just overwhelmed. Running a funeral home, raising a daughter, and avoiding his
own grief has turned him into a man who copes by shutting down. Watching him slowly
open up to Vada and finally comfort her is one of the film’s quiet triumphs. - Gramoo
Gramoo doesn’t get a lot of lines, but her presenceespecially as she slips into
dementiaadds another layer to Vada’s complicated relationship with mortality. Her
confusion and vulnerability are part of the heavy emotional atmosphere in the
Sultenfuss home.
2. Most Heart-Wrenching Moments (Ranked)
- “Where are his glasses?”
Let’s get straight to it: this is the moment that broke an entire generation. Vada
walking up to Thomas J.’s open casket, pleading for someone to put his glasses on
because “he can’t see without his glasses,” is the kind of scene that bypasses your
defenses and hits your soul directly. Critics and viewers alike still mention this
moment when talking about cinematic heartbreak. - The bee attack in the woods
You don’t even see the actual deathonly the aftermathbut knowing that Thomas J.
died trying to find Vada’s mood ring in a bee-infested clearing makes it worse. Years
later, behind-the-scenes stories revealed that real bees were used on set and that
Culkin had thousands of them released around him during filming. That
knowledge somehow makes the whole sequence even more surreal and haunting. - Vada running to Mr. Bixler’s house
Vada’s grief-fueled flight to her teacher, convinced he can somehow rescue her from
the pain, is deeply relatable. In crisis, kids often cling to the adult who feels
“safe,” whether or not that person is truly available. Realizing that Mr. Bixler is
engaged is Vada’s crash course in the limits of fantasy and escape. - Mrs. Sennett returning the mood ring
This scene is easily overlooked, but it might be the most quietly devastating moment
in the film. Thomas J.’s mother handing Vada the ring he died trying to find is a
symbol of shared grief and a rare acknowledgment that two families are forever linked
by loss. It’s also the moment Vada can begin to move from guilt to acceptance. - Vada’s final poem
When Vada reads her poem at the writing class, she’s not just doing homework; she’s
publicly naming her grief and honoring her friend. That shift from internal chaos to
spoken words is a classic “coming-of-age” turning point and a gentle reminder that
storytelling helps us survive our hardest seasons.
3. Funniest and Lightest Moments
My Girl isn’t all tears. Some of its most memorable scenes are light, silly,
and deeply charming. Without these moments, the heavier scenes would be almost
unbearable.
- The Name Game and summer goofiness
Vada and Thomas J. singing “The Name Game” and “Do Wah Diddy” perfectly captures how
kids can turn any boring day into a soundtrack moment. It’s playful, a little
chaotic, and gives the film that nostalgic, “endless summer” vibe. - The bingo sabotage
Vada dragging Thomas J. to the bingo hall to mess with Harry and Shelly’s date is
pure kid logic: if you don’t like your dad’s new romantic situation, obviously you go
sabotage the event with your best friend. - Makeup, bike rides, and Shelly’s camper
Shelly giving Vada advice, doing her makeup, and providing a safe space in her camper
balances out all the funeral-home gloom. These are the “bonus mom” building-block
moments that make their relationship so satisfying by the end of the film.
4. Best Themes and Lessons, Ranked
- Grief is messy, especially for kids
The most powerful thing about My Girl is that it shows grief without
sugarcoating it. Vada doesn’t just cry once and move on; she lashes out, isolates,
blames herself, and then slowlyvery slowlyfinds language for what she’s feeling. - Friendship can be life-defining, even at 11
Some adults dismiss childhood friendships as “just kids,” but Thomas J. is proof that
those early bonds can shape a person’s entire emotional world. Vada’s poem and the
ongoing cultural memory of Thomas J. show just how seriously we should take those
relationships. - Parents are human, not superheroes
Harry isn’t a perfect dad; he struggles to connect and compartmentalizes feelings
like it’s his full-time job. But he grows, apologizes, and shows up when it counts.
The film gives both kids and adults permission to see parents as flawed people doing
their best. - Blended families can be healing
Shelly’s arrival disrupts the status quo, but she ultimately helps Vada and Harry
move into a healthier emotional space. The film quietly suggests that new people
entering your life after loss are not replacements; they’re additions. - Talking about death matters
Critics and educators have noted that the film can be a helpful tool for kids trying
to understand death, as long as adults are ready for big questions afterward.
For many viewers, My Girl was the first movie that made death feel real but
not hopeless.
5. Unpopular (But Honest) Opinions
- The ending really is emotionally manipulative and that’s okay
Even reviewers who like the film have called the final act “aggressively
tearjerking.” The bee death, the funeral, the glasses sceneit’s a
lot. But part of the movie’s longevity comes from how unapologetically it leans into
those emotions. Sometimes art doesn’t have to be subtle to be effective. - This might not be a “kids’ movie” in the modern sense
Although it earned a PG rating after an appeal and was marketed as a family film,
many parents today prefer to wait until their kids are a little olderthink tweens
and upbefore showing it. - My Girl 2 is charming, but the original doesn’t need it
The sequel has its own sweet moments, but the first film feels complete on its own.
Vada’s arcfrom morbidly obsessed with death to someone who can love, grieve, and
express herselfdoesn’t actually require a follow-up.
Is My Girl Really a Kids’ Movie?
When you look at modern family media and age-based reviews, My Girl usually
lands in the “for older kids and teens” zoneoften age 11+ or so.
The themes of death, grief, and trauma are front and center. A parent who expects a
light nostalgia trip might be shocked at how intense the emotional fallout is.
That said, the movie opens up important conversations:
- What happens when someone dies?
- Is it normal to feel angry, guilty, or confused?
- Can adults be sad and still function?
- How do we keep someone’s memory alive?
For some families, My Girl becomes a starting point to talk about real-life
lossesa grandparent, a pet, or even just the fear of death. For others, it’s best
saved until kids are emotionally ready for a story where not everyone gets a happy
ending.
Rewatching My Girl as an Adult
Watching My Girl as a kid and as an adult are two completely different
experiences. As a child, many viewers mainly remember the shock of Thomas J.’s death
and the raw grief of the funeral. As an adult, you notice other layers:
- Harry’s paralyzing fear of emotional intimacy, especially after losing his wife.
- Shelly’s patience and subtle boundary-setting in a job that literally revolves around
death. - Gramoo’s dementia as an undercurrent of loss that’s already in the house before the
bee scene ever happens. - The 1970s settingmusic, fashion, small-town rhythmsacting as a soft cushion around
some very sharp emotional edges.
Rewatching also makes it easier to appreciate the performances. Critics have long
praised the authenticity of the young leads and the way the adult cast supports them
without overshadowing their story. It’s one of those rare
films where you believe every character isn’t just saying lines; they’re living a
summer they’ll remember forever.
Experiences & Reflections on “My Girl Rankings And Opinions”
Talk to people who grew up in the 90s, and you’ll hear surprisingly similar stories
about My Girl. A lot of them start with something like, “My parents rented it
because it looked cute…” and end with “…and that’s the night I learned what grief
feels like.”
For many viewers, the “ranking” of emotional impact goes something like this:
- The glasses scene – first big movie heartbreak.
- The mood ring reveal – realization that love and loyalty can outlive
a person. - The poem at the end – understanding that we can rewrite pain into
meaning.
These moments become emotional checkpoints people carry into adulthood. Some viewers
say that when they later faced real-life lossa friend, sibling, or relativescenes
from My Girl resurfaced. The movie didn’t give them all the answers, but it
gave them a language: guilt, longing, anger, and eventually, remembrance.
From a more analytical viewpoint, experiences of rewatching the film often shift how
people rank the characters as well. As kids, Thomas J. is usually the top favoritehe’s
sweet, supportive, and his fate feels brutally unfair. As adults, many viewers reorder
their personal rankings to put Harry or Shelly near the top. Suddenly, you’re not just
sad for Vada; you’re imagining what it means to lose a child in a small town where
everyone knows each other, or to fall in love with someone who lives inside a funeral
home and doesn’t quite know how to communicate.
Another recurring experience is how parents use My Girl deliberately. Some
adults who grew up with the film now show it to their own kids, but with a plan:
- They schedule it for a weekend, not a school night.
- They stay nearby, ready for questions or tears.
- They pause after the bee scene or the funeral to check in: “How are you feeling
right now?” - They talk about their own experiences with loss, modeling emotional honesty instead
of silent stoicism.
In that context, “My Girl rankings and opinions” are not just about which character is
the funniest or which scene is the saddest. They become a kind of emotional inventory:
Which parts of this story hit you hardest? Which relationships feel familiar? Which
lessons about death and love feel true to your own life?
Finally, there’s the nostalgia factor. Many viewers who rewatch My Girl as
adults don’t simply cry over Thomas J. againthey also grieve their own childhood. The
film’s bike rides, summer afternoons, and secret crushes remind them of a time when
everything felt big and fragile, when your best friend meant the world, and when one
summer could quietly change who you were. That layered emotional response is a big
reason the movie still inspires think pieces, anniversary retrospectives, and yes,
ranking lists decades later.
Final Thoughts
Whether you rank it as a comfort movie, a cinematic gut punch, or a rite of passage,
My Girl has earned its place as a true 90s classic. It’s more than a sad
“kids’ movie”; it’s a thoughtful, sometimes brutal, always sincere exploration of how
we learn to live with loss, love deeply, and grow up without forgetting the people who
shaped us along the way.
