Girl 6 (film)
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| Girl 6 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Spike Lee |
| Produced by | Spike Lee |
| Written by | Suzan-Lori Parks |
| Starring | Theresa Randle Isaiah Washington Jennifer Lewis Spike Lee Michael Imperioli |
| Release date(s) | 1996 |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Girl 6 is a 1996 film by American director Spike Lee about a phone sex operator. Theresa Randle played the title character, and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the screenplay. The soundtrack is composed entirely of songs written by Prince.
Quentin Tarantino makes a Cameo appearance as a director at an interesting audition.
Tagline: She is the only thing better than being there.
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[edit] Plot Summary
The story starts with Judy, also known as Girl 6 (Theresa Randle), at what is turning out to be a very awkward audition with Quentin Tarantino. Judy seems to grin and bear it. Tarantino reveals that the movie Judy is auditioning for is "the greatest romantic, African-American film ever made. Directed by me, of course." However, Judy grows suspicious of the audition, when "Q.T.", tells her that "Wesley, Denzel, Fishburne.." are signed up to play supporting roles. Judy seems to keep her cool until it is requested that she remove her blouse so "Q.T." and his assistant can see her breasts. She reluctantly complies, but not for long. She walks out on the audition.
Her agent is furious. Having worked hard to get Judy her audition with such a prestigious director, he quickly and angrily drops her from his roster of clients. Her melodramatic acting coach is also extremely displeased. When Judy tells her why she did not go through with the audition, the acting coach still does not see any reason why Judy should have walked out. This, topped with the fact that Judy has not paid her rent in a very long while, forces her to drop Judy from her roster of clients as well.
Now unable to secure acting work, Judy must find a way to make ends meet. She tries a number of jobs: passing out fliers, waiting tables at a club, etc. At one point she agrees to be an extra on a movie set. However, it is cold and unpleasant, as is the director. Judy is sick with a cold, and still trying to secure work. While reading a newspaper, she sees an ad for a "friendly phone line", as well as one with the headline, "mo money, mo money, mo money". She circles them both.
This brings her to a meeting at a phone sex office. She meets the boss (Jenifer Lewis), who seems to be an assertive but friendly woman. The two click and the "audition" goes over just fine. The boss, now known as Lil, says that although she can't promise anything, she'll put in the good word for Judy. Judy also goes to another meeting, but the boss there wants her to do more visually related work, so she declines. Then, she attends another meeting, at a strip club/phone sex line with a relaxed boss (Madonna). She would take the job, but the content allowed for on-line discussion is a bit too heavy for her taste. She decides to stick to her original application with Lil.
We now look in on Judy's dissolved relationship with her kleptomaniac ex-husband (Isaiah Washington), as well as her relationship with her baseball-memorabilia obsessed best friend, Jimmy (Spike Lee). Jimmy is reliant on his collection for money, but until it accumulates enough age to be worth money, he gets his rent money from Judy.
Throughout the film, the phone sex line, having been secured at Lil's company, begins to take its mental toll on the newly christened Girl 6. She trusts her clients too much at times, and is therefore tricked repeatedly. She even agrees to meet one of her callers at one point, but he never shows up. It is visible to everybody, especially Lil and Jimmy, that Judy is having a breakdown. The movie culminates in a dark sequence in which she enters a snuff fantasy with a caller (Michael Imperioli). It becomes serious when she discovers the caller knows where she lives. Running upstairs for shelter with Jimmy, she decides that it is time to leave the phone sex career behind and get her acting career in motion. Finally reconciling with her ex, she decides to move to L.A.
Oddly enough, Judy attends another audition in which she experiences the same problem as the one with "Q.T." She again walks out. However, it is clear that Girl 6 has reclaimed her dignity, and will find work sooner or later.
[edit] Critical Response
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The film garnered mixed reviews. Some said that its message wasn't entirely clear, and that it was quite sub-par for Lee's usual work. Some also said that the characters did not develop enough, and became very one-dimensional. It was also criticized for being somewhat confusing: we do not learn Girl 6's real name until the final scene of the movie. Much more awkwardly, Isaiah Washington's character is never given an official name throughout the storyline. Despite the fact he is one of the three main roles in the movie, the end credits have him credited as "Shoplifter". Others said that the film was vibrant, quirky, and a nice departure from Spike's usual, message-heavy work. Many praised the soundtrack, composed by Prince.
[edit] Current Availability
In 2006, Girl 6 finally saw its proper DVD release on its 10th anniversary through Anchor Bay Entertainment. Special features include a reasonable-length "making of" featurette and a reel of behind-the-scenes footage. However, no commentary is provided, simply for the fact that Anchor Bay reissued the film out of its relative obscurity. In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, the film also saw frequent rotation in 2006 on HBO along with a few other Spike Lee films like Malcolm X and She Hate Me.
[edit] See also
- Girl 6 album
[edit] External links
- Girl 6 at the Internet Movie Database
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