My Girl
Vada Sultenfuss is obsessed with death. Her mother is dead, and her father runs a funeral parlor. She is also in love with her English teacher, and joins a poetry class over the summer just to impress him. Thomas J., her best friend, is "allergic to everything", and sticks with Vada despite her hangups. When Vada's father hires Shelly, and begins to fall for her, things take a turn to the worse...
Despite a respectable budget of $17.0M, My Girl became a box office success, earning $59.5M worldwide—a 250% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
My Girl (1991) demonstrates carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Howard Zieff's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 43 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Vada lives in a funeral home, obsessed with death and disease, emotionally distant from her widowed father Harry who runs the business. She's a hypochondriac who sees the doctor constantly, unable to process her mother's death in childbirth.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Shelly DeVoto arrives as the new makeup artist for the funeral home. Vada immediately resents this young, vibrant woman entering her father's life and threatening the fragile status quo of their two-person household.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Vada gets her first period and, terrified she's dying (not understanding what it means), runs to Shelly for help instead of her father. This vulnerable moment marks her reluctant entry into a new relationship and the journey toward womanhood., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 52% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Harry proposes to Shelly and she accepts. Vada initially seems to accept this change, even showing signs of happiness. False victory: it appears Vada is adapting, but her unresolved grief and fear of abandonment remain underneath, setting up the coming crisis., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 76 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Thomas J dies from an allergic reaction to bee stings while retrieving Vada's mood ring from the woods. The ultimate "whiff of death" - her best friend, the one constant in her chaotic life, is gone. Vada's worst fear realized: loss is real and devastating., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Shelly comforts Vada with compassion and understanding, helping her see that saying goodbye is necessary. Vada realizes she must face death rather than avoid it, and that accepting love (from Shelly, from her father) doesn't mean forgetting those who've died., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
My Girl's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping My Girl against these established plot points, we can identify how Howard Zieff utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish My Girl within the comedy genre.
Howard Zieff's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Howard Zieff films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. My Girl takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Howard Zieff filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Howard Zieff analyses, see The Dream Team, My Girl 2 and Private Benjamin.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Vada lives in a funeral home, obsessed with death and disease, emotionally distant from her widowed father Harry who runs the business. She's a hypochondriac who sees the doctor constantly, unable to process her mother's death in childbirth.
Theme
Thomas J tells Vada about his grandmother: "She says death is just another part of life." This central theme about accepting mortality and change will define Vada's journey, though she initially rejects it due to her fear and avoidance.
Worldbuilding
Summer 1972 in Madison, Pennsylvania. Vada's world: best friend Thomas J (allergic to everything), her distracted mortician father, living surrounded by death but terrified of it. She has no female role model, is socially awkward, and uses hypochondria to get attention.
Disruption
Shelly DeVoto arrives as the new makeup artist for the funeral home. Vada immediately resents this young, vibrant woman entering her father's life and threatening the fragile status quo of their two-person household.
Resistance
Vada resists Shelly's presence, acts out, and clings to her routines with Thomas J. Her father begins courting Shelly. Vada struggles with jealousy and the fear of losing her father. She contemplates how to deal with this unwanted change.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Vada gets her first period and, terrified she's dying (not understanding what it means), runs to Shelly for help instead of her father. This vulnerable moment marks her reluctant entry into a new relationship and the journey toward womanhood.
Mirror World
Vada develops a crush on Mr. Bixler, her poetry teacher, representing her emerging romantic feelings and desire to grow up. This subplot mirrors the theme of transformation and teaches her about love, loss, and moving forward.
Premise
The fun of summer: Vada and Thomas J's adventures, her writing class infatuation, slowly warming to Shelly, attending a wedding. Vada explores new experiences while her father and Shelly's relationship deepens. She's caught between childhood and adolescence.
Midpoint
Harry proposes to Shelly and she accepts. Vada initially seems to accept this change, even showing signs of happiness. False victory: it appears Vada is adapting, but her unresolved grief and fear of abandonment remain underneath, setting up the coming crisis.
Opposition
Wedding plans progress. Vada's mood ring obsession (seeking certainty), continued hypochondria, and emotional volatility show her inner turmoil. Thomas J remains her constant. She discovers Mr. Bixler is engaged, her first romantic disappointment. Everything feels unstable.
Collapse
Thomas J dies from an allergic reaction to bee stings while retrieving Vada's mood ring from the woods. The ultimate "whiff of death" - her best friend, the one constant in her chaotic life, is gone. Vada's worst fear realized: loss is real and devastating.
Crisis
Vada is devastated, cannot process Thomas J's death, refuses to attend the funeral. She blames herself for his death (he was getting her ring). Deep grief and guilt consume her. She's emotionally shut down, reliving her avoidance pattern.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Shelly comforts Vada with compassion and understanding, helping her see that saying goodbye is necessary. Vada realizes she must face death rather than avoid it, and that accepting love (from Shelly, from her father) doesn't mean forgetting those who've died.
Synthesis
Vada finds the courage to see Thomas J in his casket, says goodbye, tells him she'll miss him. She attends the funeral, allows herself to grieve openly. She reconciles with her father and accepts Shelly as family. Harry finally opens up about losing Vada's mother.
Transformation
Vada rides her bike with a new girl, ready to make a new friend. She's no longer the death-obsessed, fearful child from the opening. She's learned to accept loss, embrace change, and remain open to life and love despite grief. Growth through pain.