Gia Carangi is considered by many to be the first supermodel. She changed the way models interacted with the camera. She had a natural, dangerous, sex appeal that couldn't be faked. But like so many young stars of the 1980s, she partied hard and paid the price. Thanks mainly in part to a powerhouse performance from Angelina Jolie, this HBO bio-pic has a residence that outshines many TV movies.
Gia (Jolie) was working at her family diner when at a Philadelphia nightclub she got picked out of the crowd by a photographer and given the keys to her success. He sets her up with an interview with top agent Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway, CHINATOWN) who gets her her first paying job. That job led to her shooting legendary full nude art pics in front of a metal fence. At that shoot, she met make-up artist Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell, TV's LOST), who would become her lover on and off until her tragic death.