In the film **Beautiful Girls (1996)**, **no human characters die** during the course of the movie's timeline. The film is a romantic comedy-drama focused on themes of aging, commitment, and the "death" of youth rather than physical mortality.
However, there are two significant instances related to death or near-death that occur in the film:
### 1. The Beating of Tommy "Birdman" Rowland
The character who comes closest to meeting an end is **Tommy "Birdman" Rowland** (played by Matt Dillon).
* **The Incident:** Tommy has been having an affair with his high school sweetheart, **Darian Smalls** (Lauren Holly), who is now married to **Steve Rossmore** (Sam Robards). After a series of confrontations and a drunk Darian appearing at Tommy’s surprise party, Steve finally confronts Tommy at a local bar.
* **The Details:** Steve and a group of his friends brutally beat Tommy. He is later shown in the **hospital** suffering from a **concussion and two broken ribs**. While his condition is serious and causes his friends to plan a retaliatory attack (which is ultimately called off when they see Steve's young daughter), Tommy is shown alive and recovering in his hospital bed before the film concludes.
### 2. The Backstory of Willie’s Mother
Though she is not a character in the film's present timeline, the **death of Willie Conway’s mother** is a significant background element.
* **The Details:** Willie (Timothy Hutton) returns to his childhood home to find his father, **Dick Conway** (Richard Bright), living as a "widower." The house is described as being under a "gloom" since her passing, and his father is depicted as a man "haunting the rooms like a ghost" because of his grief. This past death serves as a catalyst for Willie's own existential crisis regarding marriage and family.
### Other Notable Mentions
* **Elle Macpherson (The Dog):** Paul (Michael Rapaport) owns a Saint Bernard named after the supermodel Elle Macpherson. While some viewers mistakenly associate dog appearances with tragic ends in dramas, the dog remains alive throughout the film.
* **Marty’s Grandfather:** The 13-year-old neighbor, **Marty** (Natalie Portman), mentions she was named after a grandfather she never knew named **Martin**, who is deceased.
* **Ted Demme (Director):** You may find references to a death associated with this film because the director, **Ted Demme**, died prematurely at the age of 38 from a heart attack in 2002. This was a real-life event and not part of the movie.