Comments on: Valley Girl (1983)

By: Sharkie

Sharkie — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Cameron Dye is adorable in his suspenders. All those tight pants on dudes, with tucked in shirts really made me nostalgic . . . and horny!

By: CK TheJunction

CK TheJunction — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:25:34 +0000

Oh my goood,

Nicolas Cage looks hilarious, I bet he would be ashamed if confronted with that Cover.

Cheers
Chan from TheJunction

By: Joe Valdez

Joe Valdez — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:51:46 +0000

Mrs. Thuro's Mom: There is a strong blueprint here for making a teen movie, and it's not to rip off Shakespeare. Document your place, time and characters honestly, something this latest crop of teen sex comedies have apparently forgotten how to do. On a side note, I'm always happy when we agree on movies. Christian: Today "Randy" would probably be labeled a stalker, depending on how cute he was to the girl he was following around. Personally, I really don't need to "like" a character though. I just need them to be interesting and Cage certainly did that with nearly every outing in the 1980s. Please share with the rest of the class your theory on why you feel women love this movie. Rich: I barely hear Porky's mentioned anymore. Maybe this is just selective recall but I can't remember the last Porky's related blog post I read. Fast Times, Valley Girl and maybe The Last American Virgin seem to be the teen flicks of the period with some life to them. Thanks for sharing your comments though! Moviezzz: Janet Maslin completely dissed the movie in the New York Times. While I wasn't able to find out what Siskel & Ebert voted, you're right that Ebert did write a supportive review. Otherwise, I couldn't find any articles printed at the time that praised Valley Girl. My next post should get The Plimsouls out of your head, if they're still in there on Thursday night. Thanks for your props! Scott: Welcome and thanks for commenting. I suspect that one's appreciation of Valley Girl is directly proportional to whether you were old enough to at least ride a bike when it came out, however, I'll look forward to your thoughts if you can make room on your schedule for it. Marilyn: I know those are wonderful observations you made because I missed all of them, other than the way which Coolidge handled Elizabeth Daily's nude scene, duh. I wish there were more women directing commercial films. I thought Coolidge also brought something offbeat and resonant to Real Genius that a male director focusing on the jokes might not have.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:54:34 +0000

I love this film. I think one of the reasons it speaks especially well to women is that a woman directed it. Martha Coolidge got all the details right – the way Julie plays with make-up, trying to see herself as edgy; the way a stepmother and daughter might awkwardly talk over each other in a competitive situation’ the way Loryn would act after Tommy used her; the way all the girls pile onto the bed like a bunch of puppies when Skipper calls Susie. These moments really resonate with women, we’ve lived them.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:31:22 +0000

This one has been on my queue FOREVER. Never made it to the top. Guess that’ll have to change. Spaced: Disc Two is gonna have to wait.

Scott

By: Moviezzz

Moviezzz — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:12:46 +0000

Another great review.

One question, was it really dismissed by critics at the time? I remember Siskel and Ebert loving the film.

Now I’m going to have “A Million Miles Away” in my head all day.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:21:39 +0000

Old enough to have seen it when it came out, and it was pretty good. Mind you, I had no taste and loved Porky’s too, so make of that what you will. I’m not sure I could watch it now, but it would be a great exercise in “oh my god” whenever the 80’s seemed too heavy. Definitely a nostalgia flick.

By: christian

christian — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:07:28 +0000

I never liked this film and really disliked Cage’s character. I see why many women love it tho…

By: Mrs. Thuro's Mom

Mrs. Thuro's Mom — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:00:09 +0000

I always felt that this told a very old story in a fresh and interesting way. It is very distinct in the time and place it uses, but it is still fun to watch. Too bad Nicolas Cage hasn’t been able to make better choices in recent years.