Review of Valley Girl (1983) by Chrissy S — 17 Apr 2011

1983's Valley Girl could easily have fallen into the category of cheap and tawdry teen romp that so many film's of this genre in the early 80s did but with a clever script and believable characters, Valley Girl manages to elevate itself like no other to become a cult classic.

Julie (Deborah Foreman) is a true valley girl complete with a gaggle of friends whose passions are boys, shopping, and lots of "oh grody to the max fer sure" punctuations. Randy (Nicolas Cage in his first leading role) is from the opposite side of the tracks, the bad side of Hollywood, and Julie's polar opposite in every way. Except Julie and Randy form an unexplicable bond that mystifies and annoys their friends and family. Can they overcome prejudices to be together or will they be torn apart?

Nevermind the main story line, there are several well scripted sub-plots that highlight teen angst problems but it is never done in a patronizing or distasteful way. Loryn (Elizabeth Daily) is a bit too promiscuous and finds out the hard way where that leads. Suzi (Michelle Meyrink) competes with her step-mother for the affections of her classmate. Julie's parents are finding it hard to let her be her own person.

Valley Girl is also a picture perfect snapshot of early 1980s high school life complete with a stellar sound track and classic wardrobe but the film's themes are timeless and that is why Valley Girl elevates itself from a forgetable teen flick to something a lot more special.