Review of Valley Girl (1983) by Todd J — 02 Jul 2007

Valley Girl: Whoever told you that 80s angst flicks start and end with John Hughes was a totally misinformed mongrel. Likewise, however told you that flicks like this and Fast Times at Ridgemount High are nothing but nostalgic kitsch obviously feel victim to the ridiculous image these movies have somehow gained over time.

This flick's DVD sleeve, in particular, is preposterous, making the movie out to be a funny, campy teen comedy along the lines of Sixteen Candles when really it shares more with the approach of Fast Times with serious treatments of its characters and their problems.

While it comes nowhere near to depicting high school with the clarity of Fast Times, the movie still holds a lot of value for someone who digs these kinds of movies. The story's fairly basic: Nicolas Cage is an offbeat guy who falls for a "valley girl" whose friends and trendster lifestyle threaten to break the relationship up.

Naturally, there are the cliches that would later become cement for the teen movie: the hippie parents, the best friend, etc., but this is rendered in a very sincere tone, and because of that sincere tone, there is a very palpable air of depression that seems to go hand-in-hand with being a teenager.

As far as the actual humor is concerned, the movie really doesn't have a whole lot, but the charm of the actors involved mostly makes up for it. Also, the film seems to have some idea of what teenagers at the time were listening to, forsaking the top 40 hits soundtracks of most 80s flicks for a large number of obscure dance numbers with only Modern English's "Melt With You" being completely recognizable, and the scene with that tune is memorable and well done enough to warrant it.

All in all, this isn't the creme of the crop as far as 80s teen flicks are concerned, but it's better than average and definitely a recommendation for fans of the genre. *** out've *****.