Valley Girl (1983)

Julie, a girl from the valley, meets Randy, a punk from the city. They are from different worlds and find love. Somehow they need to stay together in spite of her trendy, shallow friends.

Director:

Martha Coolidge

Writers:

Wayne Crawford, Andrew Lane

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Randy
Deborah Foreman	...	Julie Richman
Elizabeth Daily	...	Loryn
Michael Bowen	...	Tommy
Cameron Dye	...	Fred Bailey
Heidi Holicker	...	Stacey
Michelle Meyrink	...	Suzi Brent
Tina Theberge	...	Samantha
Lee Purcell	...	Beth Brent
Richard Sanders	...	Drivers' Ed Teacher
Colleen Camp	...	Sarah Richman
Frederic Forrest	...	Steve Richman
David Ensor	...	Skip
Joanne Baron	...	Prom Teacher
Tony Plana	...	Low Rider

Storyline

Julie, a girl from the valley, meets Randy, a punk from the city. They are from different worlds and find love. Somehow they need to stay together in spite of her trendy, shallow friends.

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Plot Keywords:

love | party | valley girl | delivery boy | punk | 

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Taglines:

When punk meets prom the fun begins! [Video Australia]

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bad Boyz

Filming Locations:

Du-Par's Restaurant - 12036 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Valley 9000

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The producers of this film approached Frank Zappa about making a film based on his hit single "Valley Girl" (released May 1982), but he refused, leading the producers to make the film without his involvement. Zappa later sued them but lost the case.

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Goofs

When Randy and Julie see each other from across the room, a blond boy in an orange shirt walks from right to left behind Randy and Fred. Seconds later, the same boy walks in the same direction behind Randy and Fred again.

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Quotes

Randy: That techno-rock you guys listen to is gutless.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

"He Could Be the One"
Performed by Josie Cotton
Written by Bobby Paine (as B.) & Larson Paine (as L. Paine)
© 1982 Televox Music / House of Paine BMI
Headstock Music / Painful Songs ASCAP
Courtesy of Elektra / Asylum Records

User Reviews

Watchable, but could have been better

Unlike most teen movies of the era, "Valley Girl" has a sweet nature to it, despite the presence of material like foul language, nudity, and sex. You feel a good deal of warmth towards these characters (at least those that deserve it). The romance itself is tender, and focuses more on genuine love than lust. There's also a great '80s soundtrack, and the movie looks very good for what was a $350,000 budget.

Though I feel pretty amiable towards the movie, I must admit that it was far from perfect. The movie never made clear just what attracted these two people together in the first place, nor did it make clear what they found in common that was keeping them together in the relationship. Also, the solution the protagonists use in the final minutes to resolve the crisis that came up is terribly lazy and unimaginative. Then there are some scenes (such as the subplot involving another teen attracted to an older woman) that seem to serve no real purpose. But considering the screenplay was written in just 10 days, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by these weaknesses. If they had spent the time to beef up the screenplay, this may very well have deserved the "classic" label it currently has.