Grade: C-
Synopsis: A girl from the valley (Deborah Foreman) falls for a new wave boy from the city (Nicolas Cage), much to the dismay of her friends.
After the surprise success of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, studios rushed several copycats into production. Valley Girl is, unfortunately, one of those copycats.
The movie, like the stereotypical title character, simply doesn’t have much to it. It’s a love story where you don’t particularly care if the characters will end up together, because you already know they will. It’s a satire that has nothing to satirize except the way a few characters talk. It’s a sex comedy without the sex.
It’s not all bad, however. The soundtrack is pretty good, the valley girl dialog is worth a chuckle, and Nicolas Cage has a moment or two of inspired weirdness, but that’s about it.
Bottom Line: If you’re not a fan of the genre or the decade, subtract a letter from the grade, otherwise
One Response on “Valley Girl (1983)”:
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Jessi said:
Grade: C
I totally agree with your review, of course. Although I will add it seems that it could be categorized as a “chick flick”. Girls will probably like it more because as a group we’re generally more entertained by shamelessly simple romantic plots. Hell, The Wedding Planner was a success, and this is better than that; if only for the nostalgic dialog.
