Valley Girl

Wednesday 16 October at 7.30pm

Martha Coolidge | USA | 1983 | 100 mins | R16

In his first major role, Nicholas Cage is a young Hollywood punk who becomes the unlikely object of attraction for preppy Valley girl Deborah Foreman in this cult 80s comedy.

“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. A rad riff on Romeo & Juliet (and the Frank and Moon Unit Zappa song), Valley Girl follows popular girl Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) as she falls head-over-pumps for a sweet punk named Randy (Nicholas Cage in his breakthrough role). When her friends like, totally flip over her off-brand crush, the Julie is forced to choose between her reputation and her relationship. With a righteous soundtrack (anchored by Modern English’s swoon-worthy “I Melt with You”) and subversive twists on the teen movie script, Valley Girl ought to be celebrated as much – if not more – than as anything John Hughes made in the ’80s. Thanks to Coolidge’s focus on the female gaze, the film is both progressive and nostalgic at the same time, evoking the warmth and excitement of first love without looking down at its protagonist or her lifestyle.”— Emily Gagne & Danita Steinberg