Smooth Talk (1985)
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78% of critics liked it
(9 reviews) -
40% of users liked it
(993 ratings)
Produced for PBS's American Playhouse series, Smooth Talk was given a brief theatrical release before its "official" February 9, 1987 TV debut. Laura Dern plays a teenager anxious to experience the pleasures of sexual contact. Left alone in the family summer cottage when her mother… More Produced for PBS's American Playhouse series, Smooth Talk was given a brief theatrical release before its "official" February 9, 1987 TV debut. Laura Dern plays a teenager anxious to experience the pleasures of sexual contact. Left alone in the family summer cottage when her mother (Mary Kay Place), father (Levon Helm) and sister (Elizabeth Berridge) go shopping, Dern decides to wander into town for male companionship. She makes the acquaintance of Treat Williams, a handsome if mildly psychotic type who identifies himself as "A. Friend" and behaves like James Dean. When she returns home, Dern is bewildered and dishevelled. We can only speculate as to whether or not she was raped by Williams; we do know that she isn't the same person we met at the beginning of the film. Smooth Talk was based on a 1970 short story by Joyce Carol Oates entitled "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Joyce Chopra
- Genres
- Drama
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- Live Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie is almost uncanny in its self-assurance, in the way it knows that the first hour, where 'nothing' happens, is necessary if the payoff is to be tragic, instead of merely sensational.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Plays uncomfortably like two movies jammed into one.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Disregard the incoherent ending, which violates the source material (Joyce Carol Oates story): in her debut, Chopra has made a disturbing tale of sexual awakening set against the 1980s new context of shopping malls; Laura Dern is extraordinary as the lead
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Despite the less-than-riveting vibe, it's impossible to deny Dern's amazing performance.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Offers ample and telling observations on adolescence, mother-daughter relationships, familial tensions, and the erotic yearnings of youth.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
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Cast
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Treat Williams
as Arnold Friend
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Laura Dern
as Connie
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Mary Kay Place
as Katherine
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Levon Helm
as Harry
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Sarah Inglis
as Jill
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Elizabeth Berridge
as June
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Joy Carlin
as Laura's Mother
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Cab Covay
as Pickup Driver
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Michael Bryan French
as Stan
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Geoff Hoyle
as Ellie
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Mark McKay
as Bobby King
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David Michael O'Neill
as Mall Boy
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William Ragsdale
as Jeff
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Sally Schuab
as Saleslady
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Margaret Welsh
as Laura
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Darian Alioto
as Mall Creep
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David Berridge
as Eddie
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Rob Blair
as Beach Boy
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Craig Caddell
as Mall Boy
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Gary Harris
as Mall Creep
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Edgar Kahn
as Beach Boy
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Spenser Mains
as Eddie's Friend
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Carl Mueller
as Mall Boy
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Michael Vaughn
as Leroy
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William Desmond
as Laura's Dad
