Valley Girl (1983)

83% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(12,658 ratings)

A satiric romantic comedy, Martha Coolidge's Valley Girl is a testimony to the short-lived Southern California '80s craze. Julie (Deborah Foreman) is a good-natured teenager following a swarm of pastel pink valley girls, who utter "gag me" at every opportunity. To her friends' dismay , Julie breaks… More A satiric romantic comedy, Martha Coolidge's Valley Girl is a testimony to the short-lived Southern California '80s craze. Julie (Deborah Foreman) is a good-natured teenager following a swarm of pastel pink valley girls, who utter "gag me" at every opportunity. To her friends' dismay , Julie breaks up with her egotistical boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen), while shopping at the mall. All the valley kids go to a party that night, and Tommy immediately tries to bed one of Julie's friends. Randy (Nicolas Cage), a bad boy from Hollywood, shows up and crashes the party. Open-minded Julie flirts with him before he is literally thrown out, presumably just for looking different. Smitten with Julie, Randy sneaks back into the party to talk to her again. Julie drags a whimpering valley friend with her to spend the night cruising with Randy in Hollywood. After an extended courtship, Randy is in love with Julie, and she must choose between him and Tommy, who wants her back. Her friends refuse to accept Randy, who makes many exaggerated attempts to win back her love. Finally, after she has a heartfelt talk with her dad (Frederic Forrest), love triumphs at the prom. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Martha Coolidge
Written By: Wayne Crawford
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1983 Wide
On DVD: Aug 5, 2003
Studio: Vestron Video

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
For a change, there aren't any cartoon problem adults on hand as there often are in these pictures.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This movie is a little treasure, a funny, sexy, appealing story of a Valley Girl's heartbreaking decision: Should she stick with her boring jock boyfriend, or take a chance on a punk from Hollywood?
Janet Maslin, New York Times
With characters as dimensionless as these, the film needs either greater irony or greater sympathy than it demonstrates.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Director Martha Coolidge turned a short-lived fad into a genuine sleeper, an exploitation film that thoroughly transcends its origins to become a highly appealing romantic comedy.
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
A classic from a bygone era, Valley Girl has been given the special edition treatment.
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
While it's easy to get caught up in the nostalgia of Valley Girl, this datedness also puts some limits on how you can watch the film.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Insightful and genuine.
Jonathan W. Hickman, Entertainment Insiders
Cage is very good in the role that got him noticed.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Dated yet infectious.
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
One of the better '80s teen comedies.
John A. Nesbit, ToxicUniverse.com
Color it pastel and cute
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
It's a measure of how, like, totally influential this little film was 20 years ago that there seems to be nothing special about it today.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
Coolidge slips some darkness into Valley Girl that never resolves itself with the surrounding sunny void
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
Ugh! Ick! Gag me with a spoon! This film is an embarrasment.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cassie H

Cooly awesome movie Deborah Foreman and Nicolas Cage have great chemistry together!!!!! This is an awesome cult classic. I'm So Sure! (:
AJ V

The quintessential val movie! This hilarious comedy is an essential for 80s teen movie fans. The plot is like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, but more subtle, as the conflict is that her friends don't like who she's dating (her parents are hippies who're cool with… More
The quintessential val movie! This hilarious comedy is an essential for 80s teen movie fans. The plot is like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, but more subtle, as the conflict is that her friends don't like who she's dating (her parents are hippies who're cool with him). I love this movie, it's a fun romantic comedy drama, and I highly recommend it.
Daniel P

A complete train-wreck that had just enough ridiculously brutal and melodramatic scenes (not to mention clumsy and accidental sexism and racism) to get me through to the end, asking "how much worse can this get?" the whole time. Valley Girl is a laugh riot, though I… More
A complete train-wreck that had just enough ridiculously brutal and melodramatic scenes (not to mention clumsy and accidental sexism and racism) to get me through to the end, asking "how much worse can this get?" the whole time. Valley Girl is a laugh riot, though I can't imagine that being its intention. It's a curious artifact and one that sadly I can foresee being remade one day (as all the truly terrible movies are), and while the performances by Cage, Forrest and Elizabeth Daily are decent, they aren't even close to enough to save this one. Tons of fun, though - if you can stop laughing long enough to hear the next terrible line! The soundtrack makes it watchable, but still, it's one for nostalgia buffs only.
nefnie l

Like, what a totally cool movie with awesome tunes, fersure!
Leo L

A favorite!