Times Square (1980)

Two ill-matched teenage girls form a punk band and soon have New York by its ears.

Director:

Allan Moyle

Writers:

Jacob Brackman, Allan Moyle (story),

Stars:

Tim Curry, Trini Alvarado, Robin Johnson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Curry	...	Johnny LaGuardia
Trini Alvarado	...	Pamela Pearl
Robin Johnson	...	Nicky Marotta
Peter Coffield	...	David Pearl
Herbert Berghof	...	Dr. Huber
David Margulies	...	Dr. Zymansky
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Rosie Washington
Michael Margotta	...	JoJo
J.C. Quinn	...	Simon
Miguel Pinero	...	Roberto
Ronald 'Smokey' Stevens	...	Heavy
Billy Mernit	...	Blondell
Paul Sass	...	Blondell
Artie Weinstein	...	Blondell
Tim Choate	...	Eastman

Storyline

Two girls run away from a mental institution and forge a relationship on the streets of New York. They soon begin enjoying their punk-rock life until the powers that be start nosing around, looking for them, unsettling their already delicate mental states. Will the Sleez Girls be torn apart? Or will they tear themselves apart?

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Plot Keywords:

punk | teenage girl | new york city | new wave | tomboy | 

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Taglines:

In the heart of Times Square, a poor girl becomes famous, a rich girl becomes courageous, and both become friends.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kohtauspaikka Times Square

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Butterfly Valley N.Y., EMI Films, Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's "Times Square" title refers to the real-life New York location, which, according to Wikipedia, "is a major commercial intersection and a neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at the junction of Broadway (now converted into a pedestrian plaza) and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets".

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Goofs

In the ambulance, Pamela Pearl turns the volume knob but the volume of the music does not change.

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Quotes

Dr. Zymansky: Meth-o-dist Epis-co-pal.
Nicky Marotta: Take... a... piss... you... ass-hole!

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Connections

References Korean Connection (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Babylon's Burning"
Performed by The Ruts
Composed by John Jennings, Dave Ruffy, Malcolm Owen, Paul Fox
Courtesy of Virgin Records, Ltd. and Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.

User Reviews

Surprisingly entertaining!

I watched the whole movie on YouTube and thought this is actually really entertaining. The critics complained about it being overblown. I disagree... The script is a bit patchy in places, same with the direction, but I've seen a lot worse, believe me. The soundtrack was what made this movie, it was fantastic. I prefer classical music, but this music was good because of the content and it was catchy.

The performances were really good also. Tim Curry is really cool as Johnny LaGuardia, who sort of succumbs to a change of heart. One minute he is all wild, then he is comforting Pamela. The girl who played Pamela was also convincing, though not as good as her co-star Robin Johnson, who was easily the best actress in the movie. Their scenes while corny at times were on the most part touching. When Nicki suffers a breakdown, I had tears in her eyes, because she was so convincing. Why is she no longer acting?

One thing that gets me mad, Why is the rating so low? It isn't actually that bad. Sure it mayn't be to everyone's taste but it is definitely the most underrated of the 1980s movies.

7/10 in respect to the players. Bethany Cox (I wish I could give it higher but I've only seen it once)