Times Square (1980) User Reviews

I Love This Film

[aimless-46 · 8/10 · 15 August 2005]

I must confess up front to a favorable bias toward "Times Square". Just before its release I recall seeing the trailer and being won over by the scene in the hospital where Nikki begins eating the flowers. Since this was only about 10 seconds into the trailer it is fair to say that I immediately connected with the film. The same trailer is included with the DVD and I was happy to see that my memory of the event was accurate. After seeing the actual feature I went out and bought the double album, which I still own.

I know more about films now than I did 25 years ago and thanks to the DVD commentary (by Director Allen Moyle and Robin Johnson-who played Nikki) I now know a lot about what went into the making of "Times Square". Unfortunately Robin's co-star Trini Alvarado (Pammy) was not available for the commentary. Although most viewers consider Nikki the central character, Nikki really needs Pammy to play off (much like Charlize Theron needs Christina Ricci's reaction shots in "Monster"), plus Pammy's scenes without Nikki are some of the best in the film and Pammy is the character who undergoes all the changes in the story, so you can't really say that one of them is more important than the other.

"Times Square" suffered the same fate that Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons" did 40 years earlier. The producers took control of the final cut, re-shot some scenes, deleted others, and released a version that did not reflect the director's vision. Apparently no one has ever been able to find the deleted footage for either film. Although "Times Square" was butchered even more than "Ambersons", it seems to have been less damaged. In part that is because the originally intended version would never have approached the perfection of the original "Amberson's". Perhaps more importantly, "Times Square" has a Haskel Wexler gritty documentary style that simply transcends the narrative elements of the story. So changes to the storyline could not take away from its basic ambiance nor from its preservation of the look of 1979 Times Square-something that was even then a ghost world.

Moyle now wishes he had not left the production after a dispute over including additional songs (so they could have a double album) because his continued presence would at least have had some damage control value. Producer Robert Stigwood ("Saturday Night Fever", "Saying Alive", "Jesus Christ Superstar", Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" ) was determined to release yet another of his musical exploitation films designed to make a lot of money on the soundtrack. This accounts for the inclusion of the completely inappropriate "Help Me" (The Bee Gees), the movie actually goes out on that song although they switch to something more appropriate midway through the credits.

The commercialization of the film also included dropping all obvious hints of a lesbian relationship between the two girls. This was probably a commercial mistake because a public controversy might have actually increased attendance. Ironically, if the lesbian angle had remained Moyle would have been accused of exploitation because it is really unnecessary for the storyline. Likewise the script changes needed when Alvarado refused to dance topless saved Moyle from looking like an exploiter.

While what survives has major continuity and character development issues, the core of the story may actually work better. Two emotionally damaged girls-polar opposites- bond and help each other. It ends with Altman's cool "Kansas City" twist where the seemingly weaker girl becomes protective of the tough girl.

I like the way that Pamela's father finally gets it and backs away, letting her continue to help Nikki until she feels that Nikki can continue without her. You first realize how strong and together Nikki has made Pammy by the end of my favorite montage sequence. After ordering her out, Nikki trashes their room, tries unsuccessfully to commit suicide, and completely breaks down at the radio station. Inter-cut with this is a shot of Pammy standing outside her father's home. At the station Nikki is screaming "Pammy" over and over as they agreed to do earlier in the film in moments of total despair. The audio of these screams is extended into the morning after establishing shot of their dock building. Johnny comes into the seemingly empty room and lifts the blanket revealing a peacefully sleeping Pammy sucking her thumb-she has returned to help Nikki.

Another highlight is the scene I already mentioned of Nikki eating the flowers in their hospital room. What makes this work is its point-of-view dynamic. Moyle artfully connects us to Pammy for the first time by allowing us to see Nikki from her POV. Later he places us back into Pammy's POV as Nikki non-verbally convinces Pammy to leave the hospital with her. The hospital exit scene only works credibility-wise because the first scene set us up for it.

Finally there is Nikki's "people dig dyin on me" line.

Punk Movie Ethic: The Fabulous Revolt of the Spectacularly Alienated (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 6/10 · 8 September 2005]

Times Square is a film inspired by a young woman's diary found by director Allen Moyle. It was many years before I was finally able to obtain a copy of 'Times Square,' although I was ultimately disappointed with what has established itself as a steady cult classic (to no surprise) that represents the old days of real New York (filmed entirely on location) and the emergence of New Wave (not so much punk, despite the "official" synopsis).

Robin Johnson plays gutsy social street misfit, Nicky, who is placed in a hospital because, for some reason, "reasonable" doctors have attributed her crude behavior with some sort of mental defect. There, she befriends quiet, shy Pamela (Trini Alvarado) who is being tested by doctors in the hospital much to the urgings of her wealthy, but misunderstanding father who is unwilling to listen to Pamela and realize that she's just a normal kid that needs some attention and natural affection.

Nicky, never willing to be held down (as characterized by her "Feed Me/I'm A Dog" song later in the film), helps Pam bust out of their little prison to become street nomads, doing what they have to for cash. But, they become youth idols and popular rebels when Pam's father gets together his team of social workers and legal aid to track Pam down under the assumption that she has been kidnapped. With the help of Nicky and their assorted troublemaking around New York, Pam eventually breaks out of her shell while speaking back to her father through local radio DJ, Johnny LaGuardia (Tim Curry!), among other things.

It's the typical punk rock ethic movie, though not done quite as harshly nor probably as honestly as other punk rock ethic films have (such as Suburbia or the more light-hearted selections). That is, the tales of the misunderstood youth who try to vocalize their frustrations to the very people (usually some form of dogged authority such as parents or school officials or law enforcement) through some of revolt. Here, it happens to be a culturally motivated one. The story, then is nothing new, and could've been much more enjoyable, at least for me, if there was more variety within the story. As the movie progresses, it becomes too much about Nicky, and I know that this was obviously done for a reason--because while Pamela can reform to at least some sense of normal, this is something that Nicky has never really known (or no longer knows) and has no one else to turn to. Besides, her personality means that she would never acquiesce as easily as Pam did (although Pam had her reasons, too).

However, Tim Curry fans or cult classic fans, particularly those who enjoyed cult classics motivated by the punk/new wave culture themes of youth alienation and good-natured rebellion and alienation (like Suburbia, Repo Man, Rock N' Roll High School, Tokyo Pop, and, outside of this music-influenced genre, The Legend of Billie Jean), then this is at least worth giving a try.

If only they hadn't ruined Times Square

[littleshelagh · 7/10 · 11 December 2004]

People who love:

• depictions of New York City's Times Square (and New York City, for that matter) as gritty-as-you please and before it was remade as a family theme park

• Tim Curry (see him here as a late-night radio DJ speaking to nocturnal urban denizens in verse from the center of Times Square)

• movies about youthful rebellion that are half tongue-in-cheek

will get a kick out of this movie. I recommend it, especially if you don't require that you grow spiritually or expand your vocabulary every time you invest 90 minutes in a movie.

Surprisingly entertaining!

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 10 February 2009]

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)

A Weird One

[boblipton · 6/10 · 14 November 2020]

Trini Alvarado meets Robin Johnson when they are both at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for psychiatric assessment. They break out together and camp out in the ruins docks on the North River, and hang around Times Square, writing letters to radio personality Tim Curry and evading Miss Alvarado's father, Peter Coffield, who is in charge of the Times Square revival.

It's an erratic movie that doesn't seem to go anywhere, and the two women are an odd match, but the movie has a tremendous energy, powered by the on-site shooting and the quirky camerawork of James Contner. Director Allan Moyle would have a hit with many of the same themes with PUMP UP THE VOLUME.

Truly A Classic!

[Kitale · 10/10 · 23 September 2004]

First of all, I saw the preview of the movie before it came out and it had the scene where Nicky silently urges Pammy to run away with her from the hospital, to The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated". That alone blew me away. Then I bought the 2 LP soundtrack before the movie came out and listened to it over and over. By the time the movie premiered, I was more than ready for it. It showed for two weeks at a local theater and I saw it once a day every day for two weeks. I really had no life! I ordered the VHS tape sometime in the 80's and paid $60 for it. Now I own the DVD and enjoyed the commentary. I don't have the CD and wonder if The Cars' Dangerous Type is on it.

Anyway, I don't have to tell you I loved it very much.

I know the editing was clumsy and they cut out so many scenes that sometimes it didn't make any sense, but it is such a fun movie. the soundtrack is the best ever. The Ramones, Suzi Quatro, Patti Smith, Pretenders, Robin Johnson, Roxy Music, XTC, Desmond Child & Rouge, The Cars (not included on the soundtrack), etc. This movie introduced me to New Wave and punk. There are so many neat scenes in the movie: - The seduction - non-verbal with only Ramones singing "I Wanna Be Sedated - of Pammy by Nicky to leave the hospital. - The card game on the street "You snooze you lose" - Running through the adult theater. - The hilarious hold-up - Dropping TVs to The Cars' "Dangerous Type" - "Your Daughter Is One" - Any scene with Tim Curry - "Life, more than Television."

• Both performances of "Damn Dog" - "Hit me again, you're a big man" - Pammy dancing to Lou Reed's Take A Walk On The Wild Side.

• Waking up to Suzi Quatro's "Rock Hard". - Tim Curry dancing to "Rock Hard" - "I may be brave but you're the pretty one. I'm a freak of f**king nature"

• Pammy dancing to Desmond Child & Rouge's "The Night Was Not". - Tim Curry's poetry. - The Sleaze Sisters and their imitators wearing trash bags.

• The opening credits to Roxy Music's "Same Old Scene"

• Stealing the ambulance and getting away with it. - "M-e-t-h-o-d-i-s-t- e-p-i-s-c-o-p-a-l" "Take a p*** you a**hole"

Do I love this movie or what?

I love this movie:

[Rick-135 · 31 December 1998]

The film is very cool. Robin Johnson is GREAT as Nikki. The soundtrack is one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time. This was the first VHS movie I ever bought. Fans of punk music and punk movies will LOVE this film.

Let me tell you something Slick. We sure had it going for a while didn't we!

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 28 July 2009]

**SPOILERS** Movie about two punk rockers Nicky & Pamala, Robin Johnson & Tirni Alverado, who set the city of New York on fire with their Punk Rock music and flying TV's! It was the girls way of expressing themselves, in their total disgust with modern society, in a way that had people's heads turn! Especially when an 19 inch TV dropped from a high rise building was about to land on top of them!

This all started when the two troubled girls met in the New York Neurological Hospital and realized that it was not them but the adults who put them there should have been committed. Nicky was a homeless person who didn't know in which direction to go with her life but the well off and far fortunate, in having a home and family, Pamala's hang-us even exceeded hers. Her old man the city's Environmental Commissioner David Pearl,David Coffield,now wants to turn Times Square, what turned out to be her and her friend Nicky's happy stomping grounds, from the gritty and anything goes swinging district that it is into a Disneyland on the Hudson gaga-land with no personality at all!

It's not until popular radio disk jockey Johnny LaGuadia, Tim Curry, started giving the on the run from the law, and men in white suits, girls free publicity on his all night radio show that their, Nicky and Pamala's music as well as Punk Rock ideas about life, really started to take off! To the point where entire New York City's, and it's surrounding, population of disenfranchised and ignored young people revolted against the establishment with both Nicky & Pamala leading the way.

The road to the top of the heap, in the Punk Rock world, was not without is hard knocks for the two girls who had to suffer through a number of heartbreaking incidents that almost had them beak up and join the crowd, the entrenched establishment, that they so desperately tried to escape from. It was late in the film when both Nicky and Pamala went on their own, with the behind the scenes help of Johnny LaGuadia, as the popular "Sleaze Sisters" to express their feelings about life hope and the future of America's youth as well as their relationship with each other. It's then that the whole Times Square District exploded, in a pre-announced concert that they gave there, that even Pamala's stuffed shirt dad David finally saw the light and joined in along with them!

Sing along and snap your fingers type of movie that despite its many inconsistencies you just can't dislike or turn off no matter how ridicules it gets!

Even though the film was the non actor Brooklyn born Robin Johnson's debut she did as good a job playing the punk rock and incorrigible Nicky Marotta as any establish and polished actress could have possibly hoped to do. The scenes with both Nicky and Pamala even though corny were touching in that they seemed to come straight from the heart not the script. Among all the other good things to say about the film "Times Square" what stuck out more then anything else, beside Nicky and Pamala, was it's memorable and catchy soundtrack that packed some twenty, count em' twenty, songs in the less then two hours in length motion picture!

Recklessly edited, but "no sense makes sense," right?

[TelevisionJunkie · 10/10 · 19 September 2001]

As Maltin said, the film is "scored for the deaf," which isn't a bad thing - it at least displays some good songs from the era. The bizarre script is made convincing through excellent performances from Alverado and Johnson. Tim Curry, who only spent a few days working on the film, turns in a good performance too, despite his hokey accent (Just what sort of accent is that supposed to be? Still, it beats the mind-numbingly-fake one he used in "Congo."). The film may be short on focused plot, but wry, cynical dialogue abounds, mostly uttered by Curry.

The main problem with this film is the editing. It's obvious watching this movie the first time that something is missing. In trying to make a double-album-soundtrack, they sacrificed character development by jamming in as much music as possible. By doing so, they made the already-unbelievable script even more thin, making it unable to compete with the screen-time that the musical sequences received. Which leaves a reckless coming-of-age story to play out like a two-hour music-video. Sad in one way, the film could have been so much better, but it did give the movie a cult-like quality which set it firmly in a specific place and time. What's left often seems unreal and senseless, but Alvarado and Johnson are just so convincing with the little bit that they were given that one isn't always inclined to notice (which leads me to wonder why neither actress went on to bigger and better things).

Much speculation has been given to the lesbian-theme-aspect of the film. While the finished film only hints at it, scenes were supposedly played-out more in the original drafts of the script, although much of that was never filmed. Johnson is so butch it's hard to believe she's not a biker in real-life. Alvarado, who's initially shy and insecure, winds up shedding her wallflower image to idolize and embrace the ideals of her new friend. When Alvarado's focus shifts towards Curry, a jealous and drunken Johnson lashes out as if she'd just been cheated on. And just to annoy fans of the film, scenes from the trailor showed a scene (that was ultimately cut out) where Johnson and Alvarado splashed around and played in the river. Wouldn't it have been scandalous at that time to have two young girls in their early teens portrayed in a gay relationship? (Then again, many didn't realize the gay-themes that were so blatant in "A Nightmare On Elm Street 2" when it was first released five years later.)

It's been rumored that other lesbian-themed footage was shot and subsequently cut out, but since the film was such a forgotten flop, we may never know how much. I'm willing to bet this could have been an epic four-hour movie. When the DVD was being compiled, Achor Bay Entertainment did a search for missing footage, but they were unsuccessful at locating any. We're left only to imagine what the film could have been if they had toned down the music and stuck to the original vision. Perhaps one day. ..

A flawed but good film with a rich soul and a desire for sincerity

[thao · 7/10 · 20 March 2014]

This was a huge favorite of mine as a teenager. I have been looking for a copy of the film for the longest time and finally found one in Germany. It's strange that it's so hard to get a copy of a big cult film like this one.

The film captures well the essence of punk. It is about Nicky and Pamela, two teenage NYC girls. Nicky is from the streets with a dark past and from a broken home. She has serious anger issues but is street smart and has artistic talents. Pamela is from a rich (political) family, with the security that Nicky never had but suffers because her father does not understand her. She is a great poet and full of empathy but has never dared to live her life or take a chance. They meet at a hospital and run away. Together they start a mini punk renaissance in New York CIty.

Into this mix comes a radio host called Johnny LaGuardia (played by Tim Curry) who got a letter from Pamela before she ran away. When he finds out that Pamela is living on the streets he decides to use it to get a small scoop but also to fight against the politics Pamela's father stands for. Johnny LaGuardia wants NYC to stay as it is while Pamela's father wants to clean up the streets. Tim Curry is the weakest link in this film. It's hard to tell if it is because of the script or because he or the director did not understand Johnny LaGuardiahe. Tim Curry plays him as some kind of prophet while everything points to him being a self serving, fame seeking egocentric megalomaniac. Tim Curry is at least never a convincing prophet and we never get the feeling that Tim Curry is playing him sarcastically either.

Not every scene works in this film and it does not hold perfectly together but it has a very rich soul and a desire for sincerity which is very contagious. It also captures well the culture of NYC in the late 70s/early 80s and the reason why punk spoke to the youths. And it has one of the best sound track ever (including The Ramones, The Cure, XTC, Lou Reed, Gary Numan, Talking Heads, Garland Jeffreys, Joe Jackson, Suzi Quatro, Roxy Music, Patti Smith and The Pretenders.) and a lot of wonderful poetry, like this one:

"Dear Daddy, I am not kidnapped. I am me-napped, I am soul-napped, I am Nicky-napped, I am happy-napped.

We are having our own renaissance."

Huh?

[shango7200 · 2/10 · 16 May 2007]

Everyone seems to LOVE this BOMB movie!I was going to school in NYC when the movie opened. The poster looked cool....then I saw it on HBO in 1983, or thereabouts. It was *NOT* a punk movie at all. Parts made no sense at all. All I remember was Tim Curry telling teenagers (on the air) "They treat you like criminals so wear masks; they treat you like garbage--so wear garbage bags" (or something like that). Then all these teenagers emerge in the "big scene" at the end wearing "bandit" masks and black Hefty bags, and I was like "What the F--k is going on?". A real "wrong time/wrong place" movie, that MAY have been altered a little bit, a few years later, into a Molly Ringwald "Brat Pack" vehicle. Maybe. The double LP soundtrack was a cut-out bin STAPLE till the mid-1980's. Stigwood & co. should have learned their piggish little lesson with the Bee Gees "Sgt. Pepper" movie. There are better "new wave" girly movies than this ("Starstruck" , "Breaking Glass" perhaps?). Overall, this movie was a corporate plan to sanitize punk rock for Mall Girl Consumption by the greedy Grease people! Nothing more. But hey, I'm a 40 year old guy (now), so maybe if I was a 15 year old budding lesbian in 1980, this would have been my "Citizen Kane"?

Scatterbrained

[jellopuke · 6/10 · 29 September 2021]

Like the main characters, this is scatterbrained, at times a movie about rebellion, others a punk rock movie, then also a depiction of severe mental illness. It never quite works and the overly saccharine ending isn't really earned but it's certainly a time capsule of a place and era and for that alone is worth seeing. Hardly a classic though.

"Do we want to live in an X-rated city?"

[richardchatten · 5/10 · 13 May 2022]

A slice of low-life as much a period piece as 'Angels with Dirty Faces' that locates it's nihilistic young heroines in Times Square in those far-off days when it was to New York what Soho was to London.

My favorite movie at age 13 - would love to see it again

[pamjacobs12 · 30 August 2009]

I grew up in the Detroit area - there was an underground punk scene in the city, but I didn't know much more about punk until I saw this movie.

My name is Pam, and my best friend and I called each other Nicky and Pammy for months after seeing this movie. Great teen rebellion flick, great gritty scenes of NYC. The concert at the end is awesome - Damn Dog was my favorite song. Loved Trini Alvarado. Surprised she didn't do a lot more acting.

I wish I still had the album; it is even better than the movie. I'm looking in used record stores for it, and hopefully will find it.

CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS ARE A BIT SKETCHY HERE...!

[masonfisk · 6/10 · 21 June 2022]

A pair of runaways find themselves on the mean streets of the Big Apple & become cult icons as their story is broadcast over the airwaves by a sympathetic DJ, played by Tim Curry, in this 1980 offering from director Allan Moyle (Empire Records/Pump Up the Volume). Trini Alvarado & Robin Johnson star as the mismatched friends, the former is a boarding school brat having issues w/her overbearing dad & the latter, a wannabe street musician/poet both meet up at a mental health ward of a hospital & feeling that life has given them a raw deal they decide to steal an ambulance & hole up at an abandoned warehouse making ends meet by engaging in a various acts of illegal stupidity (sticking up people, running a 3 card Monty game, etc.) but finally they find a berth at a club where Alvarado works as a dancer (keeping her clothes on) & Johnson makes a go of warbling w/some knock off punk outfit. Curry champions the girls' cause over the airwaves but Alvarado's father still holds out hope he can reach her to avoid some emotional impasse while Johnson's increasingly erratic behavior (there's intimations of her needing meds) plows through anyone or anything (an ongoing art project/protest statement the girls unleash on the masses involves tossing old TV sets off random buildings which freaks Alvarado out for being incessantly dangerous) culminating in an intervention that may or may not take. Johnson really is a live wire which becomes a detraction from the film's message since things do start to go off the rails for her while Alvarado's motivation for rebellion feels a bit opaque. Curry can read the phonebook & still comes off a champ as far as I'm concerned while Moyle does put together a killer soundtrack (heard some Patti Smith, The Cars, etc) which I wouldn't mind owning. The seeds of Moyle's future films are seen here as well as the DJ becomes a fulcrum character in Pump Up the Volume & the ending building top concert seen here, was also cribbed for Empire Records. Along for the mayhem is Anna Marie Holsford (from TV's Amen) as a social worker, Steve James (Kung Fu Joe from I'm Gonna Get You Sucka) as a 3 card Monty spectator, David Margulies (he was the mayor in both Ghostbusters films) as a doctor, JC Quinn (from The Abyss) as Curry's assistant & Miguel Pinero, the famous Puerto Rican writer, as the owner of the club our girls work at.

strip club concerns

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 12 December 2021]

Shy teen Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) hates being used by her political father who is driving to clean up Times Square. She is sent to New York Neurological Hospital after a mental breakdown. Her roommate is streetwise volatile guitarist Nicky Marotta (Robin Johnson). Nicky runs away when her lab test finds nothing and she's facing juvie time. Pamela reluctantly joins her. Radio DJ Johnny LaGuardia (Tim Curry) makes the girls into a media story.

I love this until the strip club. It takes the reality out of the movie even more than usual. It doesn't help that Trini is obviously underaged. She's way, way, way underaged and even suggesting topless is creepy. It makes no sense. It would be easier for the girls to get a job in a night club. Sure, they are still underaged and they would never get hired. At least, it wouldn't be a strip club and it makes more sense for Nicky's performing. I do like Robin Johnson's punk personality and performance. I like both girls. They could have made Nicky a lesbian and added a more complicated relationship for the girls. All in all, I like the two young actress, the New York City streets, and the attempt at tween punk.

I love this movie

[veday67 · 10/10 · 15 April 2006]

This movie was so important to me as a teenager. It was very empowering. I have visited New York City several times now due to my interest that was kindled by this movie. I started looking for it on DVD literally 2 weeks before it was released and was thrilled to find it available. A reunion of some sort would be well received I am sure. They are making me submit at least ten lines so I am filling those up with more accolades for the movie, I love this movie yeah yeah yeah.

The soundtrack is amazing...I have it on cassette and have recreated most of it from Napster. Hello Robin and Trini where ever you are..thank you.

You Daughter Is One!

[jfgibson73 · 6/10 · 5 March 2010]

This was a fun story about two teenage girls who came from very different backgrounds, but formed a special friendship in which each had something very important to offer the other.

Pammy had always lived a sheltered life, the daughter of a prominent politician. It is just as her dad is gearing up for an important campaign that she has a breakdown that leads to her sharing a hospital room with a homeless punk rocker, Nicky. Pam is immediately drawn to the uninhibited Nicky, and together they steal an ambulance and flee.

Over the course of the movie, Nicky helps Pam build confidence by encouraging her to do things she never would have on her own, such as dropping TV sets off of rooftops. Pammy seems to provide a sort of stability for Nicky that allows her to finally utilize her creativity in a positive fashion.

Because the story of the politician's daughter makes the news, the girls gain a reputation throughout the city, which is helped along by encouraging words from a DJ, played by Tim Curry. At first, he only speaks to the girls on the air, giving them words of support. Eventually, he allows them to perform on-air and spreads word of their deeds, creating a cult following. Calling themselves "The Sleaze Sisters," the teens build a cult following. Yet, with all the resources of his position of power, Pam's father is unable to find where the girls are hiding.

The important parts of this movie are the girls' friendship, the setting, and the soundtrack. I didn't like Tim Curry's performance that much, but I think that's just because I don't like him in general. I found his broadcaster more annoying than anything.

The movie ends with Nicky disappearing into a crowd after a successful performance on top of a movie theater marquee. It is left open as to whether she and Pam keep in touch, and where their lives go from here. It seems to be suggested that they will both be healthier and more successful because of the friendship they shared. They helped each other learn to deal with things they couldn't before, taught each other valuable life skills.

Suggested double feature: watch this movie back to back with Liquid Sky. Both look at life in early-80's Manhattan and place a large emphasis on creating their atmosphere through their soundtracks. But whereas Liquid Sky focuses on death and sex, Times Square shows lives full of joy and hope.

THE Seminal US Punk Rock Movie

[heavenuphere · 10/10 · 23 June 2004]

I saw this film when I was 12 and it changed my life. I formed my first band the very next morning... I've just seen it for the second time. After 20 years of waiting to see it again it is every bit as great as I remember it. For me, this is absolutely the greatest punk movie of them all. Trini Alvarado's performance is staggeringly mature, and Tim Curry gives a career best turn as a rebel-rousing DJ. The music (Patti Smith, Ramones, if you love it it's probably here) is to die for, and Alan Moyle's direction paints an masterly picture of urban street life in the late 1970s (it's New York, but everyone will see echoes of their city in this film). However, it is Robin Johnson's performance that really hits home. This wonderful, moving, dark, witty movie belongs to her. No wonder it had such an effect on me. "Times Square" is a masterpiece!!! It'll brain your blows out...

Thank you Alan Moyle, words can hardly express how I feel about this film!

Early 80's Gem

[rickpullman_7 · 7/10 · 8 May 2004]

This impressive time capsule of late-seventies/early-eighties NY is poignant at times, but still fun to watch. On the surface it's an anti-establishment teen film, but at its heart there is a deeper message about having confidence in yourself in spite of what others want you to believe to be true about who you are.

Alan Moyle creates a moving sophomore directorial effort, while Robin Johnson, Trini Alvarado, and Tim Curry shine in their well-developed roles. Robin Johnson especially gives a great and underrated performance.

If you have a soft side for 1980's teen films, do not miss this one.

Dull and pointless

[preppy-3 · 1/10 · 18 August 2011]

I was one of the (very few) persons who actually caught this up a theatre back in 1980. The plot has a rich girl (Trini Alvarado) running away from a hospital with lesbian punk Nicky (Robin Johnson). They hang out in a curiously unmenacing Times Square (back in 1980 Times Square was VERY dangerous and unsafe). They become fast friends and become famous outlaws (or something). Top billed Tim Curry pops up as a DJ now and then.

I was 18 when this came out so I was part of the target audience. I saw it with a friend of mine the same age. It was TERRIBLE! The plot was stupid and irresponsible (it makes running away from home look like a great thing), had a soundtrack that was the equivalent of someone hitting you on the head with a hammer, lousy acting (especially by Johnson) and was basically dull when not dumb. It was pretty obvious that this was a studio's attempt to sanitize punk rock and they threw in a lesbian angle to get the guys to come in (most of that material wasn't shot or was cut out completely). It bombed badly at the box office and was quickly forgotten. I heard this has a cult following among lesbians and it has been shown at gay and lesbian film festivals but really--it's pretty terrible. There are much better punk rock and lesbian films out there. A 1 all the way.

Times Square like it never was

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 4 June 2017]

Naïve rich girl Pammy (sweetly played by Trini Alvarado) and scrappy malcontent Nicky (a winningly brash portrayal by Robin Johnson) escape from a psychiatric hospital. Hip disc jockey Johnny LaGuardia (a zestful performance by Tim Curry) takes the gals under his wing and promotes them as rebellious punk heroines the Sleez Sisters to the people of New York City.

Director Alan Moyle and screenwriter Jacob Beckman present a ridiculously sanitized and romanticized depiction of the notoriously seedy Times Square area: Our adolescent protagonists somehow never encounter a single pimp, mugger, pervert, or drug dealer on the Deuce, their campaign of trashing television sets as some kind of anti-materialism statement doesn't result in the pair being arrested for vandalism, and they both manage to live quite comfortably in a rundown derelict building despite having very little in the way of money (Pammy even snags a job at a strip club in which she gets to keep her clothes on!). Fortunately, this jaw-dropping sense of giddy absurdity and hysterical dearth of anything remotely resembling reality gives this movie a certain singularly preposterous and hence irresistible charm.

Alvarado and Johnson register as spunky and appealing leads; they receive sturdy support from Peter Coffield as uptight politician David Pearl, David Margulies as smarmy shrink Dr. Zymansky, and Anna Maria Horsford as compassionate social worker Rosie Washington. Popping up in nifty small roles are porn legend Sharon Mitchell, 80's action cinema icon Steve James, controversial "Short Eyes" author Miguel Pinero, and Elisabeth Pena. James A. Contner's gaudy cinematography provides a glittery neon look. Further galvanized by an amazing soundtrack that features songs from such artists as Lou Reed, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, The Ramones ("I Wanna Be Sedated" is put to especially effective use), Suzi Quatro, and Talking Heads, this baby sizes up as a whole lot of infectiously ludicrous fun.

Almost But Not Quite

[akoaytao1234 · 6/10 · 2 November 2022]

Rewatched. There's something special about this film. I mean, it has elements that I think it does not work. The first half the film is specifically is just jarring. Why did she just run away? Forcing your friend to work in a Cabaret? The just friends narrative for clearly lesbian-tinged story. Barely passable acting from the leads. Its a lot of broken stuff but the writing especially towards the end shows heart and maybe care about these wayward kids.

Based on a found diary of a girl who wants to party herself to death by 21, you could see how the character Nicki was develop. She is carefree and too much into herself. She does not believe that she is below anyone BUT people around her and knows her, know that it is just shell she uses to hide herself. She was never villainized and specifically shown as the problems, maybe sans the dad. Towards the end, she had other things and Pamela has others to comprise with. Its bittersweet. Also, has one of the better use of New York streets in film.

Overall, this film is a mixed bag but that ending sweep of emotions and growth made up for it. It just stays with you. [3/5]

PS: RIP to Peter Coffield who died of AIDS.

Mind-numbingly Awful

[wtoolen · 1/10 · 3 February 2012]

I feel like the little kid in the Hans Christian Anderson story who is the only one that can see the emperor isn't wearing any cloths. This movie is terrible! I suspect the people who claim to love it so much think it somehow makes them cool to say so. It does'nt. I wonder also about all those who wrote about how they cleaned up the real Times Square. They think it was better in 1980 than it is now? Really? How much time did you spend there in 1980?? If you crave danger so much go to East New York or Bed Sty or Washington Hts. etc. etc. You are as full of crap as this dreadful movie. It's badly acted, badly directed, badly edited and it is unrealistic and makes no sense. If it were one hundred times better it would still suck.