Smooth Talk (1985)A free-spirited 15-year-old girl flirts with a dangerous stranger in the Northern California suburbs and must prepare herself for the frightening and traumatic consequences. Director:Joyce Chopra |
|
| 0Share... |
Smooth Talk (1985)A free-spirited 15-year-old girl flirts with a dangerous stranger in the Northern California suburbs and must prepare herself for the frightening and traumatic consequences. Director:Joyce Chopra |
|
| 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Treat Williams | ... |
Arnold Friend
|
|
| Laura Dern | ... |
Connie
|
|
| Mary Kay Place | ... |
Katherine
|
|
| Margaret Welsh | ... |
Laura
|
|
|
|
Sara Inglis | ... |
Jill
(as Sarah Inglis)
|
| Levon Helm | ... |
Harry
|
|
| Elizabeth Berridge | ... |
June
|
|
|
|
Geoff Hoyle | ... |
Ellie
|
| William Ragsdale | ... |
Jeff
|
|
|
|
David Berridge | ... |
Eddie
|
|
|
Cab Covay | ... |
Pick-up Driver
|
|
|
Michael French | ... |
Stan
|
| Joy Carlin | ... |
Laura's Mother
|
|
|
|
Mark McKay | ... |
Bobby King
|
|
|
Carl Mueller | ... |
Mall Boy
|
Based on the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates, this film chronicles 15-year-old Connie Wyatt's sexual awakening in the Northern California suburbs. Before she enters her sophomore year in high school, she spends the summer moping around her family cottage. Connie passes the time cruising the shopping mall with her friends and flirting with boys at a local burger stand. However, her flirting begins to get out of hand when the mysterious stranger Arnold Friend takes an interest in her. Written by Eric Zuckerman <zuckermn@humans-only.slip.net>
I was impressed with Laura's acting and thought she portrayed the difficulty of dealing with coming of age in a touching and realistic manner. Her hormones outpaced her friends noticeably and that put her at odds with her closest friends and also made her the target of males far beyond her abilities to understand and defend herself from. My daughter is now grown and survived her teen years quite well. I thought of this film often during those years and am thankful she did not develop early and that she had sufficient parenting to avoid characters such as Treat played. I have not found this movie available on tape or disc and feel that that is a great loss.