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

Writers:

Joyce Carol Oates (story), Tom Cole (screenplay)

Stars:

Treat Williams, Laura Dern, Mary Kay Place

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

sexual awakening | suburb | running | hamburger joint | sister sister relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bedrohliches Geflüster

Filming Locations:

Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Goldcrest Films International, Nepenthe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the girls are looking across the street at Franks drive-in we see the gold Pontiac already in the lot, easy to pick out due to the left brake light being out. Then we hear the car coming down the road and see it turn into the parking lot, also sporting the non working light.

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Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Cruisin' Love"
Performed by Rachel Sweet

User Reviews

Every parent of a daughter should see this film

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.