Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

Janey is new in town and soon meets Lynne, who shares her passion for dancing in general and "Dance TV" in particular.

Director:

Alan Metter

Writer:

Amy Spies

Stars:

Biff Yeager, Kristi Somers, Richard Blade

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Biff Yeager	...	Mr. Malene
Kristi Somers	...	Rikki
Richard Blade	...	DTV Host
Ian Michael Giatti	...	Zach (as Ian Giatti)
Shannen Doherty	...	Maggie Malene
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Janey
Lee Montgomery	...	Jeff
Helen Hunt	...	Lynne
Morgan Woodward	...	J.P. Sands
Ed Lauter	...	Col. Glenn
Jonathan Silverman	...	Drew
Holly Gagnier	...	Natalie
Margaret Howell	...	Mrs. Glenn
Terence McGovern	...	Ira
Lee Arnone	...	Mrs. Lemsky

Storyline

Janey is new in town and soon meets Lynne, who shares her passion for dancing in general and "Dance TV" in particular. When a competition is announced to find a new Dance TV regular couple, Janey and Lynne are determined to audition. The only problem is that Janey's father doesn't approve of that kind of thing.

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Plot Keywords:

city | student | strong female character | overbearing father | man in a bed | 

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Taglines:

That's all they really want!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Holly Gagnier (Natalie) did all of her dancing, as she is a professional dancer.

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Goofs

About an hour into the film there's a montage of Jeff and Janey practicing in the park. In one sequence Maggie is sitting in a tree looking on as Jeff jumps off of it. Jeff lands and turns to look at her. The shot of her reaction was flipped, as the text on the Pepsi can she's holding is backwards, and the tree she's sitting on is now on her left (screen right) instead of her right (screen left). This was obviously done to match the direction of the shot of Jeff looking at her.

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Quotes

Tailor: You move, you bleed...

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Connections

Referenced in Isn't It Romantic (2019)

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Soundtracks

Too Cruel
Performed by Amy Hart
Written by Amy Hart & Tim Tobias
Produced by John Ryan

User Reviews

Cute, girly fun, a bit dated but, overall, quite nice

Jane (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the daughter of a stern Air Force officer. They have moved around so much that she has gone to at least a dozen different schools. However, the family has just settled in Chicago, with an intention to stay awhile. This is good news for Janie, for she dearly loves a national television show that is shot in Chicago, Dance TV and she hopes to catch a live viewing. After Janie makes her first close friend at school, Lynn (Helen Hunt), they both discover that Dance TV is looking for a new dance couple to be featured on the show and that the executives are holding a tryout very shortly. Lynn encourages Janie to audition, even though it will mean cutting a few classes and sneaking out to practice, as Jane's father must not know about it. Making it to the finals, Janie is paired with handsome Jeff (Lee Montgomery) and they begin to rehearse every night. But, will Janie's father find out? And, can they really win the darn thing when another contestant, rich and spoiled, is trying to get her father to rig the event? This is a cute movie with a big heart. Parker, in one of her first major roles, is enchanting as the strong-willed but soft-hearted Janie, who doesn't wait for boys to kiss her, she kisses them first! Hunt provides great support, as does Montgomery, Shannen Doherty (very young), and especially Jonathan Silverman as a money-scheming friend of Jeff's. Yes, the film looks a bit dated, with its 80's costumes and pedestrian camera work. But, the dance scenes are quite energetic while gal-themed movies with good values and strong-female roles are always welcome for young viewers everywhere. If you and your daughters want to share an upbeat, follow-your-heart movie, with humor and sweetness, this is a wonderful choice. All who do will just have fun, indeed.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun: The Movie

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,650,078, 14 April 1985

Gross USA:

$6,326,051

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,326,051

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures, Girls

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1