Smooth Talk (1985) User Reviews

Insanely relatable and realistic

[Lockout_Salties · 8/10 · 3 May 2021]

The really remarkable thing about Smooth Talk is just how true to life it is. Whilst I haven't been a teenage girls in the 1980s, I am currently a teenager. And let me just say that this is EXACTLY how it feels to be one. I can't count all the times that I've seen movies like High School Musical or Sixteen Candles, where the insights into teenage life are about as deep as a kiddie pool. Smooth Talk, on the other hand, paints a realistic portrait of how it feels to chase after people because it feels like the most important thing to have a partner. It gives insight into teenager's troubled relationships with their parents, and (very intelligently) doesn't entirely put the blame on either party. Everything from the acting to the writing to the directing just screams "this is what it's like to be a teenager." And frankly, it earns the right to do so.

That's how the first two thirds of the film are, with stakes about as high as any other teen movie. But then the last act changes things up a bit. It sneaks up on you, and without realizing it you were lured into a false sense of security. But Smooth Talk's goal isn't to be a fun teen film: it's to show you what it's really like to be a teenage girl. So the dark side of reality sets in during the last half hour, and you are left with more empathy for women than you came in with. This is the power of films: they can put you in the shoes of someone like no other medium. And Smooth Talk takes full advantage of that.

Overall, Smooth Talk is smarter than most teen movies, but no less interesting. I'd recommend it to anyone: kids wanting to see what it's like to be a teenager, adults wanting to revisit the past, and teens who just want to see themselves on screen.

Final Score: 84/100.

Where is she going?

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 24 August 2005]

This film showed the arrival of Laura Dern, one of the most gifted actresses of her generation, to full realization. Under Joyce Chopra's direction, Ms. Dern proved she could carry this picture, as well as any other, just on the strength of her portrayal of Connie, the rebellious California teen ager, who experiences life and cruelty in ways she never expected.

If anything, the film might send some viewers to read some of Joyce Carol Oates novels for she is an original and important voice in American letters. Ms. Joyce is a prolific and generous writer who shows a sensibility toward young women in trouble, as it was the case with her magnificent "We Were the Mulvaneys", among other novels.

When we first meet Connie, she seems to be a careless teen ager from rural California, hanging in the local mall with her best friends Jill and Laura. There is trouble at home. Connie is a rebel and her relationship with her mother, Katherine, is not exactly the best. Connie is seen with Laura experiencing with local boys the rituals of flirting.

Connie gets much more than what she bargains for, when the mysterious Arnold Friend keeps turning at the hamburger joint where she hangs out with Laura. Arnold is a creepy individual who, being older, and more experienced man in matters of sex, shows up one Sunday, while her family is away, to entice the young girl with his "smooth talk". This long sequence shows Connie as the vulnerable young woman she is, accosted by a young man intent in getting what he wants.

To say that Laura Dern is perfect in the film, is not to do her justice. She is the whole movie. Her expressions, her reactions, are nothing short of what one would expect from a young woman in the same situation. Treat Williams makes a great appearance as the menacing Arnold. Mary Kay Place, as the mother is also good, as well as the rest of the ensemble playing cast.

Joyce Chopra shows she is a director who likes to takes risks by creating an original film out of Ms. Oates short story.

A Must-See for Laura Dern Fans

[aimless-46 · 8/10 · 27 August 2005]

Adapted from the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been", by Joyce Carol Oates; this slow paced and moody film is for those who like introspective stories where you spend a lot of the viewing time in self-analysis rather than character identification. The mood is complemented by a lot of James Taylor on the soundtrack with "Handyman" repeated several times.

It is also one of those "axe to grind" films where fans of the short story feel compelled to whine about the adaptation not being faithful to their interpretation of the book, although Oates endorses it without reservation on her website. Any non-readers considering viewing "Smooth Talk" would be wise to remember the source when reading negative comments from this group.

To reach feature length it was necessary to expand on the short story and to dramatically depict events that are just briefly mentioned in the original version. Everything is still told from the point-of-view of 15-year-old Connie, increasingly estranged from her mother and marveling at her new-found attractiveness to boys. Fans of Laura Dern who have not seen this should seek it out as she gives an remarkable performance, arguably her all time best. Perfectly cast physically as a gangly coming of age teenager Dern plays Connie with such restraint and awkward hesitancy that anyone with acting for the camera aspirations should view this simply as a perfect example of the power that can be produced by underplaying a character.

The ending is restrained as well, making it unexpectedly powerful and haunting. They go out with Connie and her sister slowly dancing to "Handyman", leaving the viewer to process what has been shown and what has been implied.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Insightful, realistic coming of age film

[divamom222 · 21 February 2000]

This film is one of the most realistic "coming of age" films I have seen. In fact, parts of it gave me deja vu when I remembered the summer of my 15th year when my best friend and I first discovered we were attractive to men and didn't know quite what to do with that knowledge, as we made the transition from "little girl" to "woman." The main character, Connie, is clearly torn between wanting to bond with and be a part of her family and wanting to exert her independence, and trying to balance all of her roles as she grows up. The best part of the film - which is a small moment actually, but very powerful - is when Connie plays James Taylor's Handy Man and her mother listens to it in another part of the house - that scene shows that mother and daughter are both going through "growing pains." Although the ending was a downer, it is worth seeing the film for Laura Dern's brilliant performance.

Strange mix of growing-pains drama and psychological study

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 1 February 2004]

Laura Dern is perfect as lanky lass in a small town sparring with her parents, estranged from her older sister, desperate to be liked and to be with boys. Opening moments of this adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"--with Dern and friends doing the mall--are realistic but nothing too original; second portion of the film, with Laura meeting smooth talking Treat Williams (who comes dressed like the James Dean poster on Dern's wall) is elongated and dry (you can almost feel the director's confidence slipping away). It's an encounter I didn't particularly care for, nor did I buy the rosy ending either. However, there are fine moments in "Smooth Talk", the most devastating of which lies in a conversation between Dern and indifferent sis Elizabeth Berridge (in a terrific performance): Dern recalls a vivid, lovely childhood memory between the two, but after listening and thinking it over, Berridge tells her, "I don't remember..." **1/2 from ****

Little movie, big message

[=G= · 6/10 · 8 July 2002]

"Smooth Talk" spends the first half of its run time developing the Dern character, showing her to be a typically (more or less) rebellious, angst-filled, brittle teen who is just discovering boys and dating when an unexpected encounter with a smooth talker (Williams) forces her to take a quantum leap toward maturity. A simple little serious-minded indie with a thin story and not so thin message, "SM" is a slow starter with a solid performance by Dern which will likely be most appreciated by females. B-

I'll Have the Sturm, Please, With a Little Drang on the Side.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 10 February 2009]

A story of a teen ager edging into maturity. Laura Dern is idiosyncratically beautiful as the 15-year old. She's long legged, deeply tanned, has flowing blond hair that sets off her dark brows and lashes. The problem is that she IS only fifteen. Another year, one way or the other, would be a misjudgment for the writers of this film. Fifteen is just right, half way between ten and twenty, a liminal age.

She's uncertain about how to behave. The Generalized Other keeps telling her that she looks as good as she in fact does, but like most adolescents she's absorbed by the issue. She smiles into the mirror and asks, "How do I look?" a dozen times.

Her days consist of fibbing to her parents (Levon Helm and Mary Kay Place in one of her best performances) -- portrayed as fairly reasonable folk here. Dern hasn't been at the movies as she claims. Instead she's been hanging around the mall, squealing with delight and disturbing the shops with her two or three girl friends. There are times when, gulp, she hangs at a HAMBURGER JOINT and gossips.

She's wary with the several boys who come on to her. "Just not used to being excited," she tells one of them after a bout of necking. At home, things are also at a tipping point. Her sister isn't nearly as glamorous and is jealous, though not bitter. Her Dad is marginal to the family, a nice guy with a vapid smile. Her Mom, Mary Kay Place, is an ordinary mother trying to keep house and trying to enlist Dern's help in household chores such as painting the house and doing the dishes, but Dern is snotty and defiant.

About two thirds of the way through I was about to offer my assistance as a family counselor. I know nothing about the subject, but like everyone else I've been through the Sturm und Drang of adolescence while trying to establish an identity outside the family.

But then a queer thing happens. A convertible pulls up in front of the family farm house while Laura Dern is alone. She's dressed in a sexy but chaste white outfit. The young man behind the wheel, Treat Williams, looks like a parody of dangerous youth left over from the 1950s. He wears aviator shades, his tight, already short-sleeved shirt has its sleeves rolled up to his triceps, exposing half a tattoo. The shirt is unbuttoned to his sternum. His dungarees are dusty and so are his boots.

This is a smooth-talking guy. He is a stranger to her but knows everything about Dern, her family, and her friends. I can't tell whether he's seductive or not. He didn't turn me on. But I can tell that his character is SUPPOSED to be. He's mysterious and a little dangerous. His technique is the same as Charlie Manson's -- I KNOW what you're feeling. He tempts Dern, talks her into taking a drive in his long, shiny, phallic beast. She goes reluctantly. There is a pan of the empty convertible parked in the mountains, leaving the viewer with no more than a suspicion of where the pair are or what they're up to. When they pull back into Dern's driveway, she tells him, with genuine determination, that she doesn't want to see him around here -- ever again. He smiles, says, "Hey, nothing happened", and the mean machine scootches off. Dern walks into the house where she finds her family just returned from the picnic. Now she's polite and forgiving to all of them. In the last scene, Dern dances with her homely sister and they chuckle together.

It was during that last scene when I noticed that Dern's bedroom wall was decorated with a rather sizable poster of James Dean. This raises a host of questions, which can be boiled down to just one. Was this episode with the mysterious Treat real or fantasized? Answer: I don't know.

Obviously the Treat character serves a symbolic purpose. Her family nudges her towards ordinary respectability, but Treat demonstrates the joys of misbehavior. She faced with a choice. And in the end, she chooses her family and accepts responsibility. It's easy to visualize Dern's future. She grows up to be a stewardess with hopes of marrying an airline pilot.

What luscious photography. What apple orchards. What a neat farm house with a sloppily lived-in appearance. It's hard to imagine how the performances could be improved upon, except for Levon Helm who smiles all the time as if playing a "nice guy" for an audience. And, as I say, I couldn't get with Treat Williams as a character and so only barely with his acting. Maybe it's not his problem. How do you play a stereotype convincingly? Overall, though, this is a smooth-flowing movie that doesn't pound its audience over the head with anything. And though it's definitely a portrait of a young woman's life, it's not a teen movie. I don't know that kids of fifteen would not be bored by the sometimes oblique dialog, the lack of action, and the near absence of sex. The film requires the kind of patience that I'm not sure mall rats have any longer. Paradoxically, this is a story about youth that adults might appreciate more than the subjects of the story themselves.

I understand that the film is based on a rather darker and more ambiguous story by Joyce Carole Oates who, in turn, was inspired by some Southwestern psychopath, but I can only assess what's been put on the screen.

Horror story becomes after school special

[pocca · 6/10 · 15 May 2005]

The Joyce Carol Oates story this movie is based on, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You been" would have made an excellent thirty minute short. But to make it into a feature length film a lot of padding was necessary, and the sort of padding used was of the banal, coming of age sort you've probably seen in dozens of television programs and movies already.

Laura Dern is well cast as the blonde, leggy teen-aged Connie, a typical teenaged girl who is neither particularly likable nor unlikable when she and her gaggle of female friends tentatively strut and giggle around boys at a local mall (the drive-in sixties of Joyce's story is updated easily enough to the shopping mall eighties). Later, when she is home alone with Arnold Friend, the very bad character all that flirting has inadvertently attracted (Oates based him on an actual serial killer, Charles Howard Schmid, who murdered several teens in Tucson, Arizona in the mid sixties) she is very convincing when she is shaking and crying for her mother. Oates' story ends with a terrorized Connie departing with Arnold--her fate is unknown, but going by Arnold's threats and crude, brutal banter it seems more likely than not that Connie will be raped and killed. However, in the movie, Connie is brought back home by Arnold a few hours later, a bit shaken but not particularly the worse for wear--in fact she is more thoughtful and kind than she was before towards her nattering mother (well played by Mary Kay Place) and frumpy older sister. In other words, we have gone from Oates to Degrassi High and the horror that characterized the second half of Oates' text (and that the first half was leading up to) has been pretty much bled out of the story.

"Smooth Talk" is worth checking out for the strong performance of Laura Dern in an early role but don't expect Oates.

The Star Was Born:

[Galina_movie_fan · 8/10 · 11 November 2006]

Since I read Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" many years ago as a teenager myself (many Oates' works were translated to Russian - she was and I hope still is very popular there), I've been fascinated by it. I've read many Oates's stories and some of her novels but the 10 pages long story of 15 years old Connie, "shallow, vain, silly, hopeful, doomed— but capable nonetheless of an unexpected gesture of heroism at the story's end" has stuck in my memory and I could never forget it. When I found out that the story was adapted to the screen, I tried to find the movie, "Smooth Talk" (1985) directed by Joyce Chopra and I saw it finally last weekend. A disturbing coming of age drama, the winner of The Grand Jury Prize at 1986 features 18 years-old Laura Dern who appears innocent, gawky, and provocative all at once. Laura owns the film as a sultry woman-child who just began to realize the power of her sexual attractiveness during one long summer that would change her life forever. It does not surprise me a bit that Dern's next movie would be David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" where she played sweet and innocent Sandy and in a few years she would play her best role, Lula Fortune in his "Wild at Heart" (1990). The more I think of Laura, the more I see her as one of the most talented actresses of her generation. She is fearless in taking sometimes unflattering roles and she never lost that aura of innocence wrapped in irresistible sexuality that made her Connie in "Smooth Talk" so alive and unforgettable.

The links to the full text of the story and to the Oates' article about adapting it to the film are posted on the movie's message board. I was shocked to find out what the real story behind the fictional was.

A Minor's Accident Waiting To Happen

[PredragReviews · 7/10 · 24 June 2016]

Smooth Talk is one of the few films ever made whose climactic scene takes place on the borderline between reality and the imagination. That scene is done so beautifully by Dern and Treat Williams that one never forgets it. But the whole movie is full of wonderful moments. For instance, after her first fight with her mother (and the sparks that fly between Dern and Mary Kay Place every time their eyes meet capture the hormones-versus-hormones explosiveness of adolescence versus middle age marvelously) Dern walks through a fruit orchard. This is Chopra's way of hinting to us that the Garden of Eden, the loss of innocence, lies behind the story. The parents are house-poor, having had enough money to buy the house three years ago but not to decorate it. The inside is a chaos of paint cans, ladders, strips of wallpaper. This mirrors the chaos inside the emotions of the developing girl.

There are some awkward scenes in this film version of the famous Joyce Carol Oates story, "Where are you going? Where have you been?", mainly because the original short story was set in the 1950's and the film is set in the 1980's thus the James Dean posters in Connie's room, the fact that Arnold Friend (Treat Williams) is a James Dean look-a-like who drives a muscle car, and that all the high school kids hang out at the local drive-in seem out of place in the 1980's. And yet, even with the anachronisms, as an evocation of a certain time of life it still works. Anyways, the film tells of young fifteen year old Connie who discovers herself at a local burger place. Well, I guess that is over simplifying it a bit. She lives in the shadow of her older, perfect sister and she suffers under the sharp eye of her defeated mother. She feels hated and alone and so this moves her to act out, seeking attention from boys who find her attractive and deem her rather easy. The film moves around at an almost stagnant pace for a while, allowing us to see Connie in various compromising situations without really letting anything happen that sustains our interest. Then all of a sudden this guy who we have seen briefly throughout the film makes his advancements to Connie in a rather strange way and we are supposed to be drawn into her ultimate decision.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Clueless with Consequences

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 21 January 2020]

In this episode of "How to get kidnapped for sex-trafficking" a fifteen-year-old girl going on twenty-five finds herself hated by her family and beloved by every guy with a hard-on within shouting distance. She doesn't waste time with subtle signals, she puts up signal flares announcing, "come and get it!" Just like many girls that pine to be noticed by only those they want to notice them, she gets noticed by the wrong guy. Most of the time the "wrong guy" is the guy the girl isn't interested in, yet he's harmless. This time the "wrong guy" is a predator.

When I was young they called girls like Connie (Laura Dern) fast. I'm not exactly sure how the term originated--fast to get pregnant, fast to grow up, fast to drop her pants, I'm not sure--but it wasn't a label you wanted. It was like a scarlet letter and yes it was for girls, as in not yet a woman. Besides being a strumpet in training, she was a witch to her mother. By day she loafed around and gave her mother an attitude, and by night she paraded around in revealing clothing looking for a guy to "hold her tight."

She found a couple of guys and one very special guy found her. You may think that I'm running down all the reasons why Connie deserved being stalked, hounded, and more by Arnold (Treat Williams) the predatory perv. Nope. I'm not saying that at all because the word "deserve" varies from person to person. My kids wash a dish and think they deserve ice cream whereas I don't. So, did she deserve it? To be politically correct I'll say no. Did she increase her chances of such an encounter by her behavior? That's a definite yes. Like Dave Chappelle said in a comedy routine of his, "I'm a victim blamer." He was being funny, as am I, but with a kernel of truth.

What was most amazing about this movie is how they failed to make Connie a sympathetic character even after her ordeal. I saw the same petulant teenager I saw in the first scene. I thought the movie was supposed to be a thriller and it was more of a Hallmark special. It was weak. I had to suffer through an hour of "Mall Rats" before anything of any significance happened. Then, as weakly as the climactic scene happened it ended. I was totally misled.

Wonderful Undiscovered Film About Sexual Maturity

[evanston_dad · 9/10 · 21 November 2008]

A terrific lesser-known film that deserves a better rating than the one given it here at IMDb.

Based on a short story by Joyce Carol Oates called "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", "Smooth Talk" stars Laura Dern as a bored and restless adolescent who thinks she's more in control of her sexual allure, and more capable of handling the attention she receives for it, than she is. In a deeply unsettling and slightly surreal scene, a hunky stranger (Treat Williams) comes calling for her, and she realizes that she's not as mature as she thinks. The film captures the same other-worldly quality of the short story (the scene with Treat Williams plays out almost like a feverish dream), while ably adapting it to the very different needs of a feature length film.

Dern gives a wonderful performance, one of the many given by this underrated actress. And another lovely performance comes from Mary Kay Place, who plays Dern's mother. One of the most memorable scenes for me came when mother and daughter are in separate rooms of the house, but unbeknownst to each other are both privately dancing to the same song playing on the radio. I can never hear James Taylor's "Handyman" without thinking of this movie.

Grade: A

Only not higher rating cause the short story is better

[laurenrandy · 7/10 · 3 April 2021]

Joyce Carol Oates' short story "Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been" is one of my favorites. Had I seen this movie before I read the story, i'd give this a 9/10. The performance by Laura Dern is one of her best (all her work in the 80's is her best). Treat Williams is terrific, but NOT WRITTEN LIKE IT SHOULD BE FROM THE SHORT...

I'll get off the short story.

This movie is still creepy and subtle and alluring and icky and symbolic.

Probably underrated amongst films in the 80s.

A Summer Day.

[AaronCapenBanner · 5/10 · 26 November 2013]

Joyce Chopra directed this adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oates short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" that stars Laura Dern as teenager Connie Wyatt, who is spending the summer in a cottage somewhere in California, who has grown bored and restless, and spends much of her time at the mall with her friends chasing boys. One day, things take a strange turn when, after Connie is left alone for a day because she doesn't want to go on a family outing, is confronted by a "smooth talking" older man named Arnold Friend(played by Treat Williams) who drives up to her home, and tries to convince Connie to take a ride with him... Good performances(especially by Dern) but film never really goes anywhere, and ends inconclusively.

Read the story first

[TrickyPiranha · 24 May 2002]

The movie is for the most part was good. I recommend reading the short story which it is based on before you see the movie. The movie sticks to the plot for the most part, but there are a few differences that shouldn't have been added in. The roles of the parents were good and accurately got across the ideas that Connie disliked in them. Laura Dern as Connie did an average job of portraying Connie, the shallow 15 year old. Treat Williams was excellent as the disturbing Arnold Friend. The biggest problem with this film is they gave it a Hollywood "happily ever after" which is completely different from the dark ending of the story. "Where you are going, where have you been" is a very good story and is much darker than "Smooth Talk" but if you are a fan of the story, check this out to compare.

Great performance by Dern; disturbing conclusion.

[Hermit C-2 · 6/10 · 15 August 1999]

This may not have been Laura Dern's film debut, but it was an announcement to the world that a talented young actress had arrived. The movie depicts the ordinary adventures of a 15-year old girl. Her home life is dominated by fights with her seemingly impossible-to-please mother, played by Mary Kay Place. This relationship isn't helped by the presence of a sainted older sister (Elizabeth Berridge). Her dad (Levon Helm) manages to stay a good guy, but only because he's not so involved in his daughter's life.

Connie, Dern's character, lives for the times she can get out of the house with her friend, go to the mall or hamburger joint, and start to practice her incipient flirting technique with boys. For most of the film, the scene shifts between these home-and-away scenes and it's entertaining to watch this growing adolescent try to find her way in her slowly-expanding new world.

About two-thirds of the way through, though, the movie takes a sharp, unexpected turn when a character played by Treat Williams shows up. I didn't like the direction it went in after that or the conclusions I was forced to make. Consequently this weakened the overall impact of what had been a quite enjoyable film up to that point. Still, it doesn't take anything away from the outstanding performance by Laura Dern. It looks like sometimes acting can be in one's blood.

$12 was mine

[smeyer-03996 · 9/10 · 21 July 2021]

Of the $16000 this movie apparently made, 12 dollars were mine. I saw this twice when it first came out. There's something about this movie that is spellbinding. Treat Williams, Laura Dern, Elizabeth Berridge, and Marry Kay Place are perfect in their roles, even if they are more ambiguous than real. Did anything actually happen? Is this "The Turn of the Screw" in California? Maybe I'm reading more into it than exists, but it's worth watching, if only for the acting.

Boring three quarters coming-of-age, one quarter thriller

[Groverdox · 5/10 · 26 June 2016]

"Smooth Talk" is a strange, languid coming-of-age movie that makes a surprising shift into thriller territory toward the end.

It's about a young girl, played by Laura Dern, who has a strained relationship with her mother. She lies to her about where she is going so that she can go hang out with her friends. She flirts with boys, and some of these encounters are harmless and fun. Others are threatening.

At a party she meets a strange man in passing who tells her he is watching. We don't know how she feels about this, but if the encounter is expected to generate suspense, it doesn't. You might not even notice.

Later, the guy (played by Treat Williams) shows up, acting like a refugee from a generic thriller. The scene isn't scary, but the characters talk for so long that you don't know if it's supposed to be. Wouldn't she be scared to the point of ending the conversation?

The thriller aspect is handled so negligibly that you are left only with the teen girl angst stuff, which is also just not that interesting or convincing.

A poignant, painful reminder of being a 15 year old girl

[bridgeheads · 10/10 · 13 September 2006]

I give this film a ten because it was very entertaining and thought provoking. For years I have been trying to remember the name of it so I could order the video to watch again. I saw it 20 years ago. I don't remember all the details but I remember how much it touched me.

It was quite frightening, even at the age of 23. I never forgot the strength of Laura Dern's performance. It was incredible, defining. I have followed her career ever since. Treat Williams was also excellent. I don't want to risk a spoiler so I will just say he was a very convincing character.

I also believe it would be as meaningful today as it was in 1985. The relevance of this film is timeless.

ten minutes of Treat

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 5 March 2020]

Free-spirited 15 year old Connie Wyatt (Laura Dern) is too young to drive. Her aimless rebellious ways frustrates her mother (Mary Kay Place). She's at the mall with her friends, Jill and Laura, flirting with boys when she spots Arnold Friend (Treat Williams), an older man in a convertible.

Treat Williams has good creepiness. It's too bad that he doesn't get his scene until after almost an hour. He should start a lot sooner. The movie meanders around for an hour like Connie's aimless journey. It's fine if the movie is about the three girlfriends. They could have conflicting agendas. The whole point of this movie is suppose to be the smooth talking Friend. It should let him get in earlier. He is first spotted at 20 minutes and if his scene happens relatively quickly after that, this could be a great horror or thriller. Mostly, this is a low level meandering teen drama. It goes off into Blue Velvet territory for about ten minutes and then abruptly returns to its low level teen drama roots. The abrupt ending is oddly happy ending which does not fit the tone of Treat.

Intriguing story, based on Joyce Carol Oates' short story

[MarieGabrielle · 8/10 · 2 December 2005]

This movie was actually shown on PBS when it first came out, and many schools also utilize it in English class.

It is an interesting drama revolving around Connie (Laura Dern), her friends, and adolescent life in rural Northern California, or any other average American small-town.

Basically, Connie is attempting to escape her stifling everyday life; she and her mother are constantly at odds (well played by Mary Kay Place); and she spends most of her time at the mall; just like many kids, she has no direction, but enjoys meeting other kids at the local hamburger stand; eventually, after several encounters, she meets Treat Williams, who is a little different than most boys.....

The short story by Oates was actually based on the true story of a serial killer in Tucson AZ, who was nicknamed the "Pied Piper of Tucson". The story takes off into more tension from there; you should read the short story, as you will get the meaning of Arnold Friend/Treat Williams a lot better; the character is well portrayed by Treat Williams; suave, smooth and dangerous.....just what most young girls are attracted to.

All in all, a very good movie; and Laura Dern was good in the role, very vulnerable and impressionable; the novel projected the impression of a more standard beauty for the times....perhaps an actress like Jenny Garth or Mira Sorvino.

aka "where are you going, and where have you been?"

[radical-ed · 14 September 2004]

A few things I liked about this movie: It stayed fairly close to the story.

The terror element in the scenes between Connie (Dern) and Arnold Friend (Williams) were present, as were in the short story by Joyce Carol Oates.

Laura Dern's performance was excellent, as a young girl experimenting with flirtations as she becomes aware of her budding sexuality. But something happens one day...

Somehow, inadvertently, she attracted the attention of "Arnold Friend". (If you remove the R's from his name you find his true nature).

SHe's afraid to come out of her house...she's afraid to stay inside, because he'd come in and get her. It makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, the same way it did when I first saw Carole Kane pick up the phone to hear "Are you in the house alone?"

I also like the way a lot of the Symbolism of JCO's original story remains intact.

What I don't like:

Treat Williams should not have been cast as Arnold Ariend. It should have been played by somebody far less attractive, and far more creepy.

They changed the ending. fine enough, as it would be hard to recapture the ending as written by Oates. However, the new ending made no sense.

4 out of 5 stars ;-)

Wow. Bad.

[gavin6942 · 4/10 · 28 January 2017]

A free-spirited 15-year-old girl trapped in the body of a 25-year-old woman (Laura Dern) flirts with a dangerous stranger (Treat Williams) in the Northern California suburbs and must prepare herself for the frightening and traumatic consequences.

I had moderate expectations for this film. I figured anything from the 1980s, which was a thriller and had Laura Dern could not be awful. But, you know what, it was actually rather disappointing. Other than maybe ten minutes of suspense, it is basically a movie about a teenage girl and her friends hopping and being generally irresponsible. Nothing to see here.

In 1985, this might have been something groundbreaking, but today (2017) it comes across as a Lifetime movie of the week. I suppose it is a good film to see for James Taylor fans, but otherwise you're not missing much.

Sexy is sometimes best when it stays between your ears

[kent-11 · 8/10 · 17 January 1999]

Ok. Almost nothing actually happens in this film, but that does not mean it isn't tense, exciting, interesting, and very sexy.

Laura Dern could start forest fires just by standing too close to the trees. Everything about this film reflects the quality and talent that went into making it.

Woud not recommend. Maybe show this to your teenage daughter to teach caution

[mmakjanic · 5/10 · 29 June 2020]

I do not understand the praise of her acting, the main character is so weird and has reactions to situations all wrong and bizzare, her behaviour is too wrong. Who ever behaved like that ? The main character is so unlikeable and annoying, it made me want for something bad to happen to her but when it started it was really scary and I felt bad for her. But even after it all her character it still unlikeable and annoying and behaves so unnaturally. She is a beautiful actress for sure, but I just do not like this character.