Modern Girls (1986)

A pair of women decide to prank their roommate's nerdy blind date after she stands him up, but end up developing a friendship with him after their practical joke sends them on an all-night odyssey through the 1980s club scene.

Director:

Jerry Kramer

Writers:

Laurie Craig (story), Laurie Craig (screenplay)

Stars:

Daphne Zuniga, Virginia Madsen, Cynthia Gibb

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cynthia Gibb	...	Cece
Virginia Madsen	...	Kelly
Clayton Rohner	...	Clifford / Bruno X
Daphne Zuniga	...	Margo
Chris Nash	...	Ray
Stephen Shellen	...	Brad (as Steve Shellen)
Rick Overton	...	Marsalis
Pamela Springsteen	...	Tanya
Josh Richman	...	Milo
Martin Ferrero	...	Music Video Director
Quin Kessler	...	Retro Vamp
Sharron Shayne	...	Supervisor
Mark Holton	...	Boss
John Dye	...	Hunk
Troy Evans	...	Club Owner

Storyline

Geeky Clifford has a date with pretty Kelly. But when he comes to pick her up, she has gone to see her ex-boyfriend, the DJ at a nightclub, using her roommate Margo's car. Margo and their third roommate, CeCe, induce Clifford into driving them around, first to the nightclub to find Kelly, then on an all-night tour of the L.A. night scene in search of CeCe's new love, rock star Bruno X.

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Plot Keywords:

night | nightclub | city | dj | use of bloody as epithet | 

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Taglines:

Never stand in line. Never pay for your own drinks. Never stand next to a dweeb.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chicas modernas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$264,252, 7 December 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$604,849

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released just after Thanksgiving, the film had a dismal run at the box office and barely made over $250,000 dollars. However, it found a second life as a late-night staple on HBO, which was in the process of becoming a force in home cable. The movie was shown in such heavy rotation that watching it on HBO became a rite-of-passage for many adolescents in the late 1980s, leading to it developing a cult following.

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Goofs

When Clifford arrives at the girls' apartment, he leaves the car's lights on after parking. However, when Margot looks out the window to check out the car, its lights are off.

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Quotes

CeCe: You know, Cliffie, the hottest nights are the ones where you don't know who you are coming home with. . .here we are. . .we don't even know who we are going out with!

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Golden Child/Crimes of the Heart/¡Three Amigos!/Modern Girls (1986)

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Soundtracks

Eyes of Fire
Performed by Chris Nash
Chris Nash Music

User Reviews

Not quite a classic, but a perfect 1980s time capsule!

This is one of those movies that no one ever saw in the theater. However, it ran in super-high rotation on HBO and Showtime in the late 80s. I must have watched it 20 times in junior high, and I watched it again when it was on cable last night. It has surprisingly crisp writing. The jokes and plot, while not groundbreaking, are above average considering the other films of this era in this same genre. There's some nice social commentary and some very heartfelt interactions between Clifton and the girls. But what really sets this movie apart is the way it presents 1980s LA night life. You see bouncers, themed clubs, themed drinks, vapid people, what could be the first on-screen use of "E", and all the synth-pop music you could ever ask for! The music, by the way, is top-notch - most of the tracks sound radio-worthy instead of the random crap you'd usually get with these flicks.