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.

---

Plot Keywords:

disc jockey | woman in a bathtub | nightclub | fountain | mistaken identity | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

PG-13

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.

---

Goofs

While Cliff is waiting for the girls to get ready, he lights a candle. As the time passes, the candle gets smaller then suddenly larger a number of times.

---

Quotes

Clifford: It's not been a great night for Clifford

---

Connections

Featured in Depeche Mode: The Videos 86>98+ (2002)

---

Soundtracks

Dancin'
Written and performed by Chris Isaak
Isaak Music Publishing Co.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc., Sire Records and WEA Records, Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

I lived through the 80s. And trust me, this movie is freakin' 80s!

So if you're 14 or whatever and want to know what the 80s was like, watch this movie. Everything--and I mean EVERYTHING, is spot on. The costumes are amazing. The production design in amazing. The colors of those opening titles--woah! And the best thing? The music! The person that picked the songs really earned their paycheck, because the selections are really authentic to that 80s club culture. These aren't the same, worn out and cliché 80s songs you always hear when the 80s is involved but proper, underground stuff typically only played in clubs and in radio stations in Miami, New York and LA.

And you know what? The story is actually really fun! It takes place over the course of one night, which I really like (think After Hours by Scorsese). The character arcs are fun to witness, and the acting is enjoyable to watch (although don't expect ultra-realism).

Oh, and I am in lust with 80s Daphne Zuniga. Man. When my time machine is complete, she had better watch out.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Modern Girls

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$604,849

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$604,849

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1