Valley Girl

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Valley Girl

R

Released Apr 8, 1983

1h 35m

Romance

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Lovely teen Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) is steeped in the excessive, pink-clad culture of the San Fernando Valley, complete with her narcissistic boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen). At a party, however, Julie falls for an edgy Hollywood punk named Randy (Nicolas Cage), and the two begin an unlikely romance. Torn between fitting in with her superficial friends and embracing a more non-conformist lifestyle, Julie ultimately has to decide to stay with Tommy or take a risk with Randy.

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Critics Consensus

With engaging performances from its two leads, Valley Girl is a goofy yet amiable film that both subverts and celebrates the cheerful superficiality of teen comedies.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

Self-consciously modelled on Romeo and Juliet (a neon sign for which is visible at one point on a Sherman Oaks theatre marquee), Martha Coolidge’s feature offers all the dilemmas and transgressions of a coming-of-age romance.

Sep 15, 2023

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Variety Staff

Variety

For a change, there aren't any cartoon problem adults on hand as there often are in these pictures.

Jul 24, 2007

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

This movie is a little treasure, a funny, sexy, appealing story of a Valley Girl's heartbreaking decision: Should she stick with her boring jock boyfriend, or take a chance on a punk from Hollywood?

Rated: 3/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Kat Hughes

THN

A must-watch for Cage obsessives, Valley Girl also has enough within it for those curious about eighties teen movies that lie off the well-trodden path. Outside of that it is hard to imagine quite what the reach will be.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 19, 2023

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...feels like it could (and should) have been so much better.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 7, 2021

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Vincent Mancini

Uproxx

Valley Girl isn't quite on Clueless's level, but without it Clueless probably wouldn't exist. In the end, every generation gets the Nic Cage movie it deserves.

May 7, 2020

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Los G

So insubstantial it barely has the strength to stand up. Perhaps it views better if you're obsessed with American coming of age movies (of which are about a billion) and think the soundtrack is cool (hint - it really isn't). It reminded of the Karate Kid - without the karate. Cage is smooth, though

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/05/25

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Marcus T

Nicolas Cage pretty much had to carry the whole show. The story line was extremely thin. It started out fairly promising, then they ran out of material about a third of the way through. Deborah Foreman was cute, but there was no substance to her character, so it was hard to see why Randy was so taken with her, except that she was from another world. There was a lot of filler leading up to the final sequence, which was fun but didn't make up for all the down time in the middle. Keep your expectations low.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/02/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/09/25

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Paula M

This movie is like totally tubular. One of my all time faves fer sure 💋

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/24

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Matthew S

One of my fav movies. Love the stories and songs. Takes me back to a different era. For surrr

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

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Augustine J

A fun movie, nothing to lose your head over but an enjoyable very loose adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Nic Cage is young and gives a definitely Nic Cage performance. The rest of the cast looks like they're 28, but that's fine. It's not Fast Times or Better Off Dead, but it's a good enough 80s teen rom-com.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

Full Review

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Martha Coolidge

Director

Nicolas Cage

Randy

Deborah Foreman

Julie Richman

Frederic Forrest

Steve Richman

E.G. Daily

Loryn

Michael Bowen

Tommy

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Synopsis

Lovely teen Julie Richman (Deborah Foreman) is steeped in the excessive, pink-clad culture of the San Fernando Valley, complete with her narcissistic boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen). At a party, however, Julie falls for an edgy Hollywood punk named Randy (Nicolas Cage), and the two begin an unlikely romance. Torn between fitting in with her superficial friends and embracing a more non-conformist lifestyle, Julie ultimately has to decide to stay with Tommy or take a risk with Randy.

Director: Martha Coolidge
Producer: Wayne Crawford, Andrew Lane
Screenwriter: Wayne Crawford, Andrew Lane
Distributor: MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Atlantic Releasing Corp.
Production Co: Valley 9000
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 8, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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