Valley Girl

R

Released Apr 8, 1983

1 hr. 35 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

84%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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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

Full Review

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

Mike P

Another one of the iconic touchstones of The Classic 80s Teen Movie Cannon; standing proudly right alongside Fast Times At Ridgemont High; Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Lucas, Stand By Me and Say Anything...Martha Coolidge updates Romeo and Juliet to the Reagan Era...With very solid and sweet results. The whole thing has the feel of a very sweet, laid back, nostalgia-soaked Rom/Com...Indeed, this classic 80s flick deserves it's reputation...Buoyed immeasurably from the charismatic performances of it's handsome leads; Deborah Foreman and Nicholas Cage; dressed to the nines in all their Swatches and their Eightiesfashion... As well as their likeable supporting cast...And remember; THIS was really Oscar Winner Nicholas Cage's real breakout performance: his launch pad ...(After he sadly got demoted in Fast Times)...This is the movie that really put him on the map; and deservedly so; because he's great...He's "Randy"; (an obvious swap-out for "Romeo"); a sexy, dark-coursed rebel with a heart of gold...And Foreman does great work too...As the eponymous Valley Girl princess "Julie";(Another obvious swap-out for "Juliet")...And her job is tougher in a way...SHE has to walk a dangerous tightrope here... She has to live recognizably within the Valley Girl archetype/stereotype; and also create create a character that we love, respect and care about; AND also be someone who's recognizably real. And the juggling act indeed works...And she's very good... But then the middle of the movie is also a little shapeless and sags a bit; and the story gets a bit lazy here and there... (Some of the script could have been tightened up a bit...It's pretty obvious they're all just improvising alot of the scenes and the dialogue here; which mostly works...Sometimes not so much...It gives it both a verisimilitude and a sense of aimlessness at times... And the movie also weirdly hints at a Graduate-type May/December romance as a subplot; and then abruptly changes directions suddenly; very strangely...And another subplot where the villain Tommy seduces and then rejects Julie's friend Loryn, all in one fell swoop, doesn't really work)...And then after losing it's way, briefly, the movie then really rallies again strongly for the big finish at the prom... Which is great... (There's no twin suicides; thankfully. Again, this is a very mellow, defanged Romeo and Juliet...For THAT type of a tragic 80s Romeo and Juliet story, you'd have to wait to watch Surviving with Molly Ringwald in 1985)...And as someone who lived through this era; through the Golden Years of the Reagan/Dynasty Era... (and was even a star-crossed teenager at the time); I would say most of this is spot-on...And the fashions and the music; (including the now classic Modern English theme song, "Melt With You": which is it's own standout phenomenon unto itself here); are just delicious; and really give you a buzz; especially for those of us hankering for our own hit of 80s nostalgia every now and then! The movie has definitely aged well...And in some ways, becoming an iconic nostalgia type movie now; it's suddenly even more effective now than it was 40 years ago in 83, when it came out...Overall: Recommended. Great 80s fun. Mostly very sweet and HARMLESS fun. Which is a rarity in 80s flicks... 👍 🎉 👗

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/24

Full Review

Jeff M

OK, I am in desperate need of some help here to understand the critical and audience approval of this movie. I'm a child of the 80s, so this should have been right up my alley. But besides an iconic soundtrack that took me back to my teenage years, I was surprised by how slight and uninvolving this viewing experience was for me. There doesn't seem to be a plot to speak of whatsoever. I didn't give a flying fig about either of the main characters, despite appealing performances, and I didn't care whether they ended up together or not. The large supporting cast of his and friends became interchangeable after awhile, and I couldn't keep track of who was interested in who. Ironically, the only real standouts for me were the two adults, played by Frederic Forrest and Colleen Camp in NAPOLEON DYNAMITE-esque mode. I could be wrong, but I get the feeling this was celebrated at the time not so much for what it was but for what it wasn't - it wasn't another tasteless, PORKYS-style romp in which the females weren't so much characters but notches on bedposts. And while I give it credit for that, it doesn't necessarily make this a good movie. I expected a lot more based on its legacy.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Madie R

It's like a totally tubular rom-com starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman that perfectly captures life as a teenager in the 80s. It's a movie that shows you shouldn't let your social status define your relationship. Follow your heart! With love, you will always need a yin and yang, north & south, and a Romeo & Juliet.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/18/23

Full Review

Howard80136

Valley Girl is a great snapshot of the 80s. Go see it if you haven't. It's cheesy but it works & the music is top notch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

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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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 7, 2021

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Thomas Coleman, Michael Rosenblatt
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
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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