[5]

A girl from the San Fernando valley (Deborah Foreman) falls for a city boy (Nicolas Cage), much to the chagrin of superficial friends. Martha Coolidge’s Valley Girl hit the scene just as John Hughes began directing his string of iconic teen flicks, and was probably just as influential in setting the 80s teen trend as any of Hughes’ work. The film is beloved for its time capsule qualities, but it’s easily overshadowed by several better films of the same ilk (including many Hughes flicks). I like Nicolas Cage in quirky roles, and if you throw The Cure into the soundtrack, I’m game. But leading lady Foreman is stiff and self-conscious as an actor, and it bothers me that her character is so passive in the film’s climax and resolution.