Smooth Talk (1985)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Joyce Chopra

Writers:

Joyce Carol Oates (story)
Tom Cole (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 February 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Based on the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been", by Joyce Carol Oates, this film chronicles a 15-year-old girl...

Plot Keywords:

Suburb | Sexual Awakening | Hot Pants | Mother Daughter Relationship | Shopping Mall

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Treat Williams	...	Arnold Friend
Laura Dern	...	Connie
Mary Kay Place	...	Katherine
Margaret Welsh	...	Laura
Sara Inglis	...	Jill (as Sarah Inglis)
Levon Helm	...	Harry
Elizabeth Berridge	...	June
Geoff Hoyle	...	Ellie
William Ragsdale	...	Jeff
David Berridge	...	Eddie
Cab Covay	...	Pick-up Driver
Michael French	...	Stan
Joy Carlin	...	Laura's Mother
Mark McKay	...	Bobby King
Carl Mueller	...	Mall Boy

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company:

American Playhouse

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

You Don't Want Me

A Must-See for Laura Dern Fans

Adapted from the short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been", by Joyce Carol Oates; this slow paced and moody film is for those who like introspective stories where you spend a lot of the viewing time in self-analysis rather than character identification. The mood is complemented by a lot of James Taylor on the soundtrack with "Handyman" repeated several times.

It is also one of those "axe to grind" films where fans of the short story feel compelled to whine about the adaptation not being faithful to their interpretation of the book, although Oates endorses it without reservation on her website. Any non-readers considering viewing "Smooth Talk" would be wise to remember the source when reading negative comments from this group.

To reach feature length it was necessary to expand on the short story and to dramatically depict events that are just briefly mentioned in the original version. Everything is still told from the point-of-view of 15-year-old Connie, increasingly estranged from her mother and marveling at her new-found attractiveness to boys. Fans of Laura Dern who have not seen this should seek it out as she gives an remarkable performance, arguably her all time best. Perfectly cast physically as a gangly coming of age teenager Dern plays Connie with such restraint and awkward hesitancy that anyone with acting for the camera aspirations should view this simply as a perfect example of the power that can be produced by underplaying a character.

The ending is restrained as well, making it unexpectedly powerful and haunting. They go out with Connie and her sister slowly dancing to "Handyman", leaving the viewer to process what has been shown and what has been implied.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.