Little Darlings

My introduction to this movie was on one summer day when I was home sick from high school, this was playing as the midday movie.

It is my opinion that they never play good movies on at this time but my mum said this was a good movie from her childhood (my mum was 17 when this came out, cool huh). I was intrigued. What kind of movies did my mum like? Guaranteed to have a happy ending I would have thought now, but if it was from her childhood it may be more interesting and teenage centred. And as I found out, awesome as it is set at a summer camp, the stuff Australian children dream of.

So I viewed Little Darlings (1980). The opening is a bit of a cracker, some random chick with major hair flicks, kicks some guy in the balls for harassing her. Okay with me.

Basic story:

Angel (ball kicker played excellently by Kristy McNichol) and Ferris (completely random character name, played by Tatum O'Neal) are two very different girls both attending summer camp. Angel is kind of a bad girl, wrong side of the tracks etc while Ferris is poor little rich girl who thinks it's beneath her to be attending the camp.

So early on the two girls clash and somehow a bet is formed: who will be the first girl to lose her virginity? The camp is divided on who it will be and place cash on the girls. The girls each choose their 'target'. For Ferris it is the swim teacher Gary (played by my old mate Armand Assante, he of the coolest alliterated name) and for Angel it is the random guy candy they meet at a public restroom while trying to score condoms, Randy (played by a floppy haired Matt Dillon). By the way Randy and Angel seem to have matching haircuts. Ahh the 80's.

Both have very different ideas of what their first time will be like. Angel sees it as "no big deal", presumably an attitude inherited from her skanky mother, while Ferris is all about the romance and the "making love". Unfortunately for both of them the reality is vastly different while Ferris learns the true repercussions of a 15 year old trying to seduce her teacher and Angel learns that sex is actually a big deal.

This film is different because so many of these types of movies about 'losing it' are based around guys. To show from a female perspective is interesting because of course they are going to approach it differently.

I think Ferris's attitude was a bit over the top but maybe the result of her upbringing. While Angel who is used to having guys in and out (insert obvious joke) at her mom's place is more cynical.

From discussions with my friends at that age, I don't think any of us were under any illusions that the first time would be any good/incredibly romantic but we weren't of that it's 'no big deal' mindset either.

Regardless this is a good movie with like able leads (and a cute early role for Cynthia Nixon as hippy girl, Sunshine) and a somewhat realistic view of sex and teenagers. Also some good (not stereotypes) supporting characters who actually look like teenagers. It's no American Pie for hilarity or hi-jinks but it has some nice moments.