Barnes & Noble

With an eye on '80s youth culture and a tongue planted, like, firmly in cheek, Valley Girl transforms Romeo and Juliet's star-crossed lovers into Los Angeles high school students -- minus all the abject misery. Julie (Deborah Foreman) is a nice girl from the San Fernando Valley who likes shopping and Val boys, until she meets a rough-hewn punk from Hollywood named Randy (Nicolas Cage, dropping his Coppola surname for the first time). But disapproving friends and exes on both sides could be the end of the romance, in spite of Julie's feelings for Randy and the important lesson he's taught her: to just be herself. Aside from some witty references, the connections to Shakespeare end there, distinguishing the movie from later, more straightforward Bard transmutations like 10 Things I Hate About You and O. Instead, Valley Girl is more in line with predecessors Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Rock 'n' Roll High School, balancing healthy levels of angst and humorous, punky chaos that borders on the absurd. Watched in retrospect, the movie is totally '80s, a campy genre ride filled with clothes and slang that are best forgotten, as well as appearances by "Where Are They Now?" bands like Josie Cotton and the Plimsouls. Tony Nigro

All Movie Guide

A satiric romantic comedy, Martha Coolidge's Valley Girl is a testimony to the short-lived Southern California '80s craze. Julie (Deborah Foreman) is a good-natured teenager following a swarm of pastel pink valley girls, who utter "gag me" at every opportunity. To her friends' dismay , Julie breaks up with her egotistical boyfriend, Tommy (Michael Bowen), while shopping at the mall. All the valley kids go to a party that night, and Tommy immediately tries to bed one of Julie's friends. Randy (Nicolas Cage), a bad boy from Hollywood, shows up and crashes the party. Open-minded Julie flirts with him before he is literally thrown out, presumably just for looking different. Smitten with Julie, Randy sneaks back into the party to talk to her again. Julie drags a whimpering valley friend with her to spend the night cruising with Randy in Hollywood. After an extended courtship, Randy is in love with Julie, and she must choose between him and Tommy, who wants her back. Her friends refuse to accept Randy, who makes many exaggerated attempts to win back her love. Finally, after she has a heartfelt talk with her dad (Frederic Forrest), love triumphs at the prom. Andrea LeVasseur

Product Details

• UPC: 883904127475
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Sales Rank: 6,041

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• The Sure Thing & Valley Girl
• Nicolas Cage Star Collection