Wednesday 17 November 2010

Review: Little Darlings (1980)

Coming of age is one of my favourite subjects in film. It probably has something to do with the fact that I, myself, have been "coming of age" for the best part of my life. I am an adult, yet I don't feel as if I am one, and coming of age films help me to keep the illusion just a little bit longer. This particular coming of age film, Little Darlings, was a modest hit at the box office, and went on to beome the 20th highest grossing film of 1980.

A group of girls from various backgrounds go away to camp for the summer. Upon their arrival at camp, the "leader" of the girls, Cinder, discovers that two of her clan, Angel and Ferris, are still virgins. Knowing that the girls hate each other, Cinder decides to place a bet that Ferris will lose her virginity before Angel. Taking the bet, Ferris and Angel battle to be the first one to lose their virginity, and find themsleves growing up in the process.

"I wanted the girls to like me. I wanted to be in just once. I didn't want to be the rich kid."

Little Darlings is a good film, and I imagine it could be very beneficial to teenage girls who are determined to lose their virginity. The girls in the film are fifteen years old, and far to young to be having sex. Even they, themselves, know this and state it within the movie; however, the peer presure, thrust upon them by Cinder, is too much, and the girls find it hard to admit their true feelings.
 
Peer pressure is something we've all had to deal with at least once in our lives, and this, in my opinion, has got to be one of the worst forms of it. Feeling pressured into having sex is never a nice thing, but, as a teenager, I'm sure it's worse. However, the girls in this film are smart. They don't do anything they don't want to do. It's just a shame that this isn't always the case in the real world.

The two girls at the centre of this movie are complete opposites. Ferris is a well brought up, highly educated product of wealth, while Angel is an uneducated, tough girl from the working class. Initially, the girls can't stand each other, and have very different views about sex. Ferris' view is all about romance and poetry, yet she fails to comprehend that love sometimes involves the act of sex. Angel, on the other hand, has no interest in the love side of things, and views sex as an entirely physical act, not realizing that feelings may come into it. Throughout the course of the film, the two girls begin to understand one another, and realize that they are not all that different after all.

"... Don't let the name fool you."

The outcome of Little Darlings is dealt with very well. One of the girls does indeed lose her virginity, while the other remains a virgin. What's nice about the conclusion of the film is that we, the audience, realize that Angel and Ferris have come around to each other's way of thinking. Ferris realizes that love sometimes involves sex, and Angel realizes that sex sometimes involves love.

Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol were both very good in their roles of Ferris and Angel, respectively. They both made their characters likable and relatable. The rest of the cast of girls also did a good job, as did Matt Dillon, who played Randy, in his second film role.

Little Darlings is a nice movie that carries some important lessons. All teenage girls should see it. 8/10

Trivia: Kristy McNichol, who played Angel, took up smoking for her role in Little Darlings. Unfortunately, she was never able to quit.

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