‘Valley Girl’ Blu-ray Review

Nicolas Cage has become a Hollywood institution. Part of the Coppola dynasty, Cage has been steadily working in film since the eighties and has covered almost every genre imaginable. And yet, despite being so popular, one of his earliest films – Valley Girl – is often overlooked. That looks set to change this week thanks to the folks at Eureka Classics as Valley Girl arrives in the UK on Blu-ray. 

Having already appeared in two projects under the name Nicolas Coppola, Valley Girl marks the first time that the actor was credited as Nicolas Cage. In many ways then, Valley Girl can be viewed as the birth of the star. Directed by Martha Coolidge, Valley Girl sees Cage play alongside Deborah Foreman as teenagers from different worlds who embark on a tumultuous romance. Foreman stars as Julie, one of the popular kids at the fancy Valley High. Julie’s life is full of privilege; she and her friends spend their days shopping and partying at sophisticated soirees catered with sushi. Cage plays Randy, a student at Hollywood High who doesn’t come from money and whose idea of partying is sneaking into the local club. The pair cross paths at the beach before Randy crashes one of Julie’s friends’ parties, during which the two connect. Their relationship is scrutinised by everyone around them. Can their love last the distance? 

The plot of Valley Girl is nothing new. Its narrative follows expected teen movie / romantic comedy beats to a tee. In spite of its adherence to the rules and inclusion of the now infamous Cage, Valley Girl is something of a deep cut within the teen genre. Released in the year 1983, Valley Girl is perhaps one of the last of the more ‘mature’ teen movies. Prior to Valley Girl, movies such as Porky’s were popular, featuring teens being silly and getting naked. Not long after Valley Girl the John Hughes teen movies took over. These movies were more family friendly and sex was something potentially spoken about but not seen. Valley Girl releasing between these two conflicting styles made it almost too late to follow Porky’s popularity, and too rude to fit in with the Hughes crowd. And so it has remained adrift until now. 

Watching Valley Girl with modern eyes is certainly an experience. The anti-John Hughes sex, nudity, and swearing is welcome, cutting through the sugary coating that became the norm. With teen audiences now growing up on a diet of shows like Gossip Girl in which sex is no longer taboo, the teenage experience represented in Valley Girl is familiar. Opening with a montage of Julie and friends shopping is an early personification of the consumer heavy greed of the era in which it was created. 

There are however, some questionable aspects of Valley Girl that don’t sit right in the modern world. The main issue being how Cage’s character Randy reacts to Julie breaking up with him. In teen movie tradition, Randy goes to great lengths to prove to Julie that they should be together. The reality of this is that he essentially stalks her. It’s played off, as with a lot of movies from this era, as being sweet. However, the truth is that his actions are a massive red flag. His inability to respect her decision is an indicator of his toxic masculinity. Valley Girl though, is from another era, and so its questionable character actions get a pass. 

Comparing Valley Girl to the pantheon both before and after, there is no denying that it is lacking something. For one, the pace is sedentary. Teen movies typically race along, but this one takes its time, getting nowhere in the process. Valley Girl’s issue is that, much like their friends, it is hard for the viewer to buy into Julie and Randy as a couple. There is a smidgen of chemistry between them, but not enough to make their relationship believable. Instead the pair feel like they are merely going through the motions rather than being smitten with one another.

When compared to its peers, Valley Girl also lacks that catchy soundtrack of eighties juggernauts. It does feature Modern English’s I Melt with You and Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue, but neither song is as intrinsically linked to the film in the way that Maniac is with Flashdance, or Hungry Eyes is with Dirty Dancing. The lack of a musical anchor is potentially a key reason that, over time, Valley Girl has faded into obscurity.  

Not quite a forgotten classic, Valley Girl does still make for interesting viewing. If nothing more, Valley Girl gives a peek at Cage very early in his career. Even here, there are some early signs of his now trademarks acting tricks and to see them so raw is a treat. The release itself includes a slew of special features, including insightful commentaries offering further education into this teenage anomaly. A respectfully restored edition of an underseen movie, now is the perfect time to get acquainted with Valley Girl. 

Valley Girl is out on Blu-ray now via Eureka Classics.