Smooth Talk

A fifteen year old teenager, Connie(Laura Dern in an exceptional performance), is interested in boys and seems little concerned for the possible consequences of dressing provocatively and flirting with the guys older than her at the mall and "adult" hamburger diner.

Connie seems little interested in her family at this time in her life and mother Katherine(Mary Kay Place, perfectly capturing a frustrated mother attempting to somehow find a connection with this girl during those turbulent, emotional years as Connie is going through her stage of sexual awakening)is growing tired of her daughter's listlessness and lack of desire to help out around the house, or other chores big sis, June(Elizabeth Berridge), is more than willing to do. Connie's trip to the diner with her best friend, Jill(Sara Inglis), grabs the attention of the enigmatic stud, Arnold Friend(Treat Williams, handsome, odd, creepy, and quietly forboding).

I must say that having read that this was at one point a PBS movie doesn't surprise me because it is certainly a cautionary tale for teenage girls who attempt to grow up too fast and frequent places with adults who might prey on them.

I thought this was a very realistic view of budding sexuality as it pertains to teenagers figuring out boys, and their place in the world.

Berridge is actually the one I feel pity for in that she represents a lot of women(and men), not necessarily old maids, but those young adults who never achieved in life, finding themselves still living with their parents. June is certainly appreciated by Katherine who uses her as a tool of ridicule towards Connie. Even though she's older, obedient and respectful to both parents, helps out around the place, and spends quality time with her mother and father, June is still completely buried under Connie's shadow. Connie enters a room, eyes gravitate in her direction, she turns heads and older men immediately look her way. The way the director shoots June, you sometimes barely see what her face expresses..sadly, even the camera's eye wishes to look at Connie even when June is part of a conversation.

Connie is at that stage where life becomes complicated and her behavior could cause many a mother to want to scream. Katherine is often furious and annoyed at Connie because of her aloofness(not to mention, she doesn't want to wash dishes or help mama wallpaper the walls or paint the outside part of the house)and lack of care or desire to accept any responsiblity when there's plenty for her to do(chalk it up to laziness or simply wanting to be elsewhere).

I think this movie really succeeds in it's presentation of a teenage girl at a time in her life when she's trying to figure things out, no longer a girl yet still immature in the ways of horny males who might take advantage of her youth and vulnerability. Simply put, Connie taunts and teases, not taking into count how older guys and stronger men might respond to her. There's an instance where three muscular jocks try to proposition Connie and her two teenage pals who had previously flirted with them, a moment of terror which might be certain to bring a lump to the throat because they tower over these kids with all their make-up and hairspray.

Her friends are soon removed from any male threat, but Connie continued playing with fire, the result being Arnold, someone who isn't the kind to take no for an answer, perhaps capable of anything in order to secure her virginity(during their lengthly conversation at the end, Arnold subtly implies he'd burn the house in order to get her to come out to "take a ride" with him). We also see that Connie can oftentimes incite anger from her mom and sister with little remarks and snipes that have a tendancy to envoke an emotional response. It's actually Connie's father, Harry(Levon Helm)who she has the strongest relationship which could be because he doesn't necessarily make demands of her, or pose the questions to her which might cause a tense argument, causing a rift between the two. He's an obvious softy who wants to appease his family and this often makes mama the bad guy..the movie, as I mentioned, is actually an accurate portrayal of family life. We don't always get along, and sometimes mama and daughter are at each other's throats over this and that, perhaps trivial things such as helping clean the plates, forks, and spoons.

The final thirty minutes focuses on predatory pedarist Treat Williams(all confidence in his ability to attain the prize in his reach), and Connie(trying to be evasive and free herself from the spider's web)is really uncomfortable(while also problematic as we kind of know, despite not wanting to acknowledge it, that Connie will inevitably have to part with her virginity or else risk unpleasantness). Connie tries to avoid this inevitability, but Arnold is not one to forfeit what he believes is rightfully his..to him they are already lovers and she just needs to come to grip with it. I mean nearly this entire segment of the movie is dedicated to Arnold trying to get Connie in his car so they can go on a "joyride". I had read some opinions which believe, interesting enough, that there's a distinct possibility that Arnold Friend wasn't real, but a figment of Connie's imagination..that A.Friend is a symbol or something of danger if you younguns get out there in the real world, in the wrong crowd, putting yourself in a position to be potentially raped. If that is the case, SMOOTH TALK develops quite a scenario where such an event is a scary possibility indeed.