Little Darlings is a 1980 American teen comedy-drama film starring Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol and featuring Armand Assante and Matt Dillon. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. The screenplay was written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young and the original music score was composed by Charles Fox. The film was marketed with the tagline "Don't let the title fool you", a reference to a scene in which Randy comments on Angel's name, to which Angel replies, "Don't let the name fool you."
Little Darlings | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ronald F. Maxwell |
Produced by | Stephen J. Friedman |
Screenplay by | Kimi Peck Dalene Young |
Story by | Kimi Peck |
Starring | Tatum O'Neal Kristy McNichol Armand Assante Matt Dillon Maggie Blye Nicolas Coster Marianne Gordon |
Music by | Charles Fox |
Cinematography | Beda Batka |
Edited by | Pembroke J. Herring |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | March 21, 1980 (US) |
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $36,326,249 |
Critic Roger Ebert said of the film that it "somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves."
Screenplay
A group of teenage girls from Atlanta go to summer camp, and, unbeknownst to the adults, two of them make a bet as to which one will lose her virginity first, with all the girls in camp betting money on the contest. The girls involved in the contest are opposites and rivals: cynical, suspicious and streetwise poor girl Angel Bright (played by Kristy McNichol) and naive, prissy and romantic rich girl Ferris Whitney (played by Tatum O’Neal). The rest of the girls divide into two "teams", each rooting for and egging on either Ferris or Angel. The two girls then choose "targets", or guys they want to be the ones they lose their virginity with. Both girls discover that sex is not what they thought it would be. At the same time, the girls engage in typical teenage behavior, such as food fights and other activities.
Ferris thinks of love as romance and wine and flowers. She imagines herself swept off her feet by Gary, the camp counselor. When she lies about "making love" with him, the biological side manifests itself in others' reactions. She discovers that, at least in the context of a camp counselor having sex with a fifteen-year-old, sex can be damaging and its consequences ugly. Her attitude is now more grounded in reality; she has become more like street-wise Angel.
Street-wise Angel approaches the same issue from the other side and learns the opposite lesson. She views winning the contest as a purely biological function, "no big deal" and "nothing," as her mother told her. But when she tries to do "it" with Randy in a boathouse, she becomes confused by scary feelings she did not know she had. She behaves defensively, like she doesn't want it. Randy, confused, is put off by her recalcitrance and leaves. Angel must then admit to herself that sex is not just a mechanical function she can cynically turn on and off. It involves feelings and caring. It's important, and something she deeply wants. As Randy leaves, she tearfully protests, "But I like you!"
She meets Randy a few days later with a much improved attitude--one closer to Ferris'. This time she pays attention, not to clothing removal and condoms, but to Randy and her feelings. From the novel: "All the fear and worry melted as they kissed. Soon she didn't know who was touching whom, only that it was wonderful and right and fine."
Angel has sex, but doesn't tell the other girls, while Ferris remains a virgin and lies about it "We had chilled Chablis; and the darkness enveloped us.")
In the end, Ferris discovers that love involves the physical sex act, which is not necessarily romantic, and Angel discovers that sex involves love, which deeply touches her and transforms her soul.
- Tatum O'Neal as Ferris Whitney
- Kristy McNichol as Angel Bright
- Armand Assante as Gary Callahan
- Matt Dillon as Randy Adams
- Maggie Blye as Ms. Bright
- Nicolas Coster as Mr. Whitney
- Marianne Gordon as Mrs. Whitney
- Krista Errickson as Cinder Carlson
- Alexa Kenin as Dana
- Mary Betten as Miss Nichols
- Abby Bluestone as Chubby
- Troas Hayes as Diane
- Cynthia Nixon as Sunshine Walker
- Simone Schachter as Carrots
- Jenn Thompson as Penelope Schubert
Little Darlings was filmed in Hard Labor Creek State Park, 50 miles east of Atlanta during the summer of 1979. The signs and props built for the film remain for visitors to see. The gas station men's room (condom) scene was filmed in downtown Rutledge, the town nearest the park. The meeting place for the busses at the beginning and ending were filmed in a parking lot near the offices of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the old Omni Coliseum can be seen in the background including in the last scene of the movie. When Ferris is driven into town, they pass the Swan House, indicating that her family lives in Buckhead, a wealthy part of town to the north of the city.
The film was notable for having a contemporary pop soundtrack, with music by artists like Blondie, Rickie Lee Jones, Supertramp, The Cars, and Iain Matthews. The original video release—on blue box VHS and laserdisc—kept the soundtrack intact, however, many songs in the film such as Supertramp's "School", John Lennon's "Oh My Love" and The Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" were removed from the second round of home releases—VHS red box—due to licensing issues, and were replaced with sound-alikes. As of 2010, the film has not been released on DVD, but was briefly available for digital video rental on iTunes and Amazon with the original soundtrack. It has since been removed from both services. Turner Classic Movies aired the original theatrical version, letterboxed, and with all original music and credits intact, on January 7, 2012. Lionsgate has announced the release of the film on DVD, but it has yet to be released.
Little Darlings was shown on television in a heavily edited version which had all the sex-related scenes and dialogue removed, giving the impression that, instead of trying to lose their virginity, Angel and Ferris were engaged in competition simply to make a guy fall in love with them. The deleted scenes were replaced with alternate footage not seen in the theatrical version, including a scene in which Angel rescues Ferris from drowning in the lake, during a thunderstorm. Some additional music was also used in this version. Director Ron Maxwell has stated that he had no participation in this TV version and does not approve of it.
- Young Artist Awards
- Nominee: Second Best Young Actress in a Major Motion Picture - Kristy McNichol