Smooth Talk

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Movie Info

Produced for PBS's American Playhouse series, Smooth Talk was given a brief theatrical release before its "official" February 9, 1987 TV debut. Laura Dern plays a teenager anxious to experience the pleasures of sexual contact. Left alone in the family summer cottage when her mother (Mary Kay Place), father (Levon Helm) and sister (Elizabeth Berridge) go shopping, Dern decides to wander into town for male companionship. She makes the acquaintance of Treat Williams, a handsome if mildly psychotic type who identifies himself as "A. Friend" and behaves like James Dean. When she returns home, Dern is bewildered and dishevelled. We can only speculate as to whether or not she was raped by Williams; we do know that she isn't the same person we met at the beginning of the film. Smooth Talk was based on a 1970 short story by Joyce Carol Oates entitled "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

Rating:

PG-13
Genre:

Drama
Directed By:

Joyce Chopra
Written By:

Tom Cole
In Theaters:

Jan 1, 1985 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Dec 7, 2004
Runtime:

95 minutes
Studio:

Live Home Video

Cast

Laura Dern
as Connie

Treat Williams
as Arnold Friend

Mary Kay Place
as Katherine

Elizabeth Berridge
as June

Levon Helm
as Harry

Sarah Inglis
as Jill

Margaret Welch
as Laura

Geoff Hoyle
as Ellie

David Michael O'Neill
as Mall Boy

William Ragsdale
as Jeff

David Berridge
as Eddie

Cab Covay
as Pickup Driver

Michael Bryan French
as Stan

Joy Carlin
as Laura's Mother

Mark McKay
as Bobby King

Carl Mueller
as Mall Boy

David O'Neill
as Mall Boy

Craig Caddell
as Mall Boy

Darian Alioto
as Mall Creep

Gary Harris
as Mall Creep

Sally Schuab
as Saleslady

William Desmond
as Laura's Dad

Michael Vaughn
as Leroy

Rob Blair
as Beach Boy

Edgar Kahn
as Beach Boy

Spenser Mains
as Eddie's Friend

Margaret Welsh
as Laura

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Critic Reviews for Smooth Talk

All Critics (9) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (7) | Rotten (2)

The movie is almost uncanny in its self-assurance, in the way it knows that the first hour, where 'nothing' happens, is necessary if the payoff is to be tragic, instead of merely sensational.

Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic
Plays uncomfortably like two movies jammed into one.

Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic
Disregard the incoherent ending, which violates the source material (Joyce Carol Oates story): in her debut, Chopra has made a disturbing tale of sexual awakening set against the 1980s new context of shopping malls; Laura Dern is extraordinary as the lead

Feb 8, 2007 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Despite the less-than-riveting vibe, it's impossible to deny Dern's amazing performance.

Dec 7, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Offers ample and telling observations on adolescence, mother-daughter relationships, familial tensions, and the erotic yearnings of youth.

Aug 18, 2004 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
An unheralded gem of a motion picture, and one of the more vibrant and authentic depictions of teenage life in memory.

Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Dustin Putman
TheFilmFile.com

View All Critic Reviews (9)

Audience Reviews for Smooth Talk

Jun 01, 2009

The main thing that even made this movie watchable is that Laura Dern was sexy.

Chosen 7 Super Reviewer
Mar 11, 2009

I was expecting this to be a fun 80's teen movie, so I got a bit of a shock by the turn it actually took. One of the most chilling and believable films I have seen about being a teenager. The silly girls in this really rang true to some of the girls I grew up with in the 80's and I was really impressed with Laura Dern. I wonder why it wasn't more well known, I had actually never heard of this until recently, and I love 80's films, particularly the teen variety. I don't remember anything about this from when I was growing up. Perhaps it was more popular over in the US. Well worth a look for anyone who likes this genre, who, like me, may have missed out on it first time around.

Nicki M Super Reviewer