LITTLE DARLINGS

US, 1980, 95 minutes, Colour.
Tatum O'Neal, Kristy Mac Nicol, Armand Assante, Matt Dillon.
Directed by Ronald F. Maxwell.

In 1980 Little Darlings had the provocative advertising tag: "The race is on, who will lose her virginity first?" This kind of advertising was, ultimately, misleading. Although, in fact, this is what the film is about, it is not how it is presented. Rather, the film is a story about two young teenagers, one who is tough and the other who is rich, who come together, have their surface personalities, discover what they are really like underneath. The streetwise young girl does lose her virginity but keeps it quiet. The rich girl boasts but, of course, does not.

The treatment is strong, and while there is an amount of leering humour, the film has a very serious side to it. The film stars Kristy Mac Nicol as the tough girl and Tatum O'Neal as the rich girl. The film is one of the earlier performances of Matt Dillon and Armand Assante is one of the instructors in the summer camp. The direction is by Ronald F. Maxwell who was to go on to direct such films as The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia as well as the celebrated reconstructions of the civil war, Gettysburg and Gods and Generals.

This film proved very useful during the 80s for groups to discuss moral issues in an increasingly permissive and frank society. The story about two young teenagers, one who is tough and the other who is rich, who come together, have their surface personalities, discover what they are really like underneath. This film proved very useful during the 80s for groups to discuss moral issues in an increasingly permissive and frank society.

Little Darlings is advertised as a film about a bet concerning two 15-year-old girls at a summer camp and their losing their virginity. If you sit through to the end (which I would recommend to parents), you will find that the advertising tone doesn't do the film justice. We live in a permissive world, adolescent problems are complex, mistakes are made ? but the basics of human nature (and many realities considered old fashioned) are still there, no matter how blase the surface. The film captures the brashness, the juvenile bravado as well as the deeper feelings and hurts. Tatum O'Neal is alright, but Kristy MacNicol? is vibrant and vulnerable.

This film proved very useful during the 80s for groups to discuss moral issues in an increasingly permissive and frank society. The story about two young teenagers, one who is tough and the other who is rich, who come together, have the surface personalities, discover what they are really like underneath. This film proved very useful during the 80s for groups to discuss moral issues in an increasingly permissive and frank society.

1. The intended audience of the film: adolescents, girls? Adults? Parents? Teachers? Social workers? The variety of response from these audiences? Interest, entertainment, concern?

2. The film reflecting American lifestyles of the '80s? Adolescents, families, peer groups, pressures, sexuality. sexual Pressures, wanting to be popular and liked? The moral tone of the film? The quality of observation of American lifestyle?

3. The title and its ironies? The blend of humour and seriousness? The Impact of the film and its brevity?

4. Colour photography, Panavision, the city, the country lifestyle, the holiday camp? Musical score, the range of songs and lyrics? Relevance of the lyrics?

5. The stars and their personalities and style? The focus on teenage girls? Authentic: dialogue,, attitudes, behaviour, likes, dislikes, girlish behaviour in groups, reactions to adults, intersex reaction? Peer groups?

6. The role of the summer camp, the reasons for girls going on the camps, their reaction to the camp, to one another? The effect on the girls to be away from family? Holiday, training? The staff and their role at the camp? Pep talks, supervision, exercises, physical training? The men and women? The dormitories, the range of activities, coaching? The camps as not co-educational? Girl talk and rivalries, pressures and boasting? The initial fights on the bus? The dining room fight? Dormitory chatter? The possibility of the girls getting to know one another?

7. The film's highlighting of Ferris and Angel? Their arrival at the buses? Angel's mother and her hooker style, tough, comment on smoking? Absence of father? Love for her daughter? Ferris and her parents, the wealth, the clothes, the car? The importance of her father and the soon-to-be-absent mother? Places on the bus, the fight? The setting up of the two girls by way of contrast, rich and poor, social classes, interests, manners, behaviour? Clash, rivalry, friendship?

8. Tatum O'Neal's style as Ferris: wealth, love for her father and his visit, the story of the divorce and her sulking and grief, her elegance, good manners? Her reaction to Cinder and virginity? The bet? Her following Gary, the discussions and their naivety? The set-up and her being rescued from the pool? The special coaching and the girls watching through binoculars? His concern at her unhappiness about the divorce? The visit to his house, the talk. the proposition? His reaction to her? The girls' interest in the bet? The background of the ordinary style, the talking with the counsellor about virginity and the advice she received? The build-up to the crisis? Her story. her telling lies and her saying it felt right? Cary's reaction? Her repentance? The reconciliation at the bus? The talk with Angel and the emergence of the truth? The bond of friendship? Her introducing Angel to her father as her friend? The plausibility of Ferris' character, her behaviour, what happened to he during the camp? Her wanting to be liked and gaining a friend?

9. The contrast with Angel: her tough mother, her toughness. smoking, the talk about the guardian angel and the bus seat, fighting? Her virginity and reaction to the girls' pressure? The bet? Taking the bus. getting the contraceptives? The focus on Randy? Friendship, the night together and the beer? The delay? Her friends supporting her? The various fights amongst the girls? Miss Nichols and the exercises? The build-up to the night, her putting him off? His reaction? The night of the consummation of the love and her 'lonesomeness'? Her telling the girls she lost the bet? Randy and his reaction to the bet, dating?

10. The range of girls at the camp: Cinder and her glamour, TV commercials, showing off, pressures? The other and younger girls and their big talk? Watching the boys through the binoculars? Playing the flute while Gary coached Ferris? Fat Penelope and her getting the contraceptives? Giggles, talks, chatter, bets? The ironic background of the activities starting with the National Anthem and the girls' loyalty?

11. The sketch of Gary and his work, coaching, swimming, teaching? His becoming the victim of romance? His sober talking to Ferris? The end?

12. Randy and the boys, the pick-up, his drunkenness, passing out? His reaction to Angel's talking too much? The night and his tenderness? His being upset that it was her first time? His disillusionment in hearing about the bet? Dating Cinder? The reconciliation?

13. The parents and what they represented? Angel's loud mother and Angel taking her in hand at the end? Ferris' father and his explanation of the divorce? The parents visiting and discovering the drawer of condoms? Parents' reaction to a holiday camp?

14. The quality of the perception of the girls, the growing pains of adolescence, questions of virginity and sexuality, misunderstandings, peer group pressure? An effective film for discussion for the adolescent group it portrays?