Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

Rating PG
Length 1h30
Release 12.4.1985 (US release)
Director Alan Metter
About Though she’s a talented gymnast, Janey (Sarah Jessica Parker) has always followed the orders of her strict Army colonel father and stayed out of the spotlight. However, when she moves to a new town and meets the carefree Lynne (Helen Hunt), she disobeys her father for the first time in her life. With Lynne’s encouragement, Janey enters a TV dance competition — and soon finds herself with both a cute dance partner and an archrival who is dead set on getting Janey eliminated from the contest.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:

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The Good

• The story is perfect for a lazy evening watch. It has the rivalry, friendship and romance. You know what it also has? Positive male characters. Lee Montgomery’s Jeff has a father that could have easily been the toxic male stereotype, yet he’s the most encouraging of parent!
• For any viewer who has grown up watching Helen Hunt, Jonathan Silverman and Shannon Soherty this is the most amazing ‘before they were famous’ sort of watch.
• Of course, we can’t not talk about Sarah Jessica Parker. She was always the girl in Flight of the Navigator to me. Then she appeared in Hocus Pocus and from then on I watched most things she was in. This is just Parker at her most charming.
• I have to give a special mention to the costume department and whoever it was that came up with Helen Hunt’s stunning head pieces. I’m not going to spoil them other than to say that she starts with dinosaurs and goes from there.

The Bad

• The final act overuses the one song. I get that it seems that all contestants had to choreograph to the same song, but it was painful and, come on, can you imagine Strictly Ballroom or Dancing on Ice having each pair dance the same song every week?! I’ll be honest, those sort of shows are not really for me, but the same song up to 12 times? Shoot me now!

The Ugly

• How have I only just watched this?! Why is this not spoken about more? The cast, the story, the dancing. Everything about this film screams inspiration for everything that I’ve seen, yet no one talks about it? This is not a bargain bin film and *should* be held as highly as Ferris Buller!

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Final Thoughts

This film walked, so my teenage films could run. Any one who loves 10 Things I Hate About You, 13 Going on 30 or any of the teen films of the 90’s and 00’s this film is a must for you.