Little Darlings

This movie isn't as bad as its plot may suggest, mainly because of two excellent performances from Kristy McNichol and Matt Dillon. They both convey beautifully the discovery of sexuality and the confusions that go with it. Less successful is Tatum O'Neal, who sounds like she's reading her lines from cue cards, and her rather unbelievable romance with Armand Assante (who had a very hairy back!). The other girls have fun with their roles, especially Cynthia Nixon. But how daggy this era was! Everyone looks so drab.

I was a pubescent fan of the two "kid" actresses when this film exploded with a print ad featuring Tatum (The Bad News Bears) and Kristy (TV's Family) with breasts and looking hot! hot! hot! Coming of age never looked so good. The scene where Matt Dillon snaps Kristy's bubble gum bubble from her lips and puts it in his mouth is forever molded into my memory.

Very entertaining movie but what really makes it worthwhile is the wonderful performance by Kristy McNicol. That alone makes it worth watching - she carries the movie all the way through. Love the scene where she and Tatum have their heart-to-heart confession of what really happened - Kristy shows true emotion. Matt Dillon sure was a cute thing back then! Also, watch for a very young Cynthia Nixon from Sex in the City playing the hippie kid. And Armand Asante - what can I say! He was sure in his prime in the looks department! Tatum is only just okay in this film but then maybe that's how her character was supposed to be. A fun watch!

Wonderful funny teenage coming-of-age flick! A must see for viewers from 12 to 92! It's endearing and the acting is quite good for the age group of the cast. Matt Dillon's performance is stellar and he melts the hearts of all the women in the audience. Kristy McNichol and Tatum Oneal have a believable rivalry that ends in a moment that captures the true essence of teenage friendships. It's a great movie for parents to watch with their about to be teenage daughters, the sons may find it too cheesy. But give it a try. It's a classic flick that will hang around for many, many years to come. The scene where the girls go on a hunt for condoms is priceless! It's definitely a knee slapper. The next scene stealer would be gentle Sunshine who proves that even hippie tree hugging types have their limits. Go on out and pick up a copy. Rent it. You won't be sorry you did.

Awkward coming of age pic features a naive contest between two fifteen year old schoolgirls to see who can lose their virginity first. Before the film is over, one of the girls discovers sex is not as romantic and dreamy as they imagined. Hard to know whether director Maxwell, along with writers Kimi Peck and Dalene Young, were trying to encourage young girls to save themselves or whether this was just supposed to be a film about the trials of puberty. "Little Darlings" never really digs deep enough, and thus we never get to the nitty-gritty of growing up. Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol do well with their two young teens from different sides of the social fence; both of whom are growing up too fast. A very young Matt Dillon and the talented Armand Assante lend support as the prospective lovers. Sunday, April 25, 1999 - Video

I was hesitant to buy this movie on video because there is a disclaimer on the back of the box stating that some of the music has been changed. I thought it would be like the video version of "16 Candles" where they replaced some of the music with "canned elevator music". Since I only saw the TV version of this movie, and never saw the theatrical release-I didn't find a huge difference in the video version except for the song during the ending credits. From what I remember it was a song called "Let Your Love Flow", or something like that. The video version closing music is awful! I don't know where Paramount dug up that song! For the movie, I still found it enjoyable and entertaining. Tatum O'Neal, and Kristy McNichol really shine through in this movie and make it fun to watch. I am glad that it's still available on video, but it would be nice if this movie was released on DVD in the original theatrical version, or TV version.

Little Darlings is a classic teen movie but the appeal is that it can actually be enjoyed by all ages. I have seen this one and one half times. I FIRST saw it when I was a kid but I actually think it can be enjoyed as much or more as an adult. Little darlings is both a cute movie and a fun one-although it's a light movie, the characters go through and tackle, issues all young girls deal with in a fun non preachy manner and is pretty accurate in many places too. The reason it is so much fun to watch as an adult is for nostalgia purposes. Set at summercamp, it sort of takes you back to your youth. The movie is dated as anything and when I recently caught it again I almost had to laugh at the dated aspect but the fact remains it can still be enjoyed today.Teens will identify with it, adults will reminded of times gone by.