Beauty vs Beast: Girl, You'll Be A Woman, Now
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 at 12:35PM Jason from MNPP here, bringing us this week's "Beauty vs Beast" a day late thanks to holiday circumstances -- sorry for the delay! Hope those of you who celebrated Labor Day had a nice one. Okay on to the main event: this week marks the 30th anniversary of the film Smooth Talk, which stars Laura Dern (in a very early role - this was a year before Blue Velvet!) and Treat Williams as the teenage girl Connie and the suspicious sexy stranger Arnold Friend (A. Friend -- get it???) who's come to make a woman out of her whether she likes it or not. The film was based on Joyce Carol Oates' short-story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" which means my first introduction to this film was in High School English class. Anybody else? I was really into it at the time, but now I mostly look back at it as my introduction to the Wonder-of-Dern and a time-capsule of Treat-Hotness. Still, I must ask - would you stay in that house with Connie or zoom off for a ride with Arnold?
PREVIOUSLY We looked at this Summer's most boisterous bad girls tragi-comedy Mistress America, and asked you which colorful city gal you prefered - while newcomer Lola Kirke put on a good show it was always gonna be Greta Gerwigbopping in the winner's circle, and sure enough. Said Brian:
"Team Brooke ; She's a dreamer, even if her ideas are beyond her grasp."
Reader Comments (6)
whoa....we were just talking about this movie and how no one remembers or talks about it.
I knew of the movie before I was aware of the short story it's based on. Learned about the short story in college. I have yet to watch it. Love Laura Dern.
I did worry this might be a bit of an obscure pick, but I figure if anybody's seen it it's the savvy Actressexuals of TFE who rightfully worship Laura Dern
I saw it years and years ago in my first flush of Laura Dern obsession (so it must have been around Wild at Heart time frame. She's soooo good in it.
I've been trying to see this movie ever since reading the short in high school, but so far I've only been able to catch bits and pieces of it. I remember thinking the story was really unsettling at the time.
Anyway, I voted for Dern because duh!
mid-80s treat williams? let's ride...