Back home

Little Darlings

98 votes

Producing House

Two 15-year-old girls from different sides of the tracks compete to see who will be first to lose their virginity while at camp.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1980-03-21

Runtime: 95 mins

Director: Ronald F. Maxwell

Spoken language: English, Français

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Original title: Little Darlings

Production Companies: Paramount Pictures

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

W

Wuchak
***A fun romp about girls wanting to lose their virginity… or something deeper?*** At summer camp in the eastern USA, two girls (Kristy McNichol and Tatum O’Neal) have a contest regarding who will lose their virginity first. Angel (McNichol) sets her eyes on a cool kid (Matt Dillon) at the boys’ camp across the lake while Ferris (O’Neal) pursues an older camp counselor (Armand Assante). This is a coming-of-age drama with some amusing touches, similar to “The Summer of ’42” (1971), except that it involves a group of girls during the summer of 1979 (when the film was shot). The first half has the girls meet at the buses, which take them to the camp, and the typical shenanigans thereof: Rivalry, friendship, borrowing a bus, meeting guys, stealing condoms, a food fight, swimming, canoeing and so on. It’s similar to “Meatballs” (1979) and all-around routine, although somewhat entertaining. My attention perked up in the second half where I found I had stumbled upon drama at its finest. Despite the set-up of the wager to see who can lose their virginity first, “Little Darlings” doesn't treat sex lightly. The scene where one of the girls says to a boy before (maybe) having sex for the first time: "Right now. Do you care about me a little?" This shows how little a gal will ask from a dude before giving it up. Her tears after the fact are also an authentic reaction, not to mention thoroughly convincing. It drove home the point that sex was a big deal and not something of which to take lightly. This is followed by the interesting irony of what the two girls TELL their friends and, even better, Angel & Ferris’ potent meeting at the swing set with its refreshing transparency. The final scene and closing still are heartwarming as “Let Your Love Flow” by the Bellamy Brothers plays over the credits. I know a lot of people see this flick as little more than a fun summer camp romp, like “Meatballs,” but those scenes are superb and represent drama & cinema at their finest. The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes and was shot at Hard Labor Creek State Park, Rutledge, Georgia, as well as nearby Covington, Madison and Eatonton, Georgia. GRADE: B
2018-10-21

Recommendations

The Crusade
2.6

The Crusade

2021-12-22

Abel, Marianne and their 13-year-old son Joseph live together in Paris. Their everyday existence is

Jack Kerouac's Road: A Franco-American Odyssey
4

Jack Kerouac's Road: A Franco-American Odyssey

1987-03-01

Part documentary, part drama, this film presents the life and work of Jack Kerouac, an American writ

Chicken Little
3

Chicken Little

2005-11-04

When the sky really is falling and sanity has flown the coop, who will rise to save the day? Togethe

Get Over It
2.8

Get Over It

2001-03-08

When Berke Landers, a popular high school basketball star, gets dumped by his life-long girlfriend,

A Night in the Fields
2.2

A Night in the Fields

2020-01-30

In a working-class town, Anthony and Dylan, two inseparable 14-year-old teenagers decide to go on a

Good Girls
4

Good Girls

2016-11-25

Two sisters navigating the no man's land between childhood and adulthood have to deal with the conse

Welcome to the Dollhouse
3.5

Welcome to the Dollhouse

1996-03-22

An unattractive 7th grader struggles to cope with suburban life as the middle child with inattentive

Family Plan
2.6

Family Plan

1997-01-01

A bumbling guy takes a group of orphans to summer camp.

13 Going on 30
3.4

13 Going on 30

2004-04-13

After total humiliation at her thirteenth birthday party, Jenna Rink wants to just hide until she's

Empire of the Sun
3.8

Empire of the Sun

1987-12-09

Jamie Graham, a privileged English boy, is living in Shanghai when the Japanese invade and force all

See You Tomorrow
0

See You Tomorrow

2011-07-02

A day of Hyo-jeong, a first-year student in high school, who repeats a routine endlessly.

Rushmore
3.7

Rushmore

1998-12-11

When a beautiful first-grade teacher arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an

Show Me Love
3.5

Show Me Love

1998-10-23

Two teenage girls in small-town Sweden. Elin is beautiful, popular, and bored with life. Agnes is fr

Alma's Rainbow
3.1

Alma's Rainbow

1994-06-23

The teenage daughter of a Brooklyn beauty-parlor owner blossoms under the influence of her recently-

Breaking Pencils
0

Breaking Pencils

2021-05-31

Sep learns how to navigate high-school life.

Y Tu Mamá También
3.7

Y Tu Mamá También

2001-06-08

In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or

The Virgin Suicides
3.6

The Virgin Suicides

2000-04-21

A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their stri

Aparajito
3.9

Aparajito

1956-10-11

Apu and his family have moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Benares. As

Hot Summer
2.9

Hot Summer

1968-06-20

In this East German teen musical, a group of girls are planning to take their summer vacation togeth

Almost Famous
3.7

Almost Famous

2000-09-15

In 1973, 15-year-old William Miller's unabashed love of music and aspiration to become a rock journa