Little Darlings is a 1980 teen\coming-of-age film directed by Ronald F. Maxwell (in his directorial debut), starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy McNichol, Armand Assante, Matt Dillon, Maggie Blye, Nicolas Coster and Marianne Gordon.
Plot[]
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
A group of teenage girls from the Atlanta area go to summer camp, and two of them make a bet as to which one will lose her virginity first. The two girls then choose "targets", or guys they want to be the ones they lose their virginity with.
Unbeknownst to the adults, all the girls in camp bet money on the contest and divide into two "teams," each rooting for and egging on either Ferris (Tatum O'Neal) or Angel (Kristy McNichol). At the same time, the girls engage in typical teenage behavior such as food fights and other activities.
The girls involved in the contest are opposites and rivals: cynical, suspicious and streetwise poor girl Angel Bright and naive, prissy and romantic rich girl Ferris Whitney. Both girls discover that "it" is not what they thought it was.
Ferris thinks of love as romance and wine and flowers. She imagines herself swept off her feet by Gary, the camp counselor. When she lies about "making love" with him, the biological side manifests itself in others' reactions to what she said she did. She discovers that, at least in the context of a camp counselor having sex with a fifteen-year-old, sex can be hurtful and its consequences ugly. Her attitude is now more grounded in reality; she has become more like street-wise Angel.
Angel approaches the same issue from the other side. She views winning the contest as a mechanical, purely biological function, "no big deal" as her mother has told her, but when she tries to do "it" with Randy (Matt Dillon) in the boathouse, she becomes confused by feelings she did not know she had. She behaves very defensively, as if Randy is trying to force her to have sex.
Randy (who could take it or leave it) is put off by Angel's recalcitrance and leaves. She then must admit to herself that sex is not a mechanical function she can cynically turn on and off, but is something she deeply wants to do.
Angel reconnects with Randy later with a much improved attitude, one closer to Ferris'. This time, she pays attention not to clothing removal procedures and condoms, but to her feelings for Randy.
In the end, Ferris discovers that love involves sex (which is not always romantic) and Angel discovers that sex involves love (which deeply touches her and transforms her soul) & they both grow up that summer.
Cast[]
- Tatum O'Neal as Ferris Whitney
- Kristy McNichol as Angel Bright
- Armand Assante as Gary Callahan
- Matt Dillon as Randy Adams
- Maggie Blye as Ms. Bright
- Nicolas Coster as Mr. Whitney
- Marianne Gordon as Mrs. Whitney
- Krista Errickson as Cinder Carlson
- Alexa Kenin as Dana
- Mary Betten as Miss Nichols
- Abby Bluestone as Chubby
- Troas Hayes as Diane
- Cynthia Nixon as Sunshine Walker
- Simone Schachter as Carrots
- Jenn Thompson as Penelope Schubert
Production[]
"Little Darlings" was filmed in Hard Labor Creek State Park, 50 miles east of Atlanta during the summer of 1979.
The signs and props built for the film remain for visitors to see. The gas station men's room (condom) scene was filmed in downtown Rutledge, the town nearest the park.
The meeting place for the buses at the beginning and ending were filmed in a parking lot near the offices of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and you can see the old Omni Coliseum in the background including in the last scene of the movie.
When Ferris is driven into town, they pass the Swan House, indicating that her family lives in Buckhead, a wealthy part of town to the north of the city.
During the food fight sequence, the campers in the scene were students from local private schools such as Routledge Academy.
Writers Kimi Peck and Dalene Young have said that Tatum O'Neal was always their first choice for the role of Ferris.
For the role of Angel, the role was intially offered to Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster was considered for it, but Kristy McNichol was eventually chosen for the role. When McNichol was hired, Dalene Young said she was disappointed because McNichol was known primarily as a television star, "but she turned out to be the best thing in the picture."
Dalene Young was present when a cattle call of young male actors turned out to audition for the role of Randy Adams. Although he wasn't part of the casting process, Young said she picked out Matt Dillon from the group and immediately knew he would be perfect for the part.
Reception[]
Box Office[]
"Little Darlings" grossed $34,326,249 at the box office.
Critical Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, "Little Darlings" was given an audience score of 75%.
Roger Ebert gave the movie 2 stars, saying it "somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves."
Accolades[]
Young Artist Awards
- Kristy McNichol: Best Young Actress in a Major Motion Picture (nominated)
Theatrical Trailer[]
Little Darlings (1980) Trailer