Smooth Talk (1985)

In writer/director Joyce Chopra's brilliant but haunting and unsettling coming-of-age romance drama - it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival (then called the U.S. Film Festival) in 1986. Chopra's feature-directing debut film was adapted by Tom Cole (Chopra's real-life husband) from Joyce Carol Oates' 1966 allegorical short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" The short story about a young girl sought after by a predatory murderer was inspired (or based) upon the case of a true-crime killer named Charles Schmid who committed horrific crimes against three young women in the mid-1960s in the Tucson, AZ area. The notorious killer became known as the "Pied Piper of Tucson."

The underrated sleeper film had only a limited release to theatres during its initial run, and was difficult to view on VHS or DVD for years. On a small budget of $1 million, the joint US/UK production failed at the box-office with only about $17,000 in revenues.

The story followed an innocently-flirtatious and restless teenaged girl in the midst of adolescence who was bored with her rural farm life during the summer - until she had an unsettling encounter with a menacing but befriending older male aptly named Arnold Friend. She was forced to examine her own approaching adulthood and overwhelming sexual awakening, and the dangers inherent in interacting with a sinister and seductive male who had been "watching" her.

• the main setting of the film was during a lazy summer vacation period in the Petaluma area of Northern California at the rural fixer-upper farmhouse (that needed renovation and painting) of young teen girl Connie Wyatt (18 year-old Laura Dern in her first lead role)
• the rebellious, often self-absorbed, semi-vain, shallow, gawky and confused adolescent 15 year-old blonde girl was on the treacherous verge of womanhood; she was continually struggling with her mother in a drive for self-independence; the self-conscious and awkward young female had just completed her freshman year in HS - she was boy-crazy and craved male attention

Connie Wyatt (Laura Dern) - 15 Year-Old Teen

Katherine (Mary Kay Place) - Connie's Mother

June (Elizabeth Berridge) - Connie's 24 Year-Old Sister

• other members of her family included:
  • Katherine (Mary Kay Place), her overbearing, overworked, sarcastic and complaining mother who feared that her self-centered daughter had only dark and "trashy daydreams"
  • Harry (Levon Helm), her somewhat oblivious, cheerful and easy-going father who considered her 'daddy's little girl'
  • June (a miscast Elizabeth Berridge), her older more 'perfect' but homely 24 year-old sister, who still lived at home; June was working to support the family, and looked down on Connie as a lazy and spoiled brat
• Connie had negative things to say about June, who was always praised by their parents: "My parents treat her like Miss Perfect, and I'm some career criminal"; Connie also hated her mother's perceived hatred for her: "God, why does she think I'm so bad?"
• in one of the film's earliest scenes (her second visit to the mall), Connie joined her girlfriends: cool Laura Condon (Margaret Welsh) and inexperienced and naive Jill O'Mara (Sara Inglis), where they immediately went into the ladies' room to get dolled up by putting on lipstick and makeup, and changing into more revealing clothing in order to attract attention (often unwanted)

Connie Practicing Talking to Boys In Front of Mirror

(l to r): Connie, Jill, Laura at the Mall

• throughout the hot summer, Connie was alternately practicing conversations with make-believe boyfriends in front of her bathroom mirror, painting her toenails, going to the mall or the movies, sunbathing, making bead necklaces, plotting her next away-from-home escapade and lying about it, or in her bedroom (with a James Dean poster) listening to music (significantly James Taylor's 1977 hit-song remake version of 'Handy Man' from 1959, that brought her to heights of ecstasy)
• she began to spend much of her idle time at Frank's - a local roadside hot-dog, hamburger and beer joint next to a busy highway where older guys hung out: ("This is where it's at"); during her first visit to Frank's (by crossing the busy and dangerous highway - toward the 'grown-up' world allegorically), wearing a revealing halter-top, she was closely observed from outside by a mysterious stranger with mirrored aviator Ray-Ban sunglasses

Frank's Hot-Dog/Beer Joint - with a Gold 1966 Pontiac LeMans Convertible Parked Out Front

Connie Seductively Dressed Up to Attract Attention Inside Frank's

• Connie was picked up at Frank's by two different guys for two quasi-sexual encounters; the first was with Jeff Toussaint (William Ragsdale) - a decent recent HS grad, who flattered her ego: he called her the "cutest girl in the whole freshman class"; as she left Frank's with Jeff, the stranger pointed at Connie and ominously warned with an unexpected greeting: "I'm watching you" - as he twirled one extended finger at her; Jeff drove them to a lover's lane overlook area; after Connie offered an escape wish: "I wish I could just travel somewhere," she received a single kiss

Stranger (pointing at Connie): "I'm watching you"

• on a second occasion, Eddie Hunter (David Berridge), an aggressive male who was more single-mindedly interested for sex told Connie: "I wanna get what you got"; he drove them into an empty parking garage where he touched and kissed her (heavy petting) before she cautioned him to stop before exiting his car: ("Stop. Look, I'm not used to feeling this excited"); for the first time, she suddenly realized the overwhelming and dangerous power of steamy sex and that she wasn't emotionally ready
• Connie's relationship with her mother also worsened when she threatened to punish Connie for potentially fooling around and having sex; their conflict intensified when Connie insultingly mentioned that her mother had set a poor example by getting pregnant at an early age: ("You were none too careful yourself, were you? Like you're some example to try to tell me..") - and her mother slapped her for insolence
• after her first sexual experiences with boys, and developing problems with her mother, Connie confided in her older sister June (who was also worried about Connie getting herself into trouble) about how much she enjoyed male attentiveness and desirability: "I never knew it was gonna be so nice. Did you ever have a boy hold you close and sing to you? This one boy Eddie - he sang to me right in my ear. And he held me so sweetly. Ah June, don't you know how that feels? Just to be held like that?"
• Connie didn't realize that what she had said cruelly implied that June had never been in love or propositioned; although June was truly envious of her younger sister's beauty, she hated her bitchiness: "You're gonna have it all, aren't you? And you think you deserve it"
• in the film's most effective scenes at her empty home on a hot Sunday afternoon while her family was away at a BBQ at her Aunt's place that she refused to attend, Connie was again daringly intrigued and mesmerized by the arrival of Arnold Friend (Treat Williams) - the seductive, beguiling and predatory 30-ish man from Frank's
• he pulled up in his drab 1966 goldish-yellow Pontiac LeMans convertible; he wore black cowboy boots, jeans and an open-necked short-sleeved light yellow shirt (posturing and dressed like James Dean)
• the tune on Connie's radio in the house was the same tune loudly blaring from Arnold's car as he drove up the gravel driveway; he greeted her: "How ya doing? I ain't late, am I?...I told ya I'd be out, didn't I?...You're cute"; he was with shy, peculiar and strange friend Ellie Oscar (Geoff Hoyle), who had his shirt-collar up and was listening to the tune on a transistor radio next to his ear
• Arnold had previously noticed her at the drive-in (when he told her: "I'm watching you"), but now formally introduced himself: "I'm Arnold Friend and that's my real name. And that's what I wanna be to you, a friend"; Arnold spoke about the meaning of the numbers 33-19-17 printed on the left side of his car. "This here's a secret code. But I'm gonna let you in on it." [Note: The total of the numbers equaled 69 - a reference to a deviant sexual position. The numbers also hinted at a Bible verse (Judges 19:17): "When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, 'Where are you going? Where did you come from?'"]
• during a 30-minute confrontation, the antagonistic Friend hypnotically, persuasively, and provocatively spoke to Connie, continually encouraging her to join him for a ride: "Don't you wanna go for a ride?...Today's your day set aside to go for a ride with me, and you know it"; he admitted he was stalking her: "I know my Connie. I've been watching you. Hey! Me and Ellie come out here especially for you"
• with a very disturbing look, he revealed he intimately knew all about her and her activities: "I know your name and all about you. I took a real special interest in you. Such a pretty girl. I found out all about you. Like I know your parents and your sister are gone somewhere. I know how long they're gonna be gone. And I know who you were with last night. And you got one best friend. Her name is Laura..."
• he claimed he knew the names of many of her acquaintances, was about her age (18), and then mostly flirted with her and seduced her from outside her thin screen door behind which she had retreated; he refused to leave ("I'm not leaving till you come with me") when she kindly asked him a few times to go away; he continued to insist: "And Connie, no matter who you were with last night, today you're with Arnold Friend, and don't you forget it....You're special. I saved my whole Sunday afternoon just for you"
• their encounter was a metaphoric, smooth-talking representation of sexual experience, the promise of fulfillment, corruption, and sin -- she was intimidated by him and put under his evil spell when he forcefully and antagonistically spoke to her and insisted on taking her away to an open field for sex and love: "You're my date. I'm your lover, Connie...Yes, I'm your lover. You don't know what that is, but you will. I know that, too. I know all about you. Hey, it's real nice. And you couldn't ask for nobody better than me or more polite. I always keep my word. And I'll hold you so nice and tight, you won't need to think about anything, or pretend anything, and you won't even wanna get away, even if you're scared. Hell, everybody's scared the first time. That's why I'm so specially nice. I come along just when you need a friend. And I'll come inside you where it's all secret and I'll whisper..."
• she felt he was crazy, but couldn't get him to stop: "Shut up. You're crazy. People don't talk like that"; he circled back to his original objective: "I want you, Connie. I want you so bad....I seen you that night and I said: 'Oh, my God, that's the one. That is the one. The very special one. I never had to look no more"; he tried to reassure her: "There's nothing to worry about. You're just a little scared is all"; he asked again: "Be sweet and pretty like you wanna be and give in to me and get away from here before your folks come back. You don't want them to get back here before we do. Now, get up, honey. It's best you get up all by yourself. Come on, sweetheart"
• and then he delivered a knock-out phrase to convince her that he truly understood her longings more than her parents, with a promise to assist her in crossing the threshhold (of the house and of her own life) toward womanhood: "And they don't know one thing about you and never did. Not a one of 'em would've done this for you"
• she tentatively approached the screen door and then joined him - to depart from the protection of the house, and her parents, and everything that had shielded her in the past; she corrected him with a sassy retort: ("What if my eyes were brown?") when he said: "My sweet little blue-eyed girl"; Arnold's friend Ellie remained behind with the excuse that he would look after the house during their car ride
• a slow-tracking shot from left to right viewed Arnold's unoccupied car parked in an open field
• in the ambiguous Rorschach-test ending, the slightly bewildered and disheveled Connie survived her ride (mostly off-screen) and was returned home; as Arnold dropped her off at the end of the driveway, he confirmed that he had kept his basic promise: "I asked you to go for a ride with me today, and you came. And that's what happened. Am I right?"; she left the car, walked slowly to the driver's side of the car, towered above him, and insisted: "I don't wanna see you here again. Ever. Understand?"
• Connie was inevitably very dazed and her innocence was altered by the experience (had she been raped or sexually-assaulted, or had she engaged in consensual sex, or had she just gone for a Sunday drive, or was it all in her mind?); the "trashy daydreams" of her adolescent teen years that her mother referred to had been shattered by the awakened Connie who had now come-of-age and realized she could no longer live in a fantasy world; when her estranged family returned home, Connie seemed to reconcile with them; her mother apologized to a reassuring Connie for slapping her earlier
• later that day in her room when asked by her sister what had happened that afternoon, Connie answered with a confused recollection: "This man - he came and asked me for a ride. And I went. You know, uh...Maybe I didn't go. Maybe I'm going out of my mind. Listen, I didn't go. Don't worry. That didn't even happen"
• the film concluded with Connie and June slow-dancing together to her favorite song, James Taylor's "Handy Man"