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Girls Just Want to Have Fun

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Dance to the cheesy '80s beat with tweens and up.

Themes in this movie include:   friendship, honesty

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The movie centers on rebellious teens -- a lot of what they get up to is on the mild side (ditching class, sneaking out of the house to meet boys, and crashing parties), but their behavior doesn't send a strong positive message to young viewers.
  • Role models:

    Teens do things like like to their parents and break the rules -- they often have what they consider to be good reasons for their behavior, but it doesn't make them ideal role models. One character sells term papers to other students and is always out to make a buck.
  • Violence:

    Teens break through a glass window and comically throw a character into a cake.
  • Sex:

    Natalie is shown lounging around her room in lingerie. Janey hangs out in her bedroom in underwear and a tank top. There's some innocent but sexy dancing. Drew cons a girl into letting him grab her breasts. Janey and Jeff kiss.
  • Language:

    "Butthead" is as strong as it gets.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Wine is served at a party, but no teens drink it, and no one gets drunk.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Girls Just Want to Have Fun was written by Heather Boerner

Parents need to know that this movie is mostly PG -- there's only a little kissing and no drinking, swearing, or drug use. But there's considerable -- and benign -- teenage rebellion. Janey moves to a new school, meets a wild girl, and starts ditching class and sneaking out of her house to meet a boy. She doesn't do anything dangerous, but she does learn to be insubordinate to her parents. There are also gratuitous shots of girls sitting around their bedrooms in their underwear.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about appropriate ways to blow off steam -- what things do kids often want to do that parents won't let them? Are they dangerous?
  • Do you think Janey's dad's rules are too strict? How do you deal with rules you don't like?
  • What kind of role models are the movie's characters? Can a teen movie have strongly positive role models and still be entertaining?
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More on Girls Just Want to Have Fun

What’s the Story?

In GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN, Janey (Sarah Jessica Parker) starts school in Chicago, home of her favorite dance show, Dance TV. When the station announces it's holding a contest to choose two new dancers for the show, her best friend, Lynn (Helen Hunt), encourages Janey to try out. She has to lie to her drill sergeant dad and sneak out of the house, but when she makes it to the finals, will her dream come true? Will the evil rich-girl Natalie (Holly Gagnier) fix the contest to take the final spot? Will Jeff (Lee Montgomery) fall in love with her?

Is It Any Good?

Take a big helping of Hairspray (minus the political consciousness and the divine Ricki Lake) and sprinkle it with a candy-covered version of My So-Called Life and what you have is the totally tubular '80s teen dance movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Complete with bad fashions (neon fingerless gloves, anyone?), bad hair, and even worse dancing, This movie features some of today's most popular actors doing some of the cheesiest things you've ever seen. See a pre-Sex and the City Parker as the Catholic school girl Army brat who dreams of dancing on Dance TV (hosted by Richard Blade, whom some '80s music lovers may recall as a DJ on an L.A. radio station). Watch her doing back flips and practicing dance lifts a la Dirty Dancing. Witness the Oscar-winning actress Hunt hamming it up in some of the most absurd -- but actually worn -- '80s ensembles and big, ratted-out hair. It's Totally Awesome without the irony. And if you love the '80s, it is totally awesome.

Forget the plot, though. Just concentrate on the Solid Gold-quality dance numbers and the outrageous fashion. Forget, if you can, that Helen Hunt is way too mature-seeming to pull off the role of Lynn (where's AJ Langer when you need her?) and just look for the cameo by a preteen Shannen Doherty and the New Wave girls in Cindy Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video. And then sit back and giggle. It's a good, cheesy time.

Movie Details

Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment, Director: Alan Metter
Run time: 87 minutes
Theatrical release: 4/24/1985, DVD release: 4/28/2008
MPAA Rating: PG

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    :))

    Its a awesome movie:P

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    Amazing movie......but......11+ is resnable

    This is one of the greatest movies now I think that 10 year olds can only see this movie if they are sensible and responsible like i was when i was teen so even though i said 10 plus i suggest parents let their children watch this if they are 11 or 10 if really responsible and sensible and make sure they don't go bad

  3. Parent Reviewer
    Kids ages: 7, 9
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Negative message

    Great for girls over 9.

    Great for all girls when at the appropriate age to discuss bad decisions such as lying, sneaking out of the house, etc.

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 9
    Lives in Washington
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Negative role models
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    its purfect for kids 9 to 13 and up

    It is perfect for my kid! And my kids need to learn to not have to u know u know what. Well it was good anyway

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 4.0

    Great for 10 year old girls!

    Great movie for any girl 10 years or older. This was my moms favorite when she was young!

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