Red_Identity This was definitely somewhat different to what I had expected. The performances are exquisite, Laura Dern proving she had enormous talent at such a young age. She's fantastic here, infusing her character with the much needed charm and likability it needed, while also proving to be strong-willed and vulnerable in her own way. She certainly had a great year in 1985, with between this and Mask, and it's great to see some of the acting notes she would come to perfect even later on in her career. The supporting cast is nicely balanced and also provides some strong work. The film is contemplative and calm, and the sentiment at the end is very well-earned, such a great final scene to go along with the rest of what the film was actually doing.

evanston_dad A terrific lesser-known film that deserves a better rating than the one given it here at IMDb.Based on a short story by Joyce Carol Oates called "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", "Smooth Talk" stars Laura Dern as a bored and restless adolescent who thinks she's more in control of her sexual allure, and more capable of handling the attention she receives for it, than she is. In a deeply unsettling and slightly surreal scene, a hunky stranger (Treat Williams) comes calling for her, and she realizes that she's not as mature as she thinks. The film captures the same other-worldly quality of the short story (the scene with Treat Williams plays out almost like a feverish dream), while ably adapting it to the very different needs of a feature length film.Dern gives a wonderful performance, one of the many given by this underrated actress. And another lovely performance comes from Mary Kay Place, who plays Dern's mother. One of the most memorable scenes for me came when mother and daughter are in separate rooms of the house, but unbeknownst to each other are both privately dancing to the same song playing on the radio. I can never hear James Taylor's "Handyman" without thinking of this movie.Grade: A

Jeannot Such a cliche, I know. But it was better--much more powerful. I agree with those who say that the screenwriter shouldn't have monkeyed with the ending. As it is, the ending is a trite piece of moralistic crap.The original ending was powerful, indeterminate, and disturbing. The story, BTW, is based on the murderous career of Charles Starkweather (I think it was) back in 1950's Texas. The character of Arnold Friend (Treat Williams) is Oates' take on this serial killer. Except that now he's not a serial killer.I agree with those who say that the acting is very well done, particularly by Laura Dern and Treat Williams. And the screenplay sticks close to the story until the very end. God knows who is responsible for the change. It could be the screenwriter, or it could be the producer or director (or their girl/boyfriends). It seems, tho, that Oates, as co-screenwriter, went along with the change. Maybe she just didn't want to be difficult.The original story was both disturbing and subtle, with a lot of effective symbolism. I recommend it.

polosp1967 Does this film have any point? Any plot? Does it make ANY sense to any one? I do not recommend this movie, this movie left us feeling very disturbed, to say the least. This movies only known purpose is to stupefy its audience with its perplexed meaning (if there actually is a meaning at all) For anyone who actually pretends to understand "Smooth Talk" one only has to watch the film with to prove them wrong. I seriously question weather even the actors in this movie could make sense of it. Watch with Caution, if you bother to watch at all.