1 / 8
ERA
Did you know
41 years old â old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Smooth Talk
1985 1h 32m EN
đ
6.2
MID
â
6.2TMDB · 74
DramaRomanceThriller
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Connie, the fifteen-year-old black sheep of her family, finds her summertime idyll of beach trips, mall hangouts, and innocent flirtations shattered by an encounter with a mysterious stranger.
âSome stories are better left unspoiled.â
Cast
Laura Dern
Connie Wyatt
Treat Williams
Arnold Friend
Mary Kay Place
Katherine Wyatt
Levon Helm
Harry Wyatt
Elizabeth Berridge
June Wyatt
Margaret Welsh
Laura Condon
Sara Inglis
Jill O'Mara
William Ragsdale
Jeff
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Joyce Chopra
- Writers
- Tom Cole
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America, United Kingdom
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts đż
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Joyce Chopra, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership â DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by George Massenburg. Worth a dedicated listen after â most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Patrick Dodd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Laura Dern and Treat Williams and Mary Kay Place carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0090037 â still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
Only 74 TMDB ratings â you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Joyce Chopra directs. James Glennon behind the camera. George Massenburg scores. Patrick Dodd cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 141 years old â old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
- 3Directed by Joyce Chopra, shot by James Glennon. Note their partnership â DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by George Massenburg. Worth a dedicated listen after â most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Patrick Dodd shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Laura Dern and Treat Williams and Mary Kay Place carry the top of the cast.
- 7IMDB entry: tt0090037 â still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 8Only 74 TMDB ratings â you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- James Glennon
- Original score
- George Massenburg
- Editing
- Patrick Dodd
- Production design
- David Wasco
- Costume design
- Carol Oditz
- Makeup / hair
- Natalie Mucyn
- Stunt coordinator
- Rocky Capella
- Runtime
- 92 min · 1h 32m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG-13
Awards
- Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Joyce Chopra
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames â open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- clipper314â 8/10
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 many given by this underrated actress.
Production companies
Who made it
- PA
Palmyra Films
American Playhouse
US
Goldcrest Films International
GB
- NE
Nepenthe Productions
GB
Key crew
- Sound EditorDouglas Murray
- Production Sound MixerPhilip Perkins
- Assistant Sound EditorGwendolyn Yates Whittle
- Foley ArtistDennie Thorpe
- Boom OperatorStephen Balliet
- Assistant Sound EditorMark Levinson
- ProducerMartin Rosen
- EditorPatrick Dodd
- Costume DesignCarol Oditz
- CastingMary Colquhoun
- Production DesignDavid Wasco
- Executive ProducerLindsay Law
- Associate ProducerTimothy Marx
- Set DecorationRobert Joyce
- Makeup ArtistNatalie Mucyn
- HairstylistLynn Marie Curreri
- Script SupervisorCarol DePasquale
- Casting AssociateAnn Brebner
- Camera OperatorCraig Haagensen
- Production ManagerMary M. Ensign
- Stunt CoordinatorRocky Capella
- GafferDan Gillham
- NovelJoyce Carol Oates
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- coming of age
- teenage girl
- summer
- sexual awakening
- woman director
- female sexuality
- loss of innocence
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere2020-09-19· New York Film Festival (Restored Version)
- Premiere1985-09-21· Mill Valley Film Festival
- Premiere1986-01-21· Sundance Film Festival [Dramatic Competition]
- Theatrical (limited)1985-11-17PG-13
- Theatrical (limited)2021-06-25· New York City, Lincoln Center (4K Restored Version)
- Physical2004-12-07· DVD
Also known as
International titles
- ì€ëŹŽì€ í íŹKR
- ÎÎżÏÎŻÏÏÎč Î ÏÏÎșληÏηGR
- Bedrohliches GefluesterDE
