Movie Review: ‘Valley Girl’ Musical

Review by James Lindorf

Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg and writer Amy Talkington have revived the nearly 40-year-old Nicolas Cage comedy cult classic “Valley Girl” as a musical. Set in the era of excess where the only thing bigger than the hair were the attitudes, malls, and neon light budgets; of course, I’m talking about the ’80s. Julie (Jessica Rothe) is the ultimate ’80s Valley Girl. She has the coolest friends, is dating the school’s biggest hunk, and has unlimited free time to spend at the mall and discussing the upcoming senior prom. Julie is an artist and a bit of a free spirit to the dismay of her friends and family. With no one to nurture her wild side, Julie lets everyone else plan her future for her. That is until she falls hard for Randy (Joshua Whitehouse), a Sunset Strip punk, who challenges everything the Valley and Julie stand for. Joining Rothe and Whitehouse are costars Judy Greer, Alicia Silverstone, Jessie Ennis, Ashleigh Murray, and Chloe Bennet. “Valley Girl” will be available on digital marketplaces this prom season starting May 8th.

“Valley Girl”, the musical is finally getting released after years of production issues. In 2015 everything was set to go, but then the film came down with a dreaded case creative differences, and they needed a new director. Well, they found one in the Emmy Award-Winning Goldenberg who is best known for directing the Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig dark comedy A Deadly Adoption. After filming in the second half of 2017 and with a 2018 release planned, the film was shelved after controversies started swirling about YouTube star Logan Paul who plays Julie’s first boyfriend. Now two years later, the press has moved on, and thanks to the quarantines, the world is consuming digital media and an unparalleled level. Valley Girl is fun and bright with a great 80s soundtrack; it is an imperfect film releasing at the perfect time for its box office and its viewers.

Anyone who has seen the “Happy Death Day” films knows that Jessica Rothe has excellent comedic timing. If you’ve seen “La La Land,” you know she can sing and handle choreography as well. Even though she was initially cast in “Valley Girl” before either of those films, retroactively, she seems like a perfect choice for the role of Julie. The biggest knock against her is that she no longer looks like she is a high school student, like everyone else in the cast. Joshua Whitehouse is equally qualified after appearing on the soundtrack of two of his previous films, “Modern Life is Rubbish,” and “The Knight before Christmas.”

Combining two talented leads, a rock ‘n roll ’80s soundtrack produced by legendary music producer Harvey Mason, Jr, and dance numbers by choreographer Mandy Moore seem like the perfect recipe for a hit musical. While the ingredients are of high quality, the way the script uses them is uninspired. Viewers are left with a pleasant experience, but maybe not something that will be added to the rotation. From the opening minutes, you can easily guess how the story will play out. Julie has three best friends one gets mad, one is worried, and the other is stuck in the middle because she doesn’t matter enough to land on either side. Who plays what role is stereotypical Hollywood as well. The person of color in the group fades into the background. The “pretty one” is angry at being left behind but also happy to take her friend’s leftovers. The final friend is one or all of nerdy/overweight/awkward while being the only one who cares about their friend’s safety and happiness. While far from groundbreaking “Valley Girl” won’t ask more from its audience than to have a good time, which it easily provides, and is something we can all use right now.