Valley Girl

Julie: Yeah, but Tommy can be such a dork, ya know? Like he's got the bod, but his brains are bad news.
Suzi: But he is bitchin'. You really are so lucky, Julie.
Julie: I know, but we've been going together so long now. Like I'm beginning to think I'm a piece of furniture or something... like an old chair!
Loryn: Oh, bad news!
Julie: [glancing at Brad] I definitely need something new.

Valley Girl: the title says it all.

This quintessential 80s film is full of the captivating drama you can expect from a movie about high school California "valley girls." The opening scenes are where else but the mall, as the audience watches mildly vapid Julie (Deborah Foreman) and her posse try on now-vintage pieces of 80s clothing. Julie breaks up with popular jock Tommy in the mall, despite the fact he'll be at posse-member Loryn's rad party that night. The girls discuss the party at the beach a few hours later, where they are overheard by a boy who decides to crash the party later. This party crasher, Fred Bailey, drags best friend Randy (Nicholas Cage) with him that night, where Randy and Julie meet. They hit it off immediately, despite their big differences.

These differences are enough to cause Julie's friends to pressure her into dumping Randy. Mostly, the trouble originates from their locales; Julie is a valley girl, Randy is from Hollywood. Julie wears soft pink and purple clothes, Randy wears red and black leather. She goes to house parties, he "slums it" in dive bars. Julie is prep, Randy is punk.

Despite these differences, they are happily together for about two months, until Julie's friends pressure her into dumping Randy so she can start dating Tommy again. Julie considers it a very hard decision, and ultimately yields to the pressure. The audience knows Tommy is a tool because he A) hooks up with July's slutty friend at the party, and B) pops his collar. We also know that while Randy looks like a bad ass, in reality he's a sap, and pursues Julie lovelorn and relentless after she breaks up with him.

This movie only further emphasizes the stereotype of valley girl, with Julie spineless against her friends' opinions and consumed with the responsibility of being popular. Likable enough, the audience cheers for Randy as he tries to get her back, because what's this classic Romeo and Juliet tale without a happy ending?