The movie shows the arrival of Laura Dern, who is superb actress. Under the direction of Joyce Chopra Ms. Laura showed that she could undertake the role of Connie, who is a rebellious teenager, who faces the cruelty of life in extremely challenging ways. The movie is closely linked to the short story “where have you been and where are you going” by Joyce Carol. Like Calif house the Wyats live in, Connie is not well kept, almost empty as well as isolated with the weedy landscape as surroundings. She takes massive time in washing her hair as well as playing tapedeck at high volume. Her mother who is extremely angry with her tells her, “I look into your eyes and all I see are trashy dreams.”
Together with Laura and Jill Connie is opposite of what she is at home. She is confident and beautiful, the flaxen who elicits whistles. She wears the best lipstick and knows how to dress well to show her beauty without looking gross. In the shopping mall and the restaurant, she is vocal and confident to talk to strange boys of her age. According to the short story “They must have been familiar sights, walking around the shopping plaza in their shorts and flat ballerina slippers that always scuffed the sidewalk, with charm bracelets jingling on their thin wrists; they would lean together to whisper and laugh secretly if someone passed who amused or interested them.” (Oates 05). She may be running towards danger.
Joyce Carol Oates short story, Joyce Chopra, the director, and Tom Cole the screenplay writer have made the movie a remarkable film about the muddle of emotions that separate the child from the adult. The movie has borrowed exclusive content from the short story ''Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'' so as to fit in the analysis of the teenagers’ fantasies about themselves.
Connie’s mother Katherine is biased toward June, her older daughter. The daughter at 24, is hardworking, colorless and more humble than Connie. Joyce Carol writes “There was one good thing: June went places with girl friends of hers, girls who were just as plain and steady as she” (Oates 06), which is a support to the thoughts of Katherine. Levon Helm or Harry Wyatt who is Connie’s father is too proud of himself for acquiring a nice old farmhouse to be bothered with the dangerous life of his younger daughter.
The house had been bought at a low price since it needed some fixing for certain parts. However, it was hard for them to make the improvements. The mother is worried of how Connie would spend a lot of time around the mall and forget to buy the house-paint and brushes. Instead, she moves up and down the mall looking for boys as they only make serious pickups in the evening at the drive-in when they should be at the movies.
At the drive-in, Connie attracts Arnold Friend. However, Arnold is older than Connie as he nears 30 years. He is crude and self-assured, and Connie develops an interest in him as she feels that is what she needs in a man. The short story dictates “"I wanta introduce myself, I'm Arnold Friend, and that's my real name, and I'm gonna be your friend, honey” (Oates 06). The relationship begins and the two become lovebirds.
Miss Dern, who acted the blind girl in “Mask,” smashes as the sexually voyaging Connie, but Mr. Williams, in a comparatively brief role, gets very close to stealing the show from her. Miss Berridge, does very little like the good older sister and develops a full-scale character.
Equally significant are Miss Place and Mr. Helm and Sarah Inglis, who act like best friends to Connie. They are teenagers with equal behaviors as Connie and other teenagers who are involved in mysterious behaviors and are idiosyncratic of their embarrassment. Connie and her friends play their role as teenagers perfectly to ensure the movie drives to the meaning of the entire script or movie. Connie and her boyfriend are properly represented in the short story showing how teenagers behave when in a relationship. The movie succeeds in showing the difference between the ages and thoughts of Connie and her boyfriend.
Looking into the events in the “Smooth Talk” movie, it is relatively small compared to other movies. However, it has been successful in capturing every detail of the message that it was intended to drive home. The movie is rated PG-13, which means parental guidance is needed for the individuals who are under 13 and intend to watch it. The movie is directed by Joyce Chopra, screenplay by Tom Cole based on the story by Joyce Carol Oates “where have you been and where are you going”.
Work Cited
Oates, Joyce Carol. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1974. Print.
