Style: Coming Of Age Seaside Dramedy
Director: Paul Wendkos
Working Time: 95 minutes
Synopsis: Within the Malibu space of Los Angeles, Francine (Sandra Dee) is about to show 17, however fearful that she is bodily underdeveloped in comparison with her girlfriends and nonetheless not romantically occupied with boys. However all that modifications when she discovers a ardour for browsing and develops a crush on “Moondoggie” (James Darren), who’s a part of a surfer group led by ageing seashore bum “The Massive Kahuna” (Cliff Robertson). The surfers assign her the nickname Gidget, and she or he tries to make use of jealousy to win Moondoggie’s coronary heart, leading to issues with Kahuna.
What Works Properly: One of many earliest motion pictures to maneuver away from portraying youngsters as harmful outcasts, right here each the ladies and the blokes are extra occupied with having healthful enjoyable, flirting, and grappling with hormones. Summer time is all about frolicking on the seashore, browsing is cool, and Sandra Dee is a profitable presence navigating the seemingly unimaginable path from girlhood to maturity. Gabrielle Upton’s script (based mostly on Frederick Kohner’s guide) surprisingly additionally explores some darkish manhood points by way of Kahuna, who’s hiding from himself as knowledgeable seashore bum.
What Does Not Work As Properly: This roughly edited low-budget manufacturing is confined to some filming places, with loads of display screen time consumed by distant silhouetted surfers filmed from the seashore. Though the romance does discover a intelligent decision, the third act is especially clumsy, and a late-in-the-day fistfight injects conventional macho posturing in direct contradiction of grasp unfastened surfer ethos.
Key Quote:
Gidget: What’ll occur to your future? I imply, would not everyone should have a aim or one thing?
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