Valley Girl / Real Genius

VALLEY GIRL, 1983, MGM Repertory, 99 min. Dir. Martha Coolidge. Perky teenage Valley girl Deborah Foreman falls for unkempt punk rocker Nicolas Cage, and the young lovers struggle to stay together amidst the disapproval of their peers and their own cultural prejudices. In director Martha Coolidge’s hands, what could have been just another teen exploitation film becomes a winning romantic comedy with charming heroes and a gallery of beautifully drawn supporting characters.

REAL GENIUS, 1985, Sony Repertory, 108 min. Dir. Martha Coolidge. After their pompous professor takes advantage of their skills, a pair of brilliant science students (Gabe Jarret and Val Kilmer) decide to use their knowledge to get revenge in this irresistible comedy. Once again director Coolidge demonstrates her flair for simple but expressive gestures that define character, and her ability to capture the social insecurities of adolescence is evident in Jarret’s subtle, endearing performance.