Clevercell Very disappointing...

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

SnoopyStyle Rich girl Ferris Whitney (Tatum O'Neal) and poor tough girl Angel Bright (Kristy McNichol) are 15 year olds going to summer camp. They get into a fight right away. They don't get along but they are both teased as being virgins by mean girl Cinder Carlson. Cinder sets up bets to see whether Ferris or Angel loses her virginity first. Ferris falls for coach Gary Callahan (Armand Assante) and Angel takes hunky streetwise Randy (Matt Dillon) from the boys' camp.It starts out with a good mean girl and two great child actors of their era. I like what it's setting up to do. The problem starts with the males. Assante is way too old and a bit awkward. Dillon is hunky hot with super fine hair. However he's a bit too empty. I like the girls' drama together but their time with the guys aren't that compelling. McNichol acts her little heart out bringing on the waterworks. It's not a broad teen comedy but it doesn't rise to be an intense coming-of-age story either. The girls are good but this could be better.

tjjohnson61 And while I'm at it, thanks to PC Hacker for leaving her comments. Her observations put into words an understanding about the movie that I'd only reached emotionally. I believe the reason this movie isn't well regarded historically is because it was so cynically marketed: two teenage virgins compete to experience sex for the first time. One reviewer at the time wrote, "What ever happened to Andy Hardy?" While the marketing was true to the movie's basic plot, unfortunately it allowed many lazy reviewers to see it through a myopic lens of an exploitation movie. Nothing could be further from the case. PC Hacker does an excellent job of stating what the movie is really about, and Kristy McNichol's performance really is astonishingly tender and complex.Kristy decided to retire from film, which is a pity - but I'm grateful she's left us this and I imagine her retirement plus the undeserved pejorative opinion by critics of the work adds to the poignant sentiment that fans hold for this film to this day.

zardoz-13 "Gettysburg" director Ronald F. Maxwell's "Little Darlings" beat "American Pie" to the punch back in 1980 with this mildly entertaining but ultimately coy 90-minute comedy about the rivalry between two 15-year old girls at summer camp that to see who could be the first to lose their virginity. Of course, the PG-rated "Little Darlings" has nothing in the way of nudity or raunch to compare with "American Pie." Tatum O'Neal of "Paper Moon" fame plays Ferris, a rich but introverted girl from a broken home, while Kristy McNichol of "The Pirate Movie" is Angel, the street-wise, chain-smoking Marlboro tomboy from the wrong side of the tracks. The minute that Ferris and Angel meet, it's hate at first sight. They fight on the bus in route to Camp Little Wolf, and they seem destined to battle each other the rest of the summer. One of the girls Cinder (Krista Errickson of "Jailbait") suggests a way for the two girls to work off their rage more creatively.The screenplay by Kimi Peck and Dalene ("The Baby Sitters Club") Young is provocative but harmless. Immoralities abound. Angel hot-wires a school bus and takes a group of girls gets on a joy ride, but there is more talk than action. Slow moving as it is, "Little Darlings" is a curious film. It is rated R; presumably, the rating is for the implied sex. Parents will be relieved that "Little Darlings" discourages pre-martial sexual intercourse. In the words of one character, "Kissing is more fun." Ferris sets her sights on an older man for her first conquest, Gary Callahan (Armand Assante of "American Gangster"), who teaches high school French and serves as the camp counselor, while Angel pursues Randy (Matt Dillon of "Drugstore Cowboy") when she fuels up the bus at a gas station. Meanwhile, Ferris plays like she is drowning to get Mr. Callahan to come after her. The film promises more than it delivers, and the characters are too sketchy to be believed.If you're a parent, "Little Darlings" depicts what questions and ideas are turning over in a young girl's mind. There is nothing here to corrupt anyone except the 'idea' which comes along at that age anyway. Teenage girls will probably appreciate the shop-talk dialogue. The trailer where McNichol kicks a dude in the family jewels is one of the more memorable scenes along with the condom stealing scene. Look for "Sex in the City's" Cynthia Nixon in her first role.

TOMASBBloodhound Little Darlings was originally marketed as a straight up comedy, but its most memorable themes are very mature and dramatic. The film is a story about two fifteen year old girls who are under the impression that they are the only virgins in their cabin at summer camp. One of them (Kristy McNichol) is a street-smart girl from the wrong side of town. She is quick to pick a fight, and chain smokes like someone of a much more advanced age. The other girl (Tatum O'Neal) is a spoiled little rich girl from a dysfunctional family. Has there ever been a non-dysfunctional rich family in a movie? The two girls make a bet to see who can score with a boy before summer's end. Virtually all the girls in the camp have some $ down on one or the other. O'Neal tries for a handsome and sophisticated camp counselor, while McNichol sets her sights on Matt Dillon. After the first hour, the film stops trying to be silly, and it evolves into a poignant study about the consequences of such a bet. The result is one terrific little film.This film, despite being labeled by many as a comedy, handles the subject matter in a mature and thoughtful fashion. It's kind of sad when the girls finally realize how their bet has affected not only themselves, but the men involved in it. Matt Dillon is noticeably angry when he finds out he was used, and the older counselor (Armand Assante) is in danger of his life being ruined by association. Even though nothing happens between him and O'Neal.One would hope that contests like the one in this film do not happen much in real life. At least not with young ladies. Us guys are the ones you would expect this type of thing from in our attempts to lose our virginity. Notice how the subject can be treated as a full blown comedy in films like American Pie when guys are the central characters. Young women would be better served if they waited for the right guy and made him at least earn it a little more.This would be a good film for parents to show their daughters before sending them off to junior high school. It would be a good learning tool for them to see how important this type of decision can be.Don't miss this film! It is still very relevant today, and likely will stand the test of time for years to come.9 of 10 stars So sayeth the Hound.