“Times Square” is a rarity, a film released in 1980 with two girls rebelling and running wild in New York. There’s no mention of romance, boyfriends, or the angst prevalent in teen films years later (especially in John Hughes films).
Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) is the rich, teenage daughter of a NYC Commissioner campaigning to “clean up” Times Square. She lives a very protected secluded life and is continually frustrated by her father (played by Peter Coffield); he lies and makes up “cute stories” about her in his campaign speeches. Nicky Marotta (played by Robin Johnson) is a street urchin, running around New York with her guitar and a bag of all her possessions, hustling people for money and giving impromptu punk rock concerts outside of disco clubs. When both girls are checked into the same hospital room for a similar disorder, they quickly become friends and escape the hospital to do the most revolutionary thing possible: live life on their own terms.
A Movie About Rebellion and Living Life on Your Own Terms
Director Allan Moyle, as is his forte, weaponizes music throughout the film. Pamela combines her Sylvia Plath-level poetry skill with Nicky’s thunderous guitar at several points in the film; they make powerful statements to the world via shotgun-style concerts. New York Disc Jockey Johnny LaGuardia (played by the always electric Tim Curry) serves as an inspiration/Greek Chorus for the girls, helping the girls and giving them a city-wide forum.
Robin Johnson (who debuts in this film) is a force of nature as Nicky Marotta; she is a teenage girl with a raspy, two-packs-of-cigarettes-a-day voice and a look and swagger reminiscent of Joan Jett. She’s walking anarchy, never really having any goal or direction other than raging against society.
Trini Alvarado’s Pamela Pearl is a great counterpoint to Nicky. She’s so timid at the film’s beginning, she makes Adrian from “Rocky” look as extroverted as Lady Gaga by comparison. Nicky convinces Pamela to live and try new things, including one beautiful scene in a nightclub where Pamela (who has never danced before) dances on stage, Nicky cheering her on. The two actresses are wonderful here, feeding off each other and having great chemistry. You believe these two have become close friends and would do anything for each other, and Pamela’s calm serene manner complements Nicky’s manic energy perfectly.
A Good, Hidden Gem of a Film
I was expecting the film to be quirky and light; but it’s the antithesis of that. The movie gets pretty dark in places, touching on suicide, trauma, and regret, and it’s refreshing that it refuses to offer up neat tidy answers. Also refreshing is the fact that these girls couldn’t care less about boyfriends or conforming to society’s standard of “how girls should act.” It’s wonderful to see a film where two girls are expressing themselves, rebelling against the world and not giving a damn about romance or anything else. If Nicky met Sam from “Sixteen Candles,” she’d tell Sam to forget about Jake Ryan and her sixteenth birthday, steal a car, throw Farmer Ted in the trunk, and go on a robbery spree across Illinois.
The film runs a bit long (1 hour and 51 minutes) and could have had a half-hour cut from it. And while Pamela’s father is very one-dimensional, overall this is a good hidden gem of a film.
“Times Square” is available to stream on Prime Video, VUDU, Vudu Movie & TV Store or Apple TV.
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