Little Darlings (1980)

Little Darlings is a 1980 teen film starring Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol and featuring Armand Assante and Matt Dillon. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. The screenplay was written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young and the original music score was composed by Charles Fox. The movie is rated R. The film was marketed with the tagline "Don't let the title fool you," a reference to a scene in which Randy comments on Angel's name, to which Angel replies, "Don't let the name fool you."

The film was notable for having a contemporary pop soundtrack, with music by artists like Blondie, Rickie Lee Jones, Supertramp, The Cars, and Iain Matthews. The original video release — on blue box VHS and laserdisc — kept the soundtrack intact, however, many songs in the film such as Supertramp's "School", John Lennon's "Oh My Love" and The Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" were removed from the second round of home releases — VHS red box — due to licensing issues, and were replaced with sound-alikes. As of 2010, the film has not been released on DVD, but was briefly available for digital video rental on iTunes and Amazon with the original soundtrack. It has since been removed from both services. Turner Classic Movies aired the original theatrical version, letterboxed, and with all original music and credits intact, on January 7, 2012. Lionsgate has announced the release of the film on DVD, but has yet to be released.

Critic Roger Ebert said of the film that it "somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves.

Synopsis

A group of teenage girls from the Atlanta area go to summer camp, and two of them make a bet as to which one will lose her virginity first. The two girls then choose "targets", or guys they want to be the ones they lose their virginity with. Unbeknownst to the adults, all the girls in camp bet money on the contest and divide into two "teams," each rooting for and egging on either Ferris (Tatum O'Neal) or Angel (Kristy McNichol). At the same time, the girls engage in typical teenage behavior, such as food fights and other activities.

Actors