Film

Little Darlings

Name: Little Darlings
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 1980
Cast: Tatum O'Neal, Kristy McNichol, Armand Assante, Matt Dillon, Margaret Blye

Comedy

A 1980 summer-camp comedy about two teenage girls from opposite worlds who make a bet about losing their virginity. It's equal parts coming-of-age sweetness and genuine mischief—sometimes awkward, sometimes surprisingly tender, anchored by Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol's chemistry. A time capsule of 80s teen cinema, neither as crude as you'd expect nor as wholesome as it wants to be.

TMDb rating

3.3

If you liked this

Fast Times at Ridgemont High1982

A smarter, sharper take on teenage sexuality and social hierarchies. Cameron Crowe's script has real wit and warmth, and the ensemble cast is luminous. It doesn't condescend to its characters or audience.

But Some scenes feel dated in their attitudes, and the film moves between tones—sometimes you want it to commit more fully to either comedy or drama.

The Breakfast Club1985

John Hughes' masterpiece about five teenagers forced together in detention. It has similar DNA—the class divide, the competition, the discovery that everyone's struggling—but executed with far more sophistication and heart.

But It's been canonized to death. If you haven't seen it, that's good; if you have, you might resist revisiting it.

Grease1978

Another teen ensemble at a crossroads, but as a musical—energy and charm that Little Darlings doesn't quite manage. The camp setting translates here into pure spectacle and genuine high-school social anxiety.

But It's extremely broad, and the film veers into true sentimentality. The Danny-Sandy resolution won't sit well with everyone.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Little Darlings

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Never Been Kissed1999

Both center on a girl proving herself in an environment where she doesn't belong, and both use that journey to examine what it means to be seen and valued by peers.

Drew Barrymore as an undercover adult revisiting high school, where she's initially an outsider. It has Little Darlings' structure—the girl out of place discovering who she is—but updates it with late-90s sensibility and genuine affection for teenage self-consciousness.

But It's sweeter and broader than Little Darlings, and it leans heavily on Barrymore's charm. If you don't buy her, you're watching something thin.

Sixteen Candles1984

Hughes again, this time following one girl through a birthday nobody remembers. Sharper and funnier than Little Darlings, with real observation underneath the broad comedy and genuine tenderness.

But The minority representation is pretty rough. Some jokes land differently now, and the romantic storyline is uncomfortable by modern standards.

The Flamingo Kid1984

A summer coming-of-age set at a beach club, following a working-class kid caught between worlds. Warm, funny, and interested in how class and ambition shape teenage identity. Matt Dillon's here too, slightly older.

But It's gentler and more familiar than you might want. The conflict resolves itself fairly tidily, and there's nothing here that surprises.

Porky's1981

If Little Darlings made you want more explicit teen-sex-comedy chaos, here's the spiritual godparent—broad, energetic, and genuinely funny in its stupidity. It was a cultural moment whether you like it or not.

But It's juvenile and often crude in ways that don't age gracefully. The humor comes at the expense of anyone who isn't a straight boy.

My Best Friend's Wedding1997

Julia Roberts in a romantic comedy that, like Little Darlings, runs on competition and self-discovery. It's smart enough to know when to be funny and when to let something matter, with real chemistry between leads.

But It's from the late-90s romantic-comedy playbook, which means some plot mechanics feel creaky. The tone shift in the final act is jarring.

Summer of '421971

A beautiful, bittersweet memory of adolescent desire and loss. The cinematography is gorgeous, and it treats its teenage protagonist's coming-of-age with genuine gravity and grace.

But It's slow and melancholic in a way that requires patience. Some viewers will find the age dynamics uncomfortable, and the pacing won't work for everyone.

North Shore1987

A surfing movie where a teenage outsider goes to Hawaii and discovers himself. It has that same summer-camp-as-transformation energy, with better cinematography and a genuinely cool world to inhabit.

But The plot is basic—gifted kid arrives, struggles, triumphs. It's pretty conventional, and the dialogue can be stiff. If you're not interested in surfing, it's an uphill battle.

Mustang2015

Both use the summer/enclosed space as a crucible where girls discover who they are apart from what's expected of them, but Mustang asks far harder questions and offers no comfort—just truth.

Five Turkish sisters imprisoned by family tradition discover each other and freedom one summer. It's a coming-of-age about female solidarity and self-discovery, but grave, visually stunning, and genuinely political. It earns every emotion it asks for.

But It's in Turkish with subtitles, shot in a deliberately constrained style, and the subject matter is serious—oppression, death, desperation. It's not entertainment in the way Little Darlings is.