Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Plot synopsis:
Janey Glenn is an army brat who is thrilled when her father, Robert, is transferred to Chicago, the home of her favorite dance show Dance TV. At her Catholic girls school, she quickly makes a new friend in Lynne Stone due to their shared love of dance and Dance TV. When Robert nixes the idea of her traveling to downtown Chicago to try out, Janey accompanies Lynne to the auditions.
At the auditions, an enemy is made of spoiled rich girl Natalie Sands when she rudely parks her car where Lynne is walking. The auditions are going well until Lynne's partner gets her cut (it is later found out that Natalie paid him to have her kicked out). Janey and a dreamboat named Jeff both shine, albeit partnered with others at first. They are later paired once the final cut is made. Jeff loves to dance although his father is drilling him to go to trade school and is following his heart instead of his father's wishes.
The two butt heads initially due to their disparate upbringings. Despite Jeff's natural ability to dance, he has never taken a class. Janey has been taking both gymnastics and dance classes for ten years. Helping them to get off on the wrong foot is also Janey's inability to practice when it's convenient for Jeff. Things are further complicated by Natalie's meddling (she finds out that Janey skipped choir practice to meet Jeff and calls her father to tell, posing as "Sister Natalie").
An excellent opportunity for both girls to get back at Natalie presents itself when Jeff is invited to her coming out party. They make copies of her invitation (provided by Jeff's best friend Drew) and pass them out to strangers all over town. Jeff and Drew attend the party and watch the chaos ensue when all of the extra invited people show up (as do Lynne, Janey and Jeff's sister Maggie, watching from the window). Janey and Jeff have become close through their rehearsals. One night, he tells her to meet him not at the rehearsal studio but at a club. While they are enjoying some unstructured dance time, Jeff is taken away by a girl who locked her keys in her car. Meanwhile, a large admirer moves in on her. On Jeff's return, a fight ensues and after Jeff sucker punches the much larger man they run out of the club together. Once at Janey's house, she is aglow over what her life has become: she's in the running to become a Dance TV regular, has a great best friend, as well as a boyfriend. They finally kiss before she excitedly runs inside.
Given the total wreck the party became, the rivalry with Natalie has intensified. She convinces her father to become more involved in insuring her win. This is an easy feat considering that her father owns the company that Jeff's father works for. One day, Natalie's father, J.P. Sands, corners Jeff and tells him that if Natalie doesn't win, his father will lose his job. This puts him in a bad mood and he fights with Janey when he arrives at rehearsal. Her mood quickly matches his when she arrives home and sneaks in the house only to find that her father has installed a security system. He then grounds her for her continuous deception, making it virtually impossible for her to attend the dance contest finals.
Meanwhile, Jeff's surly attitude and decreased desire to be in the contest is noticed by his father. Once he finally gets his son to talk, he simply asks if he can win the contest. When Jeff answers yes he is instructed to do so, job be damned. However, Janey is still on restriction and doesn't know Jeff has changed his mind. However, that changes when her little brother brings her a message that Jeff will compete and she employs Lynne to get her out of the house undetected.
Once Lynne arrives, Janey cuts the wires to the security system and escapes the clutches of the guard dog. When they arrive at the station, Janey makes the elevator up to the studio and Lynne doesn't. She runs upstairs to make the beginning of the show, embracing and kissing Jeff as she arrives. The show begins and the competition is underway. Midway through the show, Janey's family turns to the contest on the television and sees her dancing. Her father, furious, storms out of the house, on the way to the studio. Meanwhile, Janey's mother is in tears with pride as her younger brother cheers his sister on and Jeff's father watches the show from his neighborhood pub.
After all of the dancers are done, the decision comes back: there is a tie between Janey and Jeff and Natalie and her partner. A dance-off ensues. Natalie goes first and when done, strolls off the stage proudly, believing she's won. But after Janey tells Jeff "Let's do it.", they pull out all the stops with a series of synchronized gymnastics Janey has taught Jeff over their time together. When the judges deliberate again, the decision is unanimous: Jeff and Janey win! Natalie is furious and begins to berate her partner over costing her the contest. When she goes to her father to complain, he finally puts his foot down and tells his spoiled child to shut up, to her amazement. When Janey spots her father in the studio, she thinks she's in for trouble, but nothing could be further from the truth as he is extremely proud of her. Miss Dance TV is called to the stage and when she enters, it is none other than Lynne, who has received the job when the former Miss Dance TV quit during the show.

Tags: revenge, romantic

Review:
Girls Just Want to Have Fun is the ultimate movie of the 80s.
I was 8 years old when this came out and my friends and I would hold our own Dance TV, of course everyone wanted to be Janey but I wanted to be Helen Hunt's character Lynne.Even though Sarah Jessica Parker had the title role and the hunky Lee Montgomery as her dance partner and boyfriend, this film belonged to Helen Hunt.
She was absolutely wonderful as the best friend who helped Janey with her dream of being on Dance TV.Jonathan Silverman was funny as Drew, Jeff's best friend that in fact the best friends were the one who made this movie more enjoyable.
Shannen Doherty was also impressive as Jeff's little sister Maggie, but a little too old to be playing a 12 year old.The music is brilliant, though a little dated and every time I see this movie it brings back all the nostaglia of growing up in the 80s.
Also starring a young and oh-too-cute Shannen Doherty, this movie is what I watch when I need a quick pick-me-up.
If you didn't first see this movie between the ages of 8 and 15, you probably won't experience the same joy and nostalgia as those of us lucky enough to have seen it in those golden years of our lives.Today I found out that two girls in my office also love this movie, and it was like finding two kindred spirits.
And was 80s pop culture (cheeseball pop music, teased hair, Velcro, loud clothes and dance TV programs--think "Solid Gold") ever so well documented on film?Yes, you can watch Helen Hunt in her Oscar-winning performance in "As Good As it Gets"...but wouldn't you rather watch her become "Miss D-TV"?Ah, the memories....
Again I watched this movie a long time ago when i was just thinking about starting dance classes.
But I still love it and watch it at least once a year with my best friend, if not only just to remind us of high school.
I loved this movie - I've seen it probably a hundred times.
Besides the all-star cast of Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Shannen Doherty and Jonathan Silverman - it's just a fun movie!
this is a feel good film for all those who love having fun and giggles.
if u r gonna see an eighties movie just once in ur life then make it Girls Just Want To Have Fun. Get ur girlie mates round for a gossip and stick this film on and munch on the popcorn while laughing at Helen Hunt as Lynn, Sarah Jessica Parker as Janey and drool over the really nice looking guy Lee Montgomery aka Jeff with his dorky friend Drew..
Janey Glenn (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a teenager newcomer in Chicago, who loves the TV show Dancing in TV.
In the Catholic school, she becomes friend of Lynne Stone (Helen Hunt), who also loves to dance and invites her to an audition to be part of the show.
It is funny to see names such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Jonathan Silverman, Shannen Doherty, in the beginning of their careers, playing very goofy and foolish roles.
This is good news for Janie, for she dearly loves a national television show that is shot in Chicago, Dance TV and she hopes to catch a live viewing.
After Janie makes her first close friend at school, Lynn (Helen Hunt), they both discover that Dance TV is looking for a new dance couple to be featured on the show and that the executives are holding a tryout very shortly.
Hunt provides great support, as does Montgomery, Shannen Doherty (very young), and especially Jonathan Silverman as a money-scheming friend of Jeff's.
But, the dance scenes are quite energetic while gal-themed movies with good values and strong-female roles are always welcome for young viewers everywhere.
There are a lot of funny one liners, great dancing and a really good soundtrack!
I like this version of the Girls Just wanna have fun song than Cyndi Lauper's original.
I never heard about the movie and seeing Helen Hunt, Sarah Jessica Parket and Shannon Doherty on the cover made me curious.
I find it ironic: this three actresses owe it to the the movie that they became famous (this were the first leading roles for both SJP and Helen Hunt) and now this movie owes it to them that people still want to see it.The movie is simply bad.
Very unexciting, predictable, acting and lines make one cringe sometimes, plot that we saw 100 times and very shallow characters.Let's look at it:There is this shy, good girl Janey whose dream is to dance.
Shannon Doherty wasn't much on screen, good for her.But yes, I can't imagine how people can like this movie u unless they are 10 year old girls or were 10 year old girls when this movie came out and want to be a little nostalgic.
Girls just want to have fun makes you want to dance, or be a dancer.
Just like Top Gun encouraged people to be pilots, Girls Just Want to have Fun makes you want to dance, or be a dancer.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt are terrific in their roles, a sign of things to come perhaps?
Watching Sarah Jessica Parker dance alongside Lee Montgomery just gives me flashbacks of the days when I dreamed of being a "Solid Gold" dancer!
After watching this rubbish I am surprised that any of them found future employment.The young players did seem genuinely enthusiastic, so I assume that the need to break through to the big time was the motivation, it surely wasn't this film.....
Helen Hunt is extremely young in this movie, and really funny.
I'm 17 and my friends and I love watching this movie whenever we can..
LOL :-) The movie makes me want to go back in time and be a teen in the 80's.
I love Sara Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt in this, they're Excellent!!!
I suggest people see this movie if they love upbeat music, great dancing, a little excitement, and over all if they love the eighties.
My favorite songs from the movie are Dancing In Heaven, Technique, and I Can Fly. I love to work out to them...hahahaha....watch this movie with a group of friends.
No one could like this movie, not even Helen Hunt's mom.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt and Shannen Doherty headline this movie about a schoolgirl's dream to dance on the TV show Dance TV.
Not So Much Fun. Growing up in the 80's I'm not sure how I missed this film, but when I saw the cast or Parker, Hunt, and Doherty, along with the promise of a great soundtrack I was definitely curious to check it out recently.
Janey Glenn (Sarah Jessica Parker) is new at her Catholic girls school.
She is befriended by worldly Lynne Stone (Helen Hunt) who shares her love of Dance TV.
We even have a young Shannon Doherty.If nothing else, we learn that Sarah Jessica Parker has always been a hideous creature and how she ever got hired on a movie -- or many -- or a TV show is mystery.
And young Sarah Jessica Parker and young Helen Hunt and extra-young Shannen Doherty sounded like a treat.Well, just watched it, and wow, Sarah Jessica Parker in the absolute flower of youth!
Good thing they had that casual barefoot photo of the trio for the box cover.I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer who mentioned that the actresses must have been thankful for their parts, but now, thirty years later, people only wanna see the movie because they are in it.
Released in 1985, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" mixes the 80's teen/school genre with the 80's dance genre.
The story revolves around a Catholic school girl (Sarah Jessica Parker) who hooks up with a cool guy from public school (Lee Montgomery) to enter a TV dance competition.
A 12 year-old Shannen Doherty appears as Montgomery's little sister.To be expected, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a fun, energetic flick, sort of like "Heavenly Bodies," but more teen-oriented; and lighter than "Footloose." Although these 1984 films are leagues better, "Girls" is a great movie for when you're in the mood for a lighthearted fun 80's flick.
Sarah was 19 years-old during filming and never looked better; same thing with Holly Gagnier, except she was 26 at the time.
If you like him, be sure to catch him in his final movie, 1988's "Into the Fire," aka "The Legend of Wolf Lodge" (although he plays the same type of character as in "Girls," the movie's an adult-oriented tragedy).Interestingly, the producers didn't use Cyndi Lauper's version of the title song for licensing reasons, but the cover version is acceptable.The film runs 90 minutes and was shot in L.A. and Chicago.GRADE: B.
With a title like "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", I didn't think that this would be my kind of movie when I sat down to watch it, even though I grew up during the '80s.
The two leads played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Shannen Doherty have some good chemistry together and are appealing.
While the movie never looks seriously cheap, it is pretty obvious that the budget was somewhat tight, seeing that we seldom get to see wide shots (among other clues, one of them being that the few recognizable songs in the movie are performed by no-names rather than the original artists.) Also, while Parker and Doherty are appealing, they were clearly beyond their teen years when they made this movie.
There is no plot turn in the movie that you haven't seen dozens of times in other movies.I do think that there are some people who will like this movie - probably women who grew up during the '80s who are nostalgic for the era.
Sarah Jessica Parker plays a religious school student who defies her strict father and auditions for a popular dance TV show.
Cheapjack production, slathered in day-glo colors, does manage to create nice buddy chemistry between Parker and 'bad girl' Helen Hunt, but the outré attempts at slapstick laughs are groaning and simplistic.
If you haven't seen this movie and you like a laugh and dance see this.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun is that sort of film that probably wasn't all that popular when it was made but can come into its own, say, 25 years after it was made.
It's also a great chance to see three young actors heading for fame in one of their first films, Shannon Doherty, Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker are fabulously cast in what shows an enormous amount of foresight considering where their careers have led them.
This movie brings me so much joy, especially when the girls pass out fliers in the gay district of Chicago..and they end up at that bizarre gay daytime dance club.
Every little girl in the 80's wished that she could dance like Janie Glenn!!
I think that there probably could have been a better story line for the movie, but the fact is that it is simply still a good movie that girls love even today!
I am still watching it, in fact I own a copy and have started looking for a DVD version to replace my VHS copy so that I can watch it all the time without worrying that I am going to wear it out.Also it was a great start for Helen Hunt, Sarah Jessica Parker, Shannon Doherty, and Jonathan Silverman.
if you can laugh at the spectacular awfulness of it (and stop looking for a Sex in the City prequel) then this movie is nothing but 80's super-stylized fun.Not only are the ridiculous dancing, music and clothes entertaining on their own, but you get to see critically acclaimed actors attempt to glamorize it all, back when they were at the bottom of the industry food chain.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun may be one of those horribly geeky dance themed 80s movies, but it's still a comedy that has maintained much of it's entertainment value.Sarah Jessica Parker is back in something of her Patty Green like phase from "Square Pegs." Here, she portrays Janey Glenn, an army brat who is the new student at an all girl's Catholic school.
Her best friend, and the one with the greatest style in this movie, is Lynne Stone (Helen Hunt), a semi-wild child, who doesn't mind breaking a few innocuous rules in order to have some fun.
And actually, Janey makes it through the trials to compete in the finals and probably have her shot of being a "tv star." Only problem is, she was teamed up with Jeff Malene (Lee Montgomery) a cute fellow who is supposed to be her competition partner through the rest of the auditions.
That'd be fine with Janey, except her father, being far too unrealistic about the situation, doesn't want Janey invovled in the comeptition in the first place and second, doesn't want her getting invovled with boys, and especially not Jeff Malone, who I suppose is supposed to be something like a street tough, but a clean version (as most of the characters in this movie are).
I love this hip hopping movie Sara Jessica Parker did a awesome job with Helen Hunt in this fun teenager movie.
Hi....I just signed up b/c I have been a fan of this movie since I was like 7 and have been re-watching it again, and it provoked me to do some researching....but having no luck....wondered if anyone can tell me how I can find the soundtrack?
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" means more now than it did nearly 20 years ago because it proved to be the starting point of some big name people (Helen Hunt, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jonathan Silverman).
However, the film is a major bore as Parker wants to enter a dance contest that her father is totally against.
The only reason I watched this film was I didn't think something with both Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker could be THAT bad.
I think at times they have a body double dancing for her but in the scenes where she is "dancing" she looks like she's having a spasm.One of the most amazing things about this movie is the wardrobe.
I think I was 8 when this film came out, my friends from junior school and I watched it all the time over and over ( along with Grease and Dirty Dancing later on).
Such a great feel good and fun girlie film-it makes you want to get up and dance....perfect for all ages.I'm actually buying it for a girls old time reunion next week to surprise everyone-Woo Hoo :)You can't beat this so watch it, perfect 80's film with a bit of everything, laughter, dancing, singing along, romance-what more could we ask for :).
if you know where i could find this soundtrack id really appreciate it...i love this movie & the dancing is awesomeeeeee.
I love dance movies and this one is my favorite.
Janey (Sarah-Jessica Parker) wants to star on a dance show called Dance TV.
With the best 80's music ever, this movie will have everyone who watches it dancing in their homes!!!.
This movie makes you wanna dance!!.
This movie makes you wanna dance!!.
This is a great, fun movie that is perfect after a lousy day.
Janie (Sarah-Jessica Parker) wants to dance on a TV show called Dance TV and her clowinsh, comical friend, Lynne (Hellen Hunt) is determined to help her get there, against the rich bimbo, Natalie, who is also out for D-TV glory.
A fun-filled,  feel-good movie..
Janey's father a military martinet: he'll come around by the end of the flick.There are some cute moments and the occasional laughter, and lots of enthusiastic dancing (including some weird scenes with ballet dancers trying to be hip-hop).
Fun to see Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt before they were "stars!".
In case any of my friends are reading this review, I just want to say I only watched this movie on USA network because it was fun to see Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt when they were 20 and 22 respectively.Simple story.
All-in-all a nice piece of fluff, a 90-minute sitcom, and fun to watch the girls before they became big stars.
It makes me want to dance, sing, and have a good time!
They picked a great cast(Shannen Doherty-Brenda,the 90210 brat, The future Mrs. Broderick-Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, and Jonathan Silverman-The single guy..
...that Sarah Jessica Parker must suffer every time Comedy Central airs this.
The irrepressible Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Janie, a Dance-TV wannabe.
Shy, but sweet teenager Janey Glenn (an endearingly sunny and dynamic performance by the adorable Sarah Jessica Parker) enters a contest for the local Chicago television show "Dance TV." Janey gets partnered with hunky nice guy Jeff Malene (likable Lee Montgomery), faces stiff competition from spoiled rotten rich snob Natalie Sands (marvelously played to bitchy perfection by Holly Gragnier), and receives help from her perky rocker chick best gal pal Lynne Stone (a wonderfully spunky portrayal by Helen Hunt).
Sarah Jessica Parker in Girls Just Want to Have Fun is an instant sensation as she easily is destined to become a big time star.
Helen Hunt is dancing and living it up in GJWHF.
I wanna see Helen Hunt in more teen dance flicks, is that possible?
I wonder if Helen and SJP stayed good friends through the years.
Doherty makes a punky preteen little sister as a bright future lies ahead of her just like it does for Sarah Jessica and Helen.
It's a great dance flick for girls especially and a little bit underrated.
The big dance-off with that theme hit song is like the movie's best part.
There aren't enough good 'inspiring to make it big by becoming a dancer' movies like this; there's Hairspray, and Girls Just Want to Have Fun. GJWHF is a must-see.