Discover
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Craig Haagensen
Camera Operator -
Joyce Chopra
Director -
Rocky Capella
Stunt Coordinator -
Mark Levinson
Assistant Sound Editor -
Martin Rosen
Producer -
Philip Perkins
Production Sound Mixer -
David Wasco
Production Design -
Joyce Carol Oates
Novel
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clipper314 6/23/2021 3:57:27 PM
Based on a short story by Joyce Carol Oates called "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", "Smooth Talk" stars Laura Dern as a bored and restless adolescent who thinks she's more in control of her sexual allure, and more capable of handling the attention she receives for it, than she is. In a deeply unsettling and slightly surreal scene, a hunky stranger (Treat Williams) comes calling for her, and she realizes that she's not as mature as she thinks. The film captures the same other-worldly quality of the short story (the scene with Treat Williams plays out almost like a feverish dream), while ably adapting it to the very different needs of a feature length film. Dern gives a wonderful performance, one of many given by this underrated actress.
Laura Dern
Connie WyattTreat Williams
Arnold FriendWilliam Ragsdale
JeffLevon Helm
Harry WyattElizabeth Berridge
June WyattMargaret Welsh
Laura CondonMary Kay Place
Katherine WyattJoy Carlin
Laura's Mother