Angie, Mary, and Laura are teenage girls who are fed up with their bland and unexciting small town lives. Mary discovers that she's pregnant after having sex with her boyfriend. Since said boyfriend has enlisted in the navy, the trio decide to drive cross country to San Diego in order to confront him. The gals encounter a colorful array of folks during their journey. Director Joe Dante relates the entertaining story at a snappy pace, offers a flavorsome and affectionate evocation of the 50's period, and maintains an engaging tongue-in-cheek tone throughout. The witty and perceptive script by Charlie Haas astutely nails the repressive mores of the period as well as tweaks the conventions of the juvenile delinquent exploitation genre in a clever and amusing way. Julie Bowen, Jenny Lewis, and Holly Fields are pretty and appealing as our adolescent protagonists. Veteran character actor Dick Miller has a great role as shrewd private detective Roy Farrell. Robert Picardo, Belinda Balaski, Wendy Schaal, Joe Flaherty, and real life couple Dee Wallace and Christopher Stone play concerned parents. Moreover, a slew of familiar faces pop up in nifty bits: Roger Corman and his wife Julie, John Astin (hilarious as a paranoid loony), Cathy Moriarty, Leo Rossi, Dabbs Greer, and even Sam Arkoff. Richard Bowen's crisp cinematography gives the picture a handsome bright look. Terrific golden oldies soundtrack, too. An immensely fun romp.
Review of Runaway Daughters
