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Nell Schofield, Jad Capelja, Geoff Rhoe, Sandy Paul, Jay Hackett ... see more see more... , Ned Lander , Tina Robinson , Kirrily Nolan , Alan Cassell , Rowena Wallace , Charles 'Bud' Tingwell , Tony Hughes , Pamela Gibbons , Brian Harrison , Brian Anderson , Andrew Martin

Director Bruce Beresford continued his tradition of putting socially disenfranchised characters front and center with this wryly observant comedy drama about middle class Australian teens that served ... read more read more...as a stark contrast to the popular American teen films of its day. Friends from the Sydney suburb of Cronulla, Debbie (Nell Schofield) and Sue (Jad Capelja) are a pair of average schoolgirls who smoke, drink, have sex, and cheat on exams. The girls are also striving to become "surfie chicks," the groupies that hang around the surfer boy gangs of southern Sydney, pairing off with the objects of their affection. Adhering to odd rules that prevent them from eating or going to the bathroom in the surfers' presence, the girls get into trouble for their wild behavior, with Debbie eventually fearing that she's pregnant, leading to a fatal overdose of heroin for her boyfriend Garry (Geoff Rhoe). Ultimately, Debbie and Sue become disillusioned with the sexism and narrow-mindedness of their crowd. Puberty Blues (1981) was based on the book of the same name by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, a pair of real-life Sydney teens who wrote newspaper articles under the pseudonym "The Salami Sisters." ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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65% liked it

862 ratings

R, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Bruce Beresford

Release Date: December 10, 1981

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Flixster Reviews (80)

  • ajv2688
    January 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    A slow, boring, semi-documentary of teenagers in Australia. Nothing really happens until the end, and that was so annoying. I didn't care for this movie, and I don't recommend seeing this movie.
  • BenRogers84
    July 20, 2011
    BenRogers84
    I didn't hate this movie at all and found it to have a charm to it. The two main female leads aren't the most conventionally pretty girls in this whole movie but I think they were good looking enough to hold a scene or two. The movie follows two girls through all the trials and t... read moreribulations of teen age life in suburban Australia during the early 80s. This movie really felt to me like a mix of Fast Times At Ridgemont High,Little Darlings and Kids from 1995,but a less graphic version. This shows the reality of teen age girls and all the crap they have to go through to fit in then find out its not worth all the trouble.
    There were very awkward parts in this but that's what gave it the certain level of charm. Its not a horrible movie by any means but it doesn't make you want to watch it again anytime soon.
  • The80sExpert
    July 5, 2010
    The80sExpert
    I will preface this review by saying that this movie was not horrible. First of all, this film is more of a biography/documentary of daily teenage girl life in Australia. If you think that would make for a good movie, go ahead and see this movie. If not, read on. Second, this... read more movie is boring. There is little in the way of an actual plot or story, and that made it pretty boring. Lastly, the ending is good, but I don't think it's a good idea to make the audience wait over an hour or longer for something that could have happened much earlier in the film. Anyway, I wont recommend this movie, but I wont tell you not to watch it either. If you are really a fan of serious drama, you may enjoy this.

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Critic Reviews

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
July 23, 2003
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Examines the quest of popularity by teenagers as proof of self-worth Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

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Emanuel Levy
July 25, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Daniel Mudie Cunningham
November 1, 2004
Daniel Mudie Cunningham, Senses of Cinema

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

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