[.ca] Foxes

From Amazon.com:
A young Jodie Foster stars in this compassionate portrait of four unhappy teenage girls struggling with life in late 1970s Los Angeles. Jeannie (Foster) and her friends all have parents who are either divorced, negligent, or downright abusive. Looking for some kind of point to their lives, the girls drink, do drugs, sleep around, and fight with their parents and each other--but Foxes isn't the trashy melodrama you might expect. The writing and performances are surprisingly good, though it's no surprise that Foster (Taxi Driver, The Silence of the Lambs) stands out for sheer charisma and depth. Director Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Flashdance) demonstrates a deft hand for juggling the girls' multiple storylines. Also featuring Sally Kellerman (M*A*S*H), Randy Quaid (Kingpin, Independence Day), Scott Baio (television's Happy Days), and a brief appearance by a very young Laura Dern (Blue Velvet, Citizen Ruth). --Bret Fetzer

Still Relevant Coming of Age Story:
This film is an excellent coming of age drama that teens and young adults today will enjoy despite the fact that it was filmed in the late 70's. Jodi Foster has a mom who dates casually and lets her pretty much do what she wants to do. It's obvious her moms house is the cool house because all of her friend "hang" at her house. Each one of the girls has some serious issues that they are dealing with. These girls are going through some of the same things teens today are going through. This movies succeeds where a lot of current films like "Thirteen" fail. It shows, it shocks and there are serious consequences. The DVD doesn't have any extras and the film quality isn't much better than the VHS. What I love most about the story in the film is how the friends really bond together to try to help the one friend who needs help the most. "We raise our children in love and they grow up in love" is a quote from one of Jodie Fosters instructors at the beginning of the film and it's very fitting to the lives of the main characters.

powerful teen drama:
I loved this movie from the moment I saw it for sale at my video store's discard rack ten years ago. I recently received the DVD as a gift and the sound quality is a big improvement over my old vhs copy. I recommend it for performances, the story and the photography. Jodie Foster's monologue toward the end of the film is particularly memorable. Each girl's story line is realistic and the film itself does a good job of capturing teen life in the late 70s before yuppie values took hold. This is NOT a John Hughes film and is a refreshing change for anyone who was subjected that director's teen films in the 80s.

Was it ever good? I think not.:
Trials and tribulations of Jodie Foster and her 3 twenty-something year old high school friends... Jodie gives a fair performance, but the others were substantially less than average. Sally Kellerman as Jodie's mom was pretty good. Laura Dern ("Jurassic Park") was interesting in her small scenes. Randy Quaid as one girl's boyfriend was mediocre (see "The Last Detail" for his excellent role in a good movie.) Due to music and cultural references, plus the clothes and hair styles, the movie is pretty dated, but that is not a contributing factor to its badness. False dialogue and some typical cliches are factors, however. The partying scenes are also unconvincing, as everyone smokes joints like cigarettes, drinks a lot, and never appears intoxicated. Director Adrian Lyne has made some good movies ("Jacob's Ladder", "Lolita"). Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Scott Baio escapes bullies on his skateboard. Need I say more?

L.A. story:
Aside from the patented soft-focus look and one "creepy old uncle" closeup tracking shot of sleeping teenage girls (under the opening credits) this early effort from director Adrian Lyne actually gives us substance over style for a change. With its pop soundtrack and teen angst themes, 1979's "Foxes" could have been dismissed at the time as an estrogen-rich flipside of "Saturday Night Fever". In hindsight, "Foxes" seems ahead of its time, presaging "Less Than Zero", "Kids" and "The Virgin Suicides". Jodie Foster leads a fine cast in this episodic tale of four L.A. girl pals dealing with growing pains at the height of the Sex Drugs & Rock & Roll Era. In this age of "Sex In The City" and the "American Pie" film franchise, you may find this hard to believe, but as a young male (at the time) I remember being shocked by the frank coversations the girls have about sex and relationships (when the boys have left the room!). Good performances all around, with "non actor" Cherie Currie (best known as lead singer of proto-grrrl band The Runaways) actually giving the most believable performance as a troubled druggie. Sally Kellerman (as Foster's mother) has some memorable scenes, and there is a notable cameo from Adam Faith (whom we sadly lost in 2003) as Foster's father. DVD notes: a Cheer to MGM for releasing this sleeper; but a Jeer for the audio transfer-I couldn't catch the dialog at times, and the music soundtrack is undermined by tinny equalization.

Foxes N Angel:
THIS MOVIE IS EXCELLENT, AND WATCHING THIS AGAIN BROUGHT BACK SO MANY MEMORIES.LOOKING AT THE CLIPS FROM ANGEL IS ALWAYS A TREAT,AND BASICALLY THEY ARE THE REASON FOR THE PURCHASE OF THIS VIDEO. NEVER THE LESS TO MENTION THE TALENTS OF JODI FOSTER. THIS IS A MOVIE THAT YOU NEVER GROW TIRED FROM. I WAIT FOR THE RELEASE OF THE DVD. *****