VALLEY GIRL (2020)

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film starts with a girl named Ruby (Camila Morrone) leaving a nightclub and calling her mom, Julie Richman (Alicia Silverstone), to pick her up, despite having previously told her that she was going to the movies with her boyfriend. Ruby says they broke up, and she is preparing to go to bed angry. Julie then sits her down to tell her a story about her youth.

In the 80’s, Julie (here played by Jessica Rothe) lived with her parents Diana (Judy Greer) and Steve (Rob Huebel), and was always hanging out at the mall with her best friends Karen (Chloe Bennet), Loryn (Ashleigh Murray), and Stacey (Jessie Ennis). They are introduced singing “We Got The Beat”. The girls were always told not to go over the hill past Encino into Hollywood, which is where all the punk rock teens would gather to hang out (“Bad Reputation”). Randy (Josh Whitehouse) and his friends Jack (Mae Whitman) and Sticky (Mario Revolori) play in a band called Safety Recall. The teens have to scatter once the police show up to break up their party.

Julie is also dating popular jock Mickey (Logan Paul). He gets a whole pep rally dedicated to him, with (what else) “Hey Mickey”. Principal Evans (Randall Park) announces that their senior prom is in a month and that theirs will be broadcast over the hit radio station K-Rock. Mickey later brings Julie to the locker room to appear as though they’ll make out, but he instead uses his buddies to moon her as an attempt to ask her to prom. Although less than pleased by the gesture, she agrees to go with him.

The girls go to the beach, where Julie has a different idea of what she wants to do with her life than the other girls (“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”). Julie sees Randy there for the first time, and he makes an impression after scaring off a bird who was eating her nachos, as well as the fact that he is shirtless. Loryn invites a guy to a party they are going to, which Sticky (who is walking around with a metal detector) overhears and tells Randy about.

The girls go to the costume party, which Randy, Jack, and Sticky crash. Julie isn’t enjoying herself (“Kids in America”) until she sees Randy. He gets into a fight with Mickey and his friends after one of them calls Jack a “dyke”, and the three of them get kicked out. Randy then finds a passed out guy and steals his costume to get back inside and find Julie. He convinces her to hang out with him (“You Might Think”) and even ropes Stacey into riding with him and his friends back to Hollywood to go to a club. Stacey ends up leaving but Julie watches Randy and his friends perform “Crazy For You”. Randy later takes Julie home and kisses her.

In the morning, Mickey goes to pick Julie up, but she tells him she wants to break up with him and not go to prom because she doesn’t feel that this is what she wants anymore. She later joins her friends for a jazzercise class, where they think she is upset over breaking up with Mickey, but Julie admits she is really into Randy (medley of “Just Can’t Get Enough”, “Material Girl”, “I Can’t Go For That”, and “Tainted Love”). The girls leave with Mickey, but Julie doesn’t join them, which leads to tension.

Julie starts to date Randy and hang out in Hollywood more, even adopting the punk sense of style. When she returns home, her parents ask her about her date since she made them think that she was going to a movie, and they are upset when they figure out she was lying to them. Randy later sneaks up into her room to hang out with her since she is grounded. Julie expresses to him a desire to go to a fashion school in New York City. They continue to see each other (“Take On Me”), which means Randy sees his bandmates less, and Julie spends less time with her friends.

Diana and Steve ask Julie to invite Randy over for dinner. He accepts the invitation, even though Jack tries to tell him that Julie’s family is not his type of people. When he gets to their house, he overhears Diana and Steve talking bad about him for being late, and he just ends up leaving. Julie confronts him about it, leading to an argument because Randy feels he may not be good enough for Julie’s supposedly perfect life.

Julie goes to school and wishes Stacey a happy birthday. She invites Julie to her birthday party at a skating rink, but warns her that Mickey will be there since he and Karen are now dating. Julie says it will be fine. She goes to the party and brings Randy with her. Some of the attendees go skating, and during the couples portion, Mickey skates with Julie, to the chagrin of Karen and Randy. Afterward, Mickey goes to be a dick to Randy, which leads to another fight between them where Randy gets kicked out. Stacey also tells Julie to leave for bringing Randy there and ruining everything. Julie and Randy argue again and they break up.

Julie is now distant from her friends, but she reluctantly agrees to be Mickey’s prom date again after learning that he broke up with Karen. Meanwhile, Randy spends more time with the band again (“Boys Don’t Cry”). Julie later apologizes to Stacey, who forgives her. She then confides to Julie that she got into Dartmouth, even though Karen wanted them all to go to Northwestern. Julie supports Stacey for Dartmouth. They later go dress-shopping with Loryn, who is also not talking to Karen for her rotten behavior. Julie tries on dresses and is complimented by a saleswoman (Deborah Foreman; who played Julie in the original movie). When Julie gets home, Steve calls her to the living room to see a news broadcast of astronaut Sally Fine’s voyage into space. He notes that she is from Encino and uses it as a way to encourage Julie to chart her own path.

Everyone gets ready for prom, while Randy and his friends get ready for a gig (“Under Pressure”). Mickey and Julie are crowned prom king and queen (or “most bitchin’ awesomest couple”). Julie is clearly not into it, however. Mickey tells her that he booked them a hotel room, but Julie tells him no. He asks if she’s wasting his prom night, and she says “Not anymore”, breaking up for good. She then appears to reconcile with a remorseful Karen. Randy, Jack, and Sticky then go on stage to play and perform “I Melt With You.” Mickey’s goons cut the power, but that doesn’t stop Julie and Randy from singing the song together. The music resumes, and Julie gets back together with Randy, while it appears that Jack and Karen might have something between them.

Adult Julie finishes her story to Ruby, who is surprised that she didn’t end up with Randy, but Julie is happy with the life that she chose. This encourages Ruby to chart her own path. As she goes to bed, Julie looks at an album for Safety Recall. The final shot is of her as a teen riding in a limo with Randy, where they vow to go everywhere and do everything.

The final text states that Julie launched her clothing line, Mesh & Lace, at the age of 21 and settled down in the Hollywood Hills. Randy enjoyed a life of success as a musician and even won a few Grammys, but, true to his punk roots, never showed up to get them. Stacey graduated from Dartmouth and made a fortune working in Silicon Valley (and she ghosted Elon Musk). Karen graduated with honors from North Valley Cosmetology Center, and Stacey helped fund her “Resting Bitch Face Botanical Serum”. Jack went on to write hit music, including a popular Justin Bieber song. Loryn went on to appear in every single 90’s Janet Jackson video and accidentally invented the flash mob. Mickey sends an audition tape to “The Bachelor” every year but was recently hit by a restraining order from the producers. Sticky is still alive and tours with a Safety Recall tribute band. Diana invested in Macintosh and she and Steve became millionaires, moved to Paris, and spend their time drinking Chardonnay and making “home movies”.

Julie Richman recounts her senior year of high school to her daughter Ruby after she breaks up with her boyfriend. As a teen, Julie and her friends were "valley girls" living in Encino. She is dating arrogant jock Mickey until she meets a bad boy from Hollywood named Randy, who plays in a punk rock band. After Julie dumps Mickey for Randy, it causes a rift between her and her friends, as well as Randy and his bandmates.

Randy is invited to dinner with Julie and her parents but skips out after overhearing them express their doubts over him. Things come to a head when Julie and Randy go to a birthday party for her friend Stacey, but Randy and Mickey get into a brawl that gets Randy kicked out and causes Stacey to get mad at Julie for bringing him, and she breaks up with Randy.

Julie makes up with her friends while Randy goes back to being in his band. She goes to prom with Mickey but knows she doesn't love him and knows he doesn't care for her the way he makes it seem. Randy shows up to perform with his band, and while Mickey tries to ruin it with his friends, Julie and Randy still sing their song. They get back together. Julie tells Ruby that while she didn't end up with Randy, she enjoyed their time together and that this inspired her to chart her own path, which also inspires Ruby.

Ending text states that everyone went on to be successful, except for Mickey.