7 Rad Facts About the 1985 Film ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ for Its 40th Anniversary
Girls Just Want to Have Fun didn’t have all that much fun at the box office when it hit theaters four decades ago, on April 12, 1985. The dance-happy film starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Shannen Doherty and Helen Hunt opened to $1.6 million on its way to grossing $6.3 million, just surpassing its $5 million budget. But the film’s appeal has grown through decades of cable re-runs and the eventual fame of its two stars — so much so that stage and screen remakes were afoot as of 2023. (More about those below!)
Written by Amy Spies and directed by Allen Metter, Girls Just Want to Have Fun stars Parker as a teen who moves to a new city, befriends a Catholic-school classmate played by Hunt, and auditions with her for their favorite dance show, the fictional Dance TV. The teens bust a move to high-80s music, but you won’t hear Cyndi Lauper on the soundtrack, as you’ll discover in the following fun facts about the rom-com.
1 Cyndi Lauper’s song doesn’t appear in the movie
Even though the film capitalized on the success of her pop single of the same name, Cyndi Lauper declined to participate in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, according to The Washington Post. Producers were still able to use “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” however, after buying the rights to the track from songwriter Robert Hazard, whose original song Lauper reworked into her smash hit. The version of the song on the film’s soundtrack is performed by Deborah Galli with Tami Holbrook and Meredith Marshall, and features the song’s original, pre-Lauper lyrics — which were written from a male perspective, and were described by the Post as “unenlightened.”
2 Sarah Jessica Parker teamed up with a ‘Square Pegs’ screenwriter
Embassy Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Parker told the Los Angeles Times she signed on for Girls Just Want to Have Fun because of the involvement of Janis Hirsch, one of the writers on her TV show Square Pegs, who’s credited as a production consultant on the film.
Because of that connection, aspects of Parker’s real-life personality at age 17, when she was filming Square Pegs, made their way into the Girls Just Want to Have Fun script. “Everything those days was either ‘the greatest’ or ‘the worst.’ I was always afraid,” the actor told the Times. “Besides that, Janis wasn’t into depicting people my age being stupid. I was impressed with her fondness for two best friends who aren’t competitive.”
3 Helen Hunt got her part with Parker’s endorsement
Everett Collection
Hunt told the Times that producers were “looking for Goldie [Hawn] types” when she was called to audition for Girls Just Want to Have Fun. But then Metter let Hunt know that she had Parker’s vote.
“[Metter] pulled me aside and said, ‘Sarah would kill to work with you,’” Hunt recalled. “It was really cool. Because I knew she wanted me to do the role, I felt I had the support to overcome my Sarah Lawrence looks.”
Coincidentally or not, Parker is now married to Matthew Broderick, who costarred with Hunt in the 1987 film Project X and the 2007 film Then She Found Me — and who once dated Hunt, as she confirmed to the New York Daily News in 2008.
> 6 Things You May Not Know About Matthew Broderick
4 The two actors described the styling process as “hair hell”
Everett Collection
Both Hunt and Parker told the Times they went through “hair hell” for the movie. Hunt’s ash-blond hair was bleached platinum blond, while Parker’s curly hair was straightened. “Next time… a wig!” Hunt declared. “I looked in the mirror after [the bleaching] was done, and suddenly, my identity and my own sense of beauty were totally thrown for a loop.”
5 Robert Downey Jr. has an uncredited cameo
Robert Downey Jr., who was dating Parker at the time, played an uncredited role in the film, appearing as one of the punks who crash Natalie’s (Holly Gagnier) coming-out party. See if you can find him in the above clip.
The future Iron Man star’s relationship with Parker lasted from 1984 to 1991. “I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn’t jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is,” he told Parade in 2008 as he reflected on the relationship, per People. “She provided me a home and understanding. She tried to help me. She was so miffed when I didn’t get my act together.”
6 A film remake was in the works as of 2023
In April 2023, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Village Roadshow was developing a modern-day remake of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, with Elizabeth Banks producing and Marja-Lewis Ryan and Allie Romano, two colleagues from the L Word: Generation Q writers room, penning the script.
7 A musical was also in development
In November 2023, Playbill announced that comedian M. Dickson and actor Lauren Marcus would be writing a jukebox musical based on the film and featuring 1980s music from the library of Primary Wave Music, with The Book of Mormon’s Jennifer Werner on board to direct.
“Primary Wave just wants to have fun, and we could not be more excited for our iconic hits from the ’80s to provide the soundtrack for this beloved, classic story,” Primary Wave’s Natalia Nastaskin and Ramon Villa said at the time.
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