Nice Girls Don't Explode (1987)

Too much of everything

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

In most cases, it shouldn't seem too significant that "Nice Girls Don't Explode" was the last movie that anyone watched in a given year. But much of what happened in 2006 - the Democrats winning back control of the House and Senate, various political scandals, Mel Gibson's rant, etc. - seemed to function as their own sorts of explosions. Just as the idea of a teenage girl apparently causing spontaneous combustion by getting horny is so far out that probably no one envisions it happening in reality, probably few if any people predicted much of what came to pass in 2006 (not to mention that Barbara Harris's character's actions really blew some of the other characters' minds about as much as the events of the past year). So, in my opinion, this interesting if improbable flick was the perfect way to end that year.OK, so I'm probably reading too much into "NGDE". After all, it was most likely intended as a nice, silly comedy (which it certainly was). I gotta say that Barbara Harris's character would really be embarrassing to have as a mother. Also starring Michelle Meyrink, William O'Leary and Wallace Shawn.I gotta say that even though Barbara Harris had clearly aged by this point, she was still kinda hot (pun intended).

I thought this movie was silly....not to mention the acting was awful. I think with professional people working on it , it might have had a chance....its like some movie that was made by a bunch of film school rookies.....2 thumbs down on this one....I will give kudos to Wallace Shawn however...he is always good, and i think very brave to appear in this one....I've seen worse films, lots of them out there....so if its a slow Saturday night, i suppose this movie might help in passing the time...hahahaaaa, or if your a insomniac, you might be able to fall asleep for once.....

I picked this movie up looking for some old titles with Michelle Meyrink who some might remember from such films as 'Real Genius' and 'Valley Girl.' In Nice Girls Don't Explode, Meyrink plays April Flowers, a teenage girl who is convinced that she has pyrotechnic hormones, in that whenever she is around guys, some kind of fire breaks out, leaving her utterly embarrased and afraid to show any sort of affection towards courting boys, especially Andy (William O'Leary) (who is sometimes annoying at parts), who is sure that she is mistaken about her firestarting capabilities. He is sure that April's mother (Barbara Harris) is responsible for her daughter's mishaps, setting fires so guys won't want to go near April. But how does he expose April's mother's overboard techniques in overprotective parenting? Meanwhile, a real pyromaniac named Ellen (Wallace Shawn), floats around in the story as a frustrated and lonely fellow looking for some human interaction. He often walks around igniting fires when his attempts to converse like a normal human being fail. I don't think this movie is as bad as the previous reviews have stated. First of all, it is a very cheap movie. Though the fact that a mother still treats her 18 year old daughter like she's two years old (take a look at her room) is pretty disturbing, it is supposed to be an exaggerated story about a girl who's mother just can't seem to let her grow up, especially when it comes to dating. The story has to do a lot to carry interest, too, being that there are times when you wonder that in the 18 or so years of her life, April never ever seemed to suspect anything of her mother? But once again, the story is supposed to be excessively exaggerated, pushing itself along on devices of stupid comedy. That's all. It's a no brainer movie that's sure to get a few laughs out of you, no matter how stupid, particularly with Wallace Shawn's character, Ellen. I definitely recommend the movie if you want to see something with Michelle Meyrink, as she is the typical Meyrink shy, but funny girl.

Mothers and their daughters always have special relationships. Well, this one is a bit more special than most. Although Mrs. Flowers seems a bit nicer than Margaret White (Carrie's mom), she is actually more cruel. Margaret just traumatized her daughter about sex in the home and had the guts to be straightforward about it. Mrs. Flowers has brainwashed her daughter into thinking that not only will she explode if she ever "goes all the way", but has taken steps to ensure that her daughter *knows* that just becoming sexually excited will cause fires. April Showers obviously manages to thwart her mom in the end, because when one fails to completely traumatize a daughter, you still have your grandaughter's head to mess with