Times Square

Released in 1980, “Times Square” is a punk rock teen drama following the urban misadventures of two runaways, Nicky Marotta and Pamela Pearl. Staring Tim Curry, it is directed by Allan Moyle. Nicky (Robin Johnson) and Pamela (Trini Alvarado) are teenage girls who have much in common, but also many differences. The former is a poor girl, the latter a rich girl. Both are restless and disillusioned with life, something they concur during their simultaneous stints in a mental hospital. While they share a room at New York Neurological Hospital, they bond. Nicky is fearless and combative, and Pam is quiet, poetic. The two girls balance each other out, each inspiring the other. They subsequently escape the hospital, taking to the streets. They slip happily into the lives of vagabonds, stealing when necessary. They clean windshields for coins and scam unwitting participants out of money during sidewalk card games. Nicky and Pam set up shop in an abandoned warehouse by the docks, turning it into a bohemian paradise. Meanwhile, a trashy and opportunistic radio DJ (Tim curry), who happens to be Pam's father's enemy, has been receiving letters from Pam. He hooks up with Nicky and Pam via radio, and feigns sympathy for them. Nicky and Pam start a punk group, composing songs full of teen angst, loneliness, drama, and rage. DJ Laguardia plays their music on his radio show and the girls, who name their group The Sleez Sisters, become an underground phenom. They direct insulting songs at parents, the System, and all authority. The Sleez Sisters supplement their growing fame with outrageous stunts, like tossing televisions from rooftops, and they arouse the spirit of disenchanted girls everywhere. Pam picks up extra cash working at a topless bar. Nicky performs at the bar with the house band, and the girls are a hit. But the girls begin growing apart owing to different long term goals. One wants celebrity. The other wants to go home.