Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Python Hyena Gidget (1959): Dir: Paul Wendkos / Cast: Sandra Dee, James Darren, Cliff Robertson, Yvonne Craig, Arthur O'Connell: High spirited surfer comedy about innocence in that Gidget is all about fun and enjoying life. She and her parents are vacationing and she hits the beaches only to be singled out for her sexuality. She slowly learns to surf but becomes caught between two males. One is much older than she is and other she uses to make the former jealous. Simple plot but develops nicely with fine direction by Paul Wendkos who started a new genre of surfer films and teenage beach films aimed at younger viewers. Sandra Dee holds the film together with her innocence. She is the apple in the eye of her parents but candy to the eye of hormonal males. James Darren plays Moondoggie, the male whom she is trying to obtain but who plays hard to get. To say that they eventually connect is an understatement but the film isn't dumb fluff. Cliff Robertson plays the leader of a surfer gang whom becomes Gidget's opportunity for attention. She attempts unsuccessfully to use this for greater gain against Moondoggie. Yvonne Craig also graces with her appearance although stealing attention away from Gidget is a task of its own. Finally there is Gidget's parents who are bewildered constantly with their daughter. Somewhat daring film about adolescence and that urge to be someone with somebody. Score: 8 / 10

movie-viking Sandra Dee's "Gidget" is too naiive to be real by teen standards today, but what a fun trip to the late 50's past it is! She is determined to surf with the slightly older teen boys...and along the way she meets the grown "Big Kahuna"...a beachcomber guy who has no job but just surfs and leads a pack of teen boys to surf all day long...And she bumps heads with "Moondoggie" a boy near her age...Of course, she ends up with Moondoggie...and even the cynical "Big Kahuna" shapes up his act...because of little Gidget's influence!I love the 50's shirtwaist dresses, crop tops and original capri style pants...and the great old cars!The only slightly creepy thing is Gidget thinks she's not a woman because she came home "as pure as the driven snow". Mom does not do what I would have done...(I'd freak out & ask who was trying to seduce my underage daughter!!!) She does point to a late Victorian embroidered sampler hung on Gidget's bedroom wall which says "To be a Real Woman is to Bring out the Best in a Man". Hmmm Somehow Gidget never read that little sampler!That said, the movie is fun to watch. I'd use the slightly disturbing portion where Gidget tries to get seduced in order to "become a woman" to discuss with my tween or teen aged children why that lifestyle choice is foolish. Otherwise, Gidget actually exhibits some beginning strengths of character in her quest to find herself. She is not afraid to question her world and the adults around her.Enjoy the late 50's dresses, cars, and the beautiful California beaches and surf culture!!!

Jessica-656 I remember enjoying this movie when I saw it years ago on TV, so I decided to rent it on DVD, but it didn't register as well this time around. I believe this is the film that made Sandra Dee a big star, but her lack of acting skill really grated on me several times, especially when she was supposed to be bubbling over with enthusiasm, though several people here (not to mention contemporary fans) obviously thought she did a great job. On the other hand, she really was cute as a button, and the right age for her role (17), or perhaps even 2 years younger, if it's true about her birth date being falsified. I was surprised that Gidget's parents would be so concerned about her date not coming to her home to pick her up, but had no problem with their daughter spending all day, every day with an older, all-male crowd whom they never met! As for the movie itself, the obviously fake surfing shots annoyed me, and Gidget's first near-drowning made me think of the saying "When you're really drowning, you don't make much noise, because there's too much water coming in". I would have been more impressed with Moondoggie if he'd noticed something was wrong without a lot of fuss! Anyway, this film does have a bit more substance than some of the other "teen" movies of the time, and it's a pleasant way to spend 95 minutes.

aimless-46 The reputation of the original "Gidget" (1959) has eroded over the years thanks to two weak sequels and a truly dreadful television series. So if you have never seen the original don't dismiss it based on the extremely shallow content of the Gidget stuff that came later. While not a good double-feature match for "Rebel Without a Cause", it is dark and serious enough to still have some relevanceWhile presenting a rather tame portrait of California's surf and beatnik counterculture, it fits solidly with the better coming-of-age/generational revolution stuff of the 1950's and 60's. Sixteen year-old Francis Lawrence (Sandra Dee at her most innocent) is the film's title character; girl plus midget equals Gidget. Dee managed to avoid the other two features and the television series but not fatal type casting. She would become more associated with "Tammy" than any other character. Although soon to be a teen idol, looking at her films it is probably difficult for today's audiences to understand her appeal. She was a talented actress with an especially good performance in "The Young and the Innocent" but was never able to transcend the teen idol stigma. Francis and her more mature and boy hungry friends (watch for "Batgirl's" Yvonne Craig) start their summer vacation trolling the beach for excitement. Francis doesn't really like boys but she can see that they will inevitably become a big factor in her life. Rescued by a boy named Moondoggie (James Darren who was never much of an actor but would also develop into quite a teen idol), Francis is introduced to the surf culture (watch for "Billy Jack's" Tom Laughlin). She is both attracted and repelled by the hedonist freedom and the inherent hypocrisy of the culture's preoccupation with money. In no sense is she the ditzy Gidget later portrayed on television by Sally Fields.There is a pervasive sexual undertone to the film with the possible loss of Gidget's virginity a unifying theme. But she is essentially a child, and the three main male characters are each protective of her in their own way. Along with Moondoggie are her clueless father (Arthur O'Connell) and The Big Kahuna (Cliff Robertson).Robertson is a combat veteran (Korea) who has basically dropped out and is living in a shack on the beach. Robertson does a good job in a challenging rol, as The Big Kahuna alternates between the seriousness he would soon bring to his portrayal of Jack Kennedy in "PT-109" and the manic qualities of a Dick Shawn character. Ultimately some irony is introduced as "Moondoggie" turns out to be Jeffrey Mathews, the clean-cut boy Mr. Lawrence has been trying all summer to persuade his daughter to date. Their summer at the beach is just a transitional point on the road to a ranch house in Sherman Oaks.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.