How sad is this?

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

love, teenagers, beach, sun, ocean , surfing. and the love story. after the strange, vulgar, complicated films with/about teenagers from our time, Gidget represents a fresh air. because it propose a simple story. because all seems be result of a form of romanticism who defines , in same measure, existence of each teenager and his desires. and, sure, for Sandra Dee, who gives the expected image of next door girl neighbor. the need to be part of group. the emotion of first love. the choice. the charm of appearances. the fundamental lesson about life. the conflict, suspicion and disillusion. the acceptance of truth. all in the seductive, simple way. so, a nice experience.

"Francis Lawrence" (Sandra Dee) is a 16-year old teenager who hasn't quite developed an attraction for boys yet even though all of her close friends are head over heels for them. So in an attempt to stimulate her interest—and meet some young guys themselves--they take her to the beach where they hope to meet a few hanging out and surfing. As luck would have it the girls are rejected by the guys because they are too young. However, Francis takes an immediate love for surfing and because of that they eventually come to accept her. They even give her the nickname of "Gidget" which they have come up with by combining the words "girl" and "midget". Not only that but the leader of the group, known as "the Kahuna" (Cliff Robertson), even takes her under his wing and mentors her on the sport. Soon one thing leads to another and before she knows it she falls in love with one of the surfers named "Moondoggie" (James Darren). Unfortunately, he prefers to focus on surfing and isn't looking for romance. But Gidget is extremely determined. Anyway, rather than reveal any more of the movie and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this turned out to be a cute little film even by today's standards. As a matter of fact, this film was so successful that it became the precursor to the beach movies which were quite popular in the early 60's. Not only that, but it also spawned several sequels along with a television series as well. On a side note, look for a young Yvonne Craig (as "Nan") who later starred as "Batgirl" alongside Adam West in the television series "Batman". Be that as it may, although it loses some of its impact through the years it still retains its charm even today. I rate it as slightly above average.

On the one hand, "Gidget" looks like an intelligence-challenged flick, as the cute teenage girl goes to the beach to possibly meet boys. But I think that there's more to it than just that. As far as I could tell, the movie also looked at her burgeoning sexuality and her uncertainty thereof. Plus, the girls wear pants; wouldn't that have looked a little tomboyish in the '50s? What I'm saying is that people need to watch this movie again. While it remains a 1950s time capsule, I got the sense that something - I don't know what exactly - hinted at the changes coming over the next decade. In case anybody chooses to call this movie stupid, I totally reject that. "Stupid" is the description that I would apply to Eddie Murphy's movies from the past few years, or any Steven Seagal movie. As for Sandra Dee herself, from what I've read about her it sounds as though she was a pretty intelligent person, having far more substance than her movie roles implied.Anyway, I recommend this movie. Also starring James Darren and Cliff Robertson. That means that Cliff Robertson is the only actor who has worked with Sandra Dee and Tobey Maguire (in "Spiderman").

the film had loads of late 50s surfing symbols which had a lot to do with the surfing explosion of the mid-60s on the east coast. it had a sun loving and easy going lifestyle feel which accurately summed up California attitudes of the day. yes, glossy and middle of the road, but a huge surfing film nonetheless. in addition, there are subtle references to booze and sex. for nostalgic value, there isn't a boomer around who wouldn't be immediately mesmerized by this swinging movie. for surfers, the long boards are of interest. car lovers will love the vintage cars. the concept of the surfing shack was something not present on east coast beaches, and one wonders if the the local beach patrol would have allowed such a building to be built and occupied on a public beach. maybe in hawaii, but not California. the beach is assumed to be the famous surfing beach, malibu; however reference is made to santa monica. whatever, we know the movie is taking place in southern cali. if one were to guess the year, one is tempted to say early 60s--say, 1962 or 63. but the film is significant because it documents a solid, burgeoning beach culture which had been in place since the years immediately following W.W. 2. this film is a rich summation of what transpired on the beaches of southern California in the 1950s.