***A fun romp about girls wanting to lose their virginity… or something deeper?***

At summer camp in the eastern USA, two girls (Kristy McNichol and Tatum O’Neal) have a contest regarding who will lose their virginity first. Angel (McNichol) sets her eyes on a cool kid (Matt Dillon) at the boys’ camp across the lake while Ferris (O’Neal) pursues an older camp counselor (Armand Assante).

This is a coming-of-age drama with some amusing touches, similar to “The Summer of ’42” (1971), except that it involves a group of girls during the summer of 1979 (when the film was shot). The first half has the girls meet at the buses, which take them to the camp, and the typical shenanigans thereof: Rivalry, friendship, borrowing a bus, meeting guys, stealing condoms, a food fight, swimming, canoeing and so on. It’s similar to “Meatballs” (1979) and all-around routine, although somewhat entertaining. My attention perked up in the second half where I found I had stumbled upon drama at its finest.

Despite the set-up of the wager to see who can lose their virginity first, “Little Darlings” doesn't treat sex lightly. The scene where one of the girls says to a boy before (maybe) having sex for the first time: "Right now. Do you care about me a little?" This shows how little a gal will ask from a dude before giving it up.

Her tears after the fact are also an authentic reaction, not to mention thoroughly convincing. It drove home the point that sex was a big deal and not something of which to take lightly. This is followed by the interesting irony of what the two girls TELL their friends and, even better, Angel & Ferris’ potent meeting at the swing set with its refreshing transparency. The final scene and closing still are heartwarming as “Let Your Love Flow” by the Bellamy Brothers plays over the credits.

I know a lot of people see this flick as little more than a fun summer camp romp, like “Meatballs,” but those scenes are superb and represent drama & cinema at their finest.

The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes and was shot at Hard Labor Creek State Park, Rutledge, Georgia, as well as nearby Covington, Madison and Eatonton, Georgia.

GRADE: B