Foxfire (1996 film)

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Foxfire
Foxfire DVD cover
Starring	Hedy Burress - Madeline Wirtz Angelina Jolie - Margaret "Legs" Sadovsky Jenny Lewis - Rita Faldes Jenny Shimizu - Goldie Goldberg Sarah Rosenberg - Violet Kahn Michelle Brookhurst-Cindy
Release date(s)	1996
IMDb profile

Foxfire is a 1996 movie based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang .

The movie describes the coming of age of four high school girls who meet up with a mysterious and beautiful drifter.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Foxfire is narrated by Maddie Wirtz, a high-school senior. Maddie is in control of her life, with a boyfriend, and plans to go to art school. One day in science class, the students are watching the teacher Mr. Buttinger try to make Rita Faldes dissect a frog. A mysterious and beautiful leather jacket-clad "new student" stands up to Mr. Buttinger and releases Rita's frog. When Mr. Buttinger sentences them both to detention, the drifter reveals that she's not a new student after all, and escapes through the same window as the frog.

Later, in the girls' room, the drifter and some other girls are listening to Rita describe Mr. Buttinger's untoward advances. When the drifter says the only way to stop the teacher is to stick together, the only girls to stay are Rita, Violet, and Maddie. When detention time comes, Mr. Buttinger indeed begins his advances toward Rita, but is startled by Violet's entry. When Maddie and the drifter come in soon after, he realizes the situation is becoming serious. The girls confront the teacher about his abuse, and they become involved in a physical altercation, which ends when the ordinarily shy Rita slams his face against a lab bench and tells him "if you ever put your hands on me again, I'm gonna snip your little nuts off with my toenail clippers." At this point Goldie Goldberg walks in, and joins the assault by declaring "this is great; Buttinger is such a fuck." The girls run from the school and then decide to go home.

At Maddie's house, Maddie is surprised by a knock at the window, which turns out to be the stranger from the earlier assault, there to return Maddie's dropped address book. The girl tells Maddie she's a drifter who got kicked out of school "for thinking for herself." Maddie agrees to let her sleep on the floor. The next morning, Maddie catches up with the girl on a bridge. The girl tells Maddie her name is "Legs", and brings Maddie's art supplies up onto the bridge. Maddie, who is afraid of heights, can't join her. A truck startles Legs, who drops the art portfolio over the edge of the bridge. Legs climbs over the edge of the bridge to retrieve the bag, which deeply impresses Maddie. As they part, Maddie tells Legs of an abandoned house up the river where Legs could stay.

At school, the girls are called in to the principal's office, where their claims of sexual harassment fall on deaf ears, and they are suspended for three weeks. The girls are escorted off campus, and Maddie is not allowed to retrieve her art school portfolio. Instead of going home with the news of their suspension, they all decide to go to the abandoned house up the river. There they meet Legs, who suggests they break into the school to get Maddie's portfolio.

The girls sneak into the high school through a vent, and go into the art room. While the other girls are busy collecting Maddie's work, Goldie is put off by an unflattering polaroid, and moves into a side room to smoke some Marijuana. She throws her match into a pile of oily rags, starting a fire, and setting off the sprinklers. The girls have to escape the police who come to investigate, and eventually reconvene at the house.

Back at the house, Legs decides to commemorate the night by giving herself a tattoo of a flame on her breast. One by one, the other girls ask Legs to give them the same tattoo. The girls forge a deep bond, particularly Maddie, who finds herself fascinated by the free-spirited Legs. The house becomes a refuge for the group from the problems of home and school.

Unfortunately, a group of jocks led by Dash hold a resentment over the accusations against Mr. Buttinger. They use one of their girlfriends, Cindy, to lure Maddie into a trap by feeding her a phony story about abuse from a boyfriend. Dash threatens Maddie with attempted kidnapping, and possible rape. Legs shows up in timely fashion and turns the tables on the jocks, even stealing their truck. Legs and Maddie take the truck for a joyride and pick up the rest of their friends along the way. However, pursuit by the police unhinges Legs, who speeds off in an attempt to elude them. With a concerned Maddie trying to reason with her, Legs becomes distracted and flips the truck in a wreck.

While the girls are unharmed, the juvenile court is less than thrilled with their antics. The would-be assailants and Cindy commit perjury on the stand, prompting the judge to sentence Legs to a juvenile detention site. Meanwhile, Maddie and the others are watched under a vigilant eye by their parents. Some time later, Cindy ultimately buckles under her guilt and tells the judge the truth.

Legs is freed and returns to the abandoned house in a bittersweet homecoming. In her time away, Goldie slipped further into drug abuse and became a heroin addict. Goldie has a harrowing withdrawal at the house. Outraged at the Goldbergs' indifference to their daughter's addiction, Legs vows to make Mr. Goldberg put forth the money necessary to place the girl in rehab.

Mr. Goldberg is kidnapped at gunpoint by Legs, who feels willing to resort to desperate measures to make him help Goldie. Maddie fervently protests the kidnapping, as does a very surprised Goldie. Legs feels immense stress over their limited options and struggles with making the next decision. The situation worsens when Rita (who Legs foolishly leaves with the gun) accidentally shoots the father. Legs accepts responsibility for the shooting and tells Rita not to blame herself.

While the other girls help Goldie and her wounded father to the hospital, Legs packs her bag and returns to the same bridge where she nearly lost Maddie's portfolio. With Maddie following, Legs begins attempting to hitch a ride away from town. She invites Maddie to run away with her, but Maddie is torn over the decision. When a semi stops for Legs, a grief-stricken Maddie tells her "I'll never forget you." Legs is hurt by Maddie's choice, but reassures the other girl that she's "in her heart."

After Legs rides away, Maddie watches the sun rise over the bridge. She feels brave enough to risk the bridge now and slowly begins climbing. A voice-over narrative by Maddie reveals that she made it into art school and remained friends with the other three girls, but never saw Legs again.