Cyndi Lauper on ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ Movie: ‘It Sucked’

Cyndi Lauper was far from thrilled when her 1983 smash "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was turned into a movie.

The 1985 romantic comedy of the same name starred Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt, with Parker's character vying to win a spot on a popular dance show against her father's wishes.

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" writer Robert Hazard sold the big screen rights to his song, but Lauper refused to have her version of the hit or the lyrics she re-wrote used in the movie. "I guess it was about a couple of girls... trying to have fun," she said dismissively in a new interview with the New York Times. "For me, it sucked. You took my style. And it had nothing to do with me at all."

The movie was part of a larger trend for Lauper, who saw her unique and distinctive style get co-opted by the mainstream culture very quickly. "When I first became famous, I felt like the whole world just kind of went [makes a slurping noise] and sucked everything up. The jewelry, the color, the corsets on the outside, the whole thing. And then used it. Spit it out. Next!"

Read More: Meet the Man Who Wrote 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'

Despite mixed reviews and mediocre ticket sales, Girls Just Want to Have Fun went on to become considered something of a cable TV cult classic. In 2023 Elizabeth Banks, director of the highly praised horror comedy Cocaine Bear, announced that she would be filming a remake of the movie. A jukebox musical version is also in the works.

Cyndi Lauper is Currently Focused on Farewell Tour and Documentary

Lauper is much more enthused about her latest movie, the documentary Let the Canary Sing. "When I was first approached I said, 'A documentary? I'm not dead yet. But if anybody was going to tell my story - the good, the bad and the ugly - it would be [director] Alison Ellwood. She's a wonderful filmmaker. I feel so honored." The movie is currently streaming on Paramount +.

She's also working hard to prepare for the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell tour, telling the Times she's been eating enough salads to make her feel like a horse. "But when you're a singer, you have to be an athlete. You can't f--- around. When you're 20, yeah. But when you get older? No." The tour kicks off Oct. 18 in Atlanta and is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 5 in Chicago.

Watch the 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' Movie Trailer