Pretty in Pink (1986)

Really Surprised!

Fantastic!

A Brilliant Conflict

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I loved it how it was till the last minute we find out who she chooses. Most of the movies it is always obvious who would the girl choose but not in this movie. I felt sorry for Duckie but at the same time i was happy for Andy and Blane. The only down was Harry dean stanton (jack waish) performance. It was cold and he didn't sell it, i wasn't sad that his wife left and i didn't care. Overall it was great movie and classic 80s teenage movie.

Andie (Molly Ringwald) is one of the 'unpopular' girls at school who is looked down on by some of the 'richer' girls at her school. Andie only has a couple of friends - one of which is a guy called Duckie (Jon Cryer) who has a big crush on her. To make matters worse Andie lives at home with her father Jack (Harry Dean Stanton) who is out of work and generally unmotivated. When Andie meets a rich boy who goes to her school called Blane (Andrew McCarthy) she believes that her prayers have been answered, but the course of true love doesn't run smoothly for Andie....I've watched quite a few of John Hughes' films and have liked quite a few of them (Weird Science, Planes Trains & Automobiles, Home Alone), but it seemed that a lot of the qualities that I've witnessed in his other films seemed to be missing hereThe first major problem here lies with characterisation and character development; take Molly Ringwald's character - she's depicted here as the poor girl who just wants a break in life and we're also led to believe that the rich girls are shallow and pretentious (which they are), but yet Andie is perceived as being just as shallow and pretentious as her peers. She openly admits that she's interested in Blane for his money and her viewpoint on Blane never seems to change throughout the film. It's one thing to offer a critique on shallow rich kids, but when the poor kid shows similar traits you're left with a screenplay that seems rather contradictory.This brings me on to the next big problem with this film; the male characters - on one hand you've got Duckie who is obsessed with Andie, but is unable to articulate his feelings towards her. This should create an endearing scenario, but the problem is that Duckie is anything but endearing and if anything he comes across as being creepy and annoying and the fact that he isn't a particular likable character only makes matters worse. Cryer's character is clearly supposed to be the 'funny guy' here and one's enjoyment of this film probably hinges on whether you find him funny or annoying here (well I can safely say that I fall into the latter camp). Next we come to Blane who is virtually the complete opposite to Duckie - given all the bad things I've said about Duckie you may think that this is a good thing, but trust me it is not. When I say different to Duckie, I mean that Blane is bland, boring and uninteresting. When evaluating these two characters one thought came to my head and that is; Why would Andie be interested in either of these guys? One who is immature, annoying and in-your-face creepy and the other who seems to have had a personality exorcism. As well as having many shallow and unlikeable characters the film never allows any of them to develop and as a consequence the story never really develops either; the film could have made more of an effort to explore the world in which the poor kids and the rich kids live in which would have made the narrative a little more insightful, but sadly it never really played out in this manner. James Spader's role as the school jock was interesting, but he's never really given anything to do and aimlessly flits in and out of the story. Going back to characters the only one I felt some pity for was Andie's dad (despite his flaws and the fact that he brought some of his problems on himself) I could see that he really cared for Andie and that one tender scene between the two of them towards the end of the film was probably the only real strong moment in the film.Another issue I had with this film is that it wasn't funny which is really surprising as Hughes can usually meld comedy and drama together really well, but in this film he gets neither element right. Although he didn't direct this film so I suppose it's unfair to lay all the blame at his door.As with The Breakfast Club, Hughes gives us an ending that is presumably meant to be heart-warming, but it just came across to me as forced and unrealistic. I kept wishing that Andie would just ditch both Duckie and Blane and find someone normal!!!! All in all there's very little that's good about this film and it basically lacks the insight, strong characterisation and a light-weighted sense of fun that I'm used to seeing from Hughes. Oh well I suppose all good filmmakers have an off day and Pretty In Pink is clearly a film that Hughes' knocked up on one of his off days.

PRETTY IN PINK is a movie about high school life and social discrimination during the 80's. It shows you the way students separate themselves based on their wealth and popularity. It informs the viewer that if you are not rich, basically you don't count or at least not for the popular parties and events that go on at the school. It shows you that if you dress a certain way and with clothes that are handmade by you, you are not cool. It shows you that the car you drive and the house you live in tells a lot about the life you are living and what you are worth. It shows you that discrimination and social segregation still was going on during that time. I am happy to say that all that has changed and high schools students in the present time are less socially discriminating. I work in a high school and I see kids of all kinds of social backgrounds, become the best of friends and they have no issues relating to wealth, image or social status

As someone who went through her teenage years in the new millennium, Pretty in Pink provided a glimpse of what it was like being a teen in the '80s and yet was a movie I could identify with. It was about a working class girl (and scholarship recipient) Andie who attends an elite high school. The dividing lines between rich and poor are clearly drawn, with the two groups hanging out in different parts of the school compound and excluding each other from their social events. So when Andie starts dating Blane, a rich preppy boy who despite his background is "not like the others", the couple face opposition from their friends, not least Duckie, Andie's best friend who's had a crush on her for years. While he too is a rich kid, he is ostracised by them for his dorky ways. While the themes of overcoming social barriers and girl-chooses-between- her-crush-and-best-friend have been portrayed numerous times in books and films (be it singly or in combination), this is one of the few that struck a chord - great acting, likable and realistic characters, excellent script. While the ending surprised me, I wholeheartedly approve of it.I also really liked this movie for its portrayal of non-romantic relationships. The movie is titled 'Pretty in Pink' because the climax takes place at senior prom, where Andie shows up in a pink dress which she designed and sewed from pieces given to her by two important people in her life. The first is her manager from the music store she works at part-time, Iona, an older sister figure to Andie through the ups and downs of the relationship. Then there's her dad, who despite his failings as a provider, is loving and supportive. To me, these scenes were important as they enabled us to see Andie as a complete person, to see that she's so much more than the object of affection of two boys. The only thing that marred my enjoyment was how ugly and unflattering the pink prom dress turned out! Other than that, I think Pretty in Pink is one of the best of its genre (teenage rom-com)! Great soundtrack too, though I couldn't really identify with the music.