Since the 1980s are my favorite decade, we are taking another trip back in the time machine to the time when the late, great John Hughes ruled the world.
“Pretty in Pink” is considered one of Hughes’ best films. He wrote the screenplay and was co-executive producer on the film, which focused on love and social cliques at a typical high school in the suburbs. The plot centers around Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald), who lives with her unemployed father, Jack (Harry Dean Stanton).
Andie’s mom walked out on the family, and her father struggles with depression and alcoholism. He’s constantly trying to build up his daughter, but they are poor and barely making ends meet. Andie gets a lot of her clothes from thrift stores and the like, making her own line of fashions.
She works in a record store, Trax. Her manager, Iona (Annie Potts), is more of a mother figure than a boss. The two keep each other company before and after work. Iona is an oddball for sure, which is part of the reason Andie is drawn to her.
Andie’s best friend is Duckie (“Two and a Half Men”’s Jon Cryer in his iconic role). Duckie secretly loves Andie, but she believes the two are just best friends. Yes, she “friend zoned” him, before that was even a word. Duckie is probably the best part about “Pretty in Pink.” Although he has stalker-like tendencies, we can’t help but enjoy his theatrics. Cryer overacts as Duckie, but that’s part of the charm. He has a great scene at Trax where he lip syncs and dances to Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness.” In an interview, Cryer said it wasn’t intended to leave the whole scene in the film, but his dance and lip sync wowed director Howard Deutch, who made certain to include the dance in its entirety.
Back to “Pretty in Pink.”
In the film, Andie connects with classmate Blane McDonough (Andrew McCarthy). Blane is a rich kid, Andie is a poor kid, so this will never work, right? You’ll have to watch to find out.
It’s amazing how much Hughes wrapped the screenplay around money and class. At one point, Andie tells Blane she doesn’t want him to drive her home from their date because she doesn’t want him to see where she lives. It’s truly heartbreaking to see how embarrassed she is of her home and life with her dad.
As Andie and Blane get more involved, Duckie lashes out. A rich bully, Benny Hanson (James Spader), harasses Andie. Blane doesn’t exactly jump to her defense and winds up breaking up with her.
The film culminates with the senior prom. Andie, Blane and Duckie all attend. If you don’t know how the film ends, you’ll just have to watch! No spoilers here.
“Pretty in Pink” is the consummate 1980s film. It’s got a bunch of “Brat Pack” stars and a killer soundtrack featuring OMD and the Psychedelic Furs. The film doesn’t hold up great 35 years later, but it’s still pretty enjoyable nonetheless. The plot is a little thin, but the performances of Ringwald, Cryer and McCarthy lift it. It’s no surprise that it was a monster hit in 1986 America. It came at a time when Hughes just couldn’t miss.
Fun fact: After audiences didn’t like the ending of the film, it was re-shot. McCarthy had already started filming another movie and had his head shaved, so they gave him an ill-fitting wig. It was bad hair, even for the ’80s.
“Pretty in Pink” is rated PG-13 for language and adult themes. It is available on all the usual platforms, including Xfinity OnDemand, Hulu, Vudu, iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
