Pretty in Pink (1986)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One last collaboration for John Hughes and Molly Ringwald, whose creative partnership dissolved after this film. Somewhat softer and more self-serious than the preceding teen epics Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, it tackles social cliques and classism from various perspectives. Ringwald and leading man Andrew McCarthy, akin to Romeo and Juliet, find their young relationship stressed by the negative influence of friends who insist they find someone closer to their own status. There really isn't much sparkle to the pairing, though, apart from a few awkward make-out scenes, and they both come off as especially wet noodles in comparison to the vibrant, brash supporting cast. Jon Cryer is most memorable of these as Duckie, a flamboyant mod who's been carrying a torch for Ringwald all his life, and nearly steals the film with an abrupt dance/lip-sync number just before everything gets overly angsty. Most of the third act is wasted on hand-wringing and moping, though, and the ending (changed at the last minute, much to Hughes's chagrin) feels disingenuous even if it does make a better fit for the movie's theme. The window dressings are drowned in '80s flavor, too, from the appropriately synthy soundtrack to the Halloween-grade costume choices. Looks like everyone at this school was either Don Johnson, Sid Vicious or Morrissey.

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

I usually take to John Hughes movies pretty well, but "Pretty in Pink" was strangely flat for me. Part of the reason is that I saw "Some Kind of Wonderful" first (which, despite its faults, is much more effective in its pursuits), this is also a fairly lackluster cast, with Annie Potts being the only real standout (although, the ladies' room scene was some genuinely funny Jon Cryer). But that ending . . . everything points to Andie ending up with Duckie. The way the story moves, everything, it's a foregone conclusion. We know how this will shake out. Yet it goes the other way, and for no good reason. In a movie like this, that's a nonsensical rug-pull. It kinda helps when you know the behind-the-scenes reason for this, but it's still a fumble.5/10

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.