Pretty in Pink (1986)

A poor girl must choose between the affections of her doting childhood sweetheart and a rich but sensitive playboy.

Director:

Howard Deutch

Writer:

John Hughes

Stars:

Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Molly Ringwald	...	Andie Walsh
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Jack Walsh
Jon Cryer	...	Duckie (Phil Dale)
Annie Potts	...	Iona
James Spader	...	Steff
Andrew McCarthy	...	Blane McDonnagh
Jim Haynie	...	Donnelly
Alexa Kenin	...	Jena Hoeman
Kate Vernon	...	Benny Hanson
Andrew Dice Clay	...	'Dice-man' - Bouncer at CATS (as Andrew 'Dice' Clay)
Emily Longstreth	...	Kate
Margaret Colin	...	English Teacher
Jamie Anders	...	Terrence
Gina Gershon	...	Trombley, Girl Friend / Gym Class
Bader Howar	...	Sales Girl

Storyline

Teenager Andie is one of the not-so-popular girls in high school. She usually hangs out with her friends Iona or Duckie. Duckie has always had a crush on her, but now she has met a new guy at school, Blane. He's one of the rich and popular guys but can the two worlds meet?

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Plot Keywords:

school | teenager | crush | high school | father | 

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Taglines:

He's crazy about her. She's crazy about him. He's just crazy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

La chica de rosa

Filming Locations:

366 South June St., Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$40,471,663 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anjelica Huston was considered for the role of Iona.

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Goofs

Jack's hair changes drastically between shots when Andie is talking to him about missing his job interview.

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Quotes

Steff: Look, that was very uncool of you last night, Blane.
Blane: What?
Steff: [mockingly] What?
Blane: You mean Andie?
Steff: Yeah, I mean Andie.
Blane: What's the big deal? I like her. Matter of fact, I was pissed off at you guys for being so nasty to her.
Steff: It was way out of order for you to force her on the party.
Blane: [disbelievingly] Steff, do you hear yourself? Do you hear the same asshole shit I hear?
Steff: What, do I have to spell it out for you?
Blane: [pissed off] I guess so.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Parenthood: New Plan (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"
Words by Morrissey
Music by Johnny Marr
Performed by The Smiths
Courtesy of Sire Records & Rough Trade Records, Ltd.

User Reviews

A cute love story spoiled by a slightly disappointing ending.

PRETTY IN PINK is the tale of an original, but slightly outcast, girl named Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) who is from the poorer part of her town. She never minded this until one day when the rich, "preppy" Blane McDonnagh (Andrew McCarthy) asks her if she'd like to go out sometime. All of Blane's rich preppy friends immediately disapprove, and Andie gets caught in the middle when her own best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) disapproves as well. Andie decides to go out with Blane anyway, although their first date ends up being somewhat of a disaster. Blane takes Andie to his friend Steff's (James Spader) house party, where nearly everyone snubs her, and Andie is embarrassed to let Blane see where she lives and what kind of house it is. In the end, Andie has to decide whether pursuing potential love is worth the humiliation she receives from everyone else for doing so.

PRETTY IN PINK is the last of the three famous Molly Ringwald-John Hughes collaborations, and is also the least favorable, in my opinion. Which is not to say that it's not a good movie, though. While its two predecessors dealt more with status and popularity issues, this movie deals with a more serious topic of class differences. However, I find this to be a pretty unrealistic scenario by today's standards and not very easy to relate to, in my case at least. However, the whole concept of two lovers dating despite their differences and everyone else's disapproval is pretty cool and receives my commendation. The ending, though, is a bit of a disappointment.

What I really commend the movie on, however, is its portrayal of what love is really like. It manages to show just how beautiful it can be at times, and just how destructive it is most of the time. Having experienced something similar to Andie's struggle, I have to say that that feature of the movie made it a lot more personable and relatable for me, taking on a deeper meaning than it probably would for others who haven't experienced such a battle.

As far as technical aspects go... well, what can you say. The acting is terrific, namely from the always-great Molly Ringwald and the spectacularly wacky Jon Cryer as the film's most memorable character by far, Duckie. Jon Cryer easily delivers the film's best performance, along with most of its best lines. Annie Potts is also wonderful and funny as Andie's coworker Iona. John Hughes was a great director, even though his area of expertise was '80s teen movies--but, let's face it, no one could have done them better.

To wrap it up, PRETTY IN PINK is a cute love story with fantastic acting and characters that manages to capture a bit of the true essence of love, even if it is a bit disappointing in the end. 7/10.