Pretty in Pink

PRETTY IN PINK and Molly Ringwald were to the 80s, as CLUELESS and Alicia Silverstone is to the 90s. An excellent cast and some fine acting were guaranteed enough to have branded this a teenage classic from the 80s. They don't make good movies like this anymore! The clever talent from John Hughes doesn't just mean it's a far-out comedy, but he expresses the problems of young love from central character Ringwald that sound dramatic and satirizing. In other words, a girl-meets-boy story that offers a wide spectrum of situations that are confronted in the real world. Like I already said, the cast is exceptional, including the sensational Jon Cryer doing a lip-synching of that familiar tune from THE COMMITMENTS. Annie Potts is a pure delight at changing one wig after the next (what a nice impersonation of Audrey Hepburn!). The movie wouldn't have been anywhere near complete without the memorable hit tune "If You Leave" (Orchestral Manoevers In The Dark). While the end has a hard time getting things straight, there is a valuable moment that caresses deeply. From start to finish, this one still holds up against the recent string of teen pictures that aren't as cool or refreshing (CLUELESS and REALITY BITES are the exceptions). A movie like this is great when it's not so raunchy.