Review of Pretty in Pink (1986) by Melvin W — 20 May 2013

Blane: You said you couldn't be with someone who didn't believe in you. Well I believed in you. I just didn't believe in me. I love you... always.

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

I finally got around to watching one of John Hughes' classic high school movies, and I have to say Pretty in Pink lived up to the classic Hughes status. I didn't quite like it as much as The Breakfast Club, but Pretty in Pink is something special in its own right. It has a good, if pretty typical story at the heart of it, but what makes it special is Hughes' brilliant writing and the characters, which are all great. The cast also comes through perfectly and Jon Cryer might have stolen the whole show, with an offbeat, but emotional performance as Duckie.

Andie is a poor girl who attends a school that has a lot of rich kids. The rich kids and the poor kids hate each other. When Blane(a rich) starts showing signs of liking Andie, she can't believe it could be true. Then Blane asks her out and then to the prom, she is extremely excited. The only problem is that Blane's friends don't approve because Andie is poor and Andie's friends don't approve because Blane is rich. Well mostly it's just Duckie that doesn't approve, and his love for Andie makes things even more complicated for a girl feeling love for the first time.

There's a lot to like about Pretty in Pink. From the performances to the dialogue to the characters; it's a movie that has beauty in just about everything. At points, the movie gets a little too sappy or corny, but for the most part it gets a good majority of the high school scene and the first feelings of love down pretty good.

This is one of those movies that a lot of guys don't really care to look into. Pretty in Pink doesn't really get too many guys excited, but this really is worth the time. Hughes was, in a way, a genius, in how he explored and pretty much perfected the high school drama/comedy/romance. This is just another perfect example of that.