Review of Pretty in Pink (1986) by Ryan H — 05 Feb 2012

John Hughes and Molly Ringwald were one of the dream teams of the 80s. She knew how to become the characters that he wrote for her. Her smiles and glances at other people make us want her to get everything she desires.

Unfortunately, this time around, she should desire something that has been with her all along. I just wanted to slap her in the face every time she was with Blane and not Duckie. I'm really not sure what to make of the characters either.

It seemed like at first Hughes wanted Duckie to be just another Geek, but he turns out to be something much more. Duckie stands outside the club every time Andie goes in just to wait for her to come out, and maybe even get to go in just once.

He talks to her all the time even though she doesn't always want to talk to him. He even talks to her dad and says he just wants to make her happy. We get a glimpse of his character when Andie asks if he's failing because he's scared to move on.

Now here's my problem: the beginning interactions of Duckie and Andie are much different than the scene in the bedroom, which is my favorite interaction between them. Andie tells Duckie she hopes some girl will see how special he is one day.

And then she seems like she is interested in him when she hears him singing when she goes downstairs. What changes her mind, exactly? Why did she keep going to the club that he can't get into? And why does she always get aggravated when she sees him when this interaction happens? I get that people change moods and perhaps she was just in the mood to be with him at that time.

Maybe that's all it is. But something just didn't feel right for me after that. I also loved the scene when he went dancing and singing to the song in the shop. Duckie was all around a great guy, even though he might be a little intense at times.

Blane, on the other hand, is interested in her just in her looks. This works for something like Sixteen Candles because it's goofy and fun, but this seemed to try to have a more serious touch to it.

Why, exactly, do Blane and Andie fall in love? I understand why she would be hurt, but I never understood why she fell in love. And then there's this huge revelation from Blane in the end with Steff in the end that seems to come out of nowhere.

Again, this all works for something goofier, but perhaps the direction was off and it made the script just feel sloppy. It didn't capture high school quite like Sixteen Candles. However, the story of Andie and her father is great.

There was a strong connection between Molly Ringwald and Harry Dean Stanton. The scene when she tells her dad that she loved her mother too, but she just never loved them was so heartbreaking. There was plenty to enjoy in Pretty in Pink, which makes me think if John Hughes directed it himself it would have been a much better film.