Review of Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) by Jim H — 06 Sep 2013

With the help of a friend-zoned tomboy, a mechanic pursues his high school's troubled beauty queen.

By itself, this is an inoffensive John Hughes classic. Dealing with all of Hughes's normal themes of high school alienation and class differences, the film's optimistic and charming story work. However, it doesn't take a genius to see that Some Kind of Wonderful is a gender-reversed Pretty In Pink, and there we find some notable issues. Spoiler Alert: the protagonist ends up with his friend, not the slightly upper class object of his affections, but in Pretty in Pink the female protagonist finds love with the upper class prep boy. Why the difference? Could it be that the woman, unable to procure a stable living without the help of an economically viable husband, must choose a mate based on earning potential whereas the man is able to choose based on affection and loyalty, qualities that are far more likely to result in a viable relationship? It seems so, which bespeaks a sexism that I haven't seen in Hughes's other work.

Overall, I enjoyed the film until I thought about it.