Review of Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) by Ryan H — 08 Feb 2012

The thing about Howard Deutch and John Hughes working together is that it gave Hughes's films a different feel. The films always care about the characters and make us concerned for their teenage problems.

It's hard to live as a person in high school trying to find his or her way. John Hughes got that. But Deutch seemed to make them a little too serious. There is always playfulness in the writing, even though there is enough drama as well.

For example, Dutch (or Skinhead) was such a funny character. We get introduced to him first as a punk making fun of Watts for being a tomboy. He accuses her of being a lesbian. Keith sticks up for her and Dutch ends up getting detention.

Keith also finds himself in detention later. Their friendship happens because Dutch ends up making a drawing on his desk with a knife, and appreciates Keith's drawing that he makes in his notebook.

I thought it was funny, but the direction really didn't highlight the comedy in the scene. I also felt like Deutch is too interested in the relationship aspects to focus on the father/son story that happens.

It's clearly in the script, but I just didn't feel much by the way it was done. Perhaps this is what makes The Breakfast Club such a masterpiece: because Hughes loved the comedy in his writing that he makes classic scenes.

For example, the principal saying "mess with the bull you get the horns!" I just didn't feel the classic scenes in this. There were a couple of minor ones in Pretty in Pink, more than this, but it just doesn't have enough of the Hughes feel to it.

I did enjoy the ending to this one better. Watts and Keith needed to end up together, while Amanda needs to discover that being alone isn't always a bad thing. Eric Stoltz is excellent as always, driving us through the film making us care about every move he is going to make.

Will he go to the party? Will he realize his best friend is in love with him? Will he love her back? What's he going to do about college? That's perhaps another really aggravating scene. Interesting to have a character choose to not go to college, but spend his money to save his reputation before he leaves high school was probably not worth it like he claims.

I know he will make it all back eventually. Perhaps he will take a year off and then go to art school. But it still just didn't feel quite right. Anyways, Some Kind of Wonderful is a good film, but like with Pretty in Pink, with a different director it could have been more.