Movie Review: Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink is a classic love triangle with a few twists. Andie Walsh (played by Molly Ringwald) is a high school student that literally comes from the wrong side of the tracks. She makes good grades, gets a scholarship, takes care of her drunken father (played by Harry Dean Anderson) and is pursued by no less than three men throughout the film. Duckie (played by Jon Cryer) is Andie's devoted admirer, having loved her since childhood. Bordering on stalker-ish, he calls her obsessively and follows her to work and to her hangouts. If Andie didn't tell him that she loved it, the movie would have taken a much darker turn. After four years of high school, Andie is finally being noticed by a rich, stylish boy named Blaine (played by Andrew McCarthy), who creatively breaks the ice with the 80's version of instant messenger. Andie agrees to go out with him, alienating Duckie and Blaine's friends in the process. Their first date can only be categorized as awful and awkward. Probably for the first time in both of their lives, Andie and Blaine are faced with an uncomfortable class barrier. Of course, at the end of their horrific first date, Blaine decides to ask Andie to the prom.

This movie can be described as entertaining and heartwarming. Although the mood of the film is generally light, Andie's eccentric boss (played by Annie Potts), Andie's father (Anderson), and Blaine's upper-crust snob friend Steff (played by James Spader) add some much needed dramatic color to the film. The emotional outbursts of Andie and her father create an interesting and sad sub plot about Andie's mother and explain Anderson's sad state of affairs.

The first thing you'll probably notice about Pretty in Pink is the funky 80's wardrobe. The director uses a grunge-punk look to define all of the poor kids, and an 80's version of Jcrew accentuates the rich kids. Apparently, the rich and the poor of Andie's high school completely avoid each other, and find a way to insult one another at every pass. No matter which side of the tracks the boys are on, however, they find a way to wear suits to school. Yeah. That's reality.

The prom seems to be a huge deal to everyone in the whole high school and yet Andie maintains that she doesn't even want to go and will just show up, walk around, and leave. Only one full scene is shot at the prom, and is quickly over as both Andie and Blaine make their escape to a parking lot for the final kiss of the movie. In keeping with the Hollywood ending, the dejected Duckie finds new potential as soon as Andie leaves the room to pursue her last kiss.

The movie is worth seeing for many reasons not the least of which is Duckie' (Cryer's) eccentric performance. Not only do your heart strings pull for the man who you hope will eventually win Andie's heart, but you laugh your self silly at the antics he goes to in order to snag her interest. His un-ending devotion to his best friend almost makes you wish that she'd dump the lovable rich-boy and choose laughter for the rest of her life. Apparently in the original screen play, Hughes (screen writer) had Duckie and Andie ending up together. Test audiences said it didn't keep with reality, so they re-shot the ending. Personally, I would have liked to be left in the fantasy world Hughes originally designed.