Some Kind of Wonderful, a Movie for Good Gals Finishing Last but Not Least

One of my favorite, all-time classic 80s movies is Some Kind of Wonderful. It is sort of a twist on a Cinderella story, where tomboy gets discovered amidst societal woes and gets the guy.

The tomboy named Watts (played by Mary Stuart Masterson) has a best friend named Keith (played by Eric Stoltz). They have been best friends for a long, long time.

This movie is so reflective and so portraying of all the times I had a deep crush on a guy and he just didn't seem to notice. What a deeply touching movie to reach out to the masses in such a personal way.

Watts is a good buddy who has developed some mad mechanic skills while hanging out with her guy friend. Watts is a full-blown tomboy and is mistaken for batting the other way because of the guy manners she possesses on a daily basis. The posture is a coping mechanism to help guard her form the men in her life that don't seem to pull out all the chivalries to protect.

Keith, a closet artist, is under pressure by his good intentioned but unaware parents about college and just day-to-day life. It is understandable that they wouldn't know about the girl pressures. What person would tell the intimate details of that part of their life to their parents? Not me!

Keith can't see that his best friend is really his best friend in the whole wide world. He just sees her as "one of the guys." He has had his eye on one of the richest, most popular girls in school. He probably notices her because she dresses like a girl. He is self conscious about his grease monkey lifestyle and appearance and tries to rectify his circumstances to gain the more respectable match. The girl, Amanda, (played by Leah Thompson) is all prom queen whose king just broke it off with her. Keith sees his chance to make his move and woo her.

The awakened Keith is a catalyst for two other people to make their moves, Watts and Amanda prom king ex-boyfriend who still has feelings for her. Amanda also seems to experience the pressures of breaking with the most popular and wealthiest young man in school as her so called friends reject her for making a date with Keith, a social outcast.

Amanda's boyfriend is offended by all of the negative, tabloidesque attention his breakup is causing. He makes a point of socially embarrassing and trashing her at his party.

Watts, noticing the jealousy welling up inside her, offers to be Keith's and Amanda's chauffer and chaperone. She does everything proper save the antics to make her rival look bad on the date. I noticed the jealousy welling up within me.

Keith finally notices that his best friend is the hostess with the mostest and they live happily ever after. There was no sequel to verify that. You just have to let your imagination tell you that they got married after high school or college.