Pretty in Pink

Plot synopsis:
High school senior Andie Walsh lives modestly with her underemployed working class father, Jack. Andie's best friend, Phil "Duckie" Dale, is in love with her, but is afraid to tell her how he truly feels. In school, Duckie and Andie, along with their friends, are harassed and bullied by the arrogant "richie" kids, specifically Benny Hanson and her boyfriend Steff McKee, who is secretly interested in Andie.
While working after school at TRAX, a new wave record store, Andie starts talking about her school's senior prom to her manager Iona, who advises Andie to go despite not having a date. Blane McDonough, one of the preppy boys and Steff's best friend, starts talking to Andie at school and at TRAX, and eventually asks her out. Steff tells Blane to stop talking to her.
On the night of the date, Andie waits for Blane at TRAX, but he is late. Duckie comes in and asks Andie to go out with him, but she ignores him. Iona gives her a pep talk, while Duckie, still oblivious, asks what's wrong. When Blane arrives, Duckie is upset and starts an argument with Andie, with Duckie trying to convince her that Blane will only hurt her. Duckie storms off and Andie goes on with her date. Blane suggests going to a house party Steff is throwing, but Andie is treated poorly by everyone, including a drunk Steff and Benny. Andie, in turn, suggests going to the local club, where they discover Iona sitting with Duckie, who is hostile toward Blane. After another argument with Duckie, Andie and Blane walk out of the club. Andie, feeling that their night didn't go so well, tells Blane that she wants to go home, but when Blane offers to take her home, she refuses, admitting that she doesn't want him to see where she lives. She eventually allows him to drop her off and he asks her to the prom, which she accepts and they share their first kiss. Andie visits Iona at her apartment the next day to talk about Andie's date. Meanwhile, Blane, pressured by Steff, begins distancing himself from Andie.
Jack comes home one night and surprises Andie with a pink dress he bought for her at a thrift shop. Questioning how he was able to afford it, Andie tells him that she knows he has been lying about going to a full-time job. The two fight until Jack breaks down, revealing that he is still bitter and depressed about his wife having left him. At school, Andie confronts Blane for avoiding her and not returning her calls. When asked about prom, he claims that he had already asked somebody else but had forgotten. Andie starts calling Blane a liar and accuses him of being ashamed of being seen with her because his friends don't approve. Andie runs away as a teary-eyed Blane leaves, with Steff criticizing Andie again. Duckie overhears Steff and attacks him in the hallway. The two fight before teachers intervene. Andie goes to Iona, crying about what happened. She asks for Iona's old prom dress.
Using the fabric from Iona's dress and the thrift shop dress, Andie creates a new pink prom dress. When she arrives at the prom, Andie has second thoughts about braving the crowd on her own until she sees Duckie walk out. They reconcile and walk into the ballroom hand in hand. When a drunk Steff begins mocking the couple, Blane confronts him and finally realizes that Steff resents Andie because she had turned down Steff's advances. Blane then approaches the two, shaking Duckie's hand and then apologizing to Andie, telling her that he always believed in her and that he will always love her, kissing her cheek before walking out. Duckie concedes that Blane is not like the other rich kids at school and advises Andie to go after him, joking that he'll never take her to another prom if she doesn't. Duckie then sees a girl smiling at him, telling him to come over and dance with her. Andie catches up with Blane in the parking lot and they kiss passionately.

Tags: cult, comedy, romantic

Review:
I have watched this over a dozen times and I don't care if some people refer to this as a "chick flick".A young girl falls in love with a boy from the other side of the tracks.
When I watched Pretty In Pink it made me laugh, but more importantly it brought me back to a time that was fun, had less pressure ( in some ways ), and there were a plethora of films that were made aimed at us teens.
PRETTY IN PINK is the tale of an original, but slightly outcast, girl named Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) who is from the poorer part of her town.
All of Blane's rich preppy friends immediately disapprove, and Andie gets caught in the middle when her own best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) disapproves as well.
In the end, Andie has to decide whether pursuing potential love is worth the humiliation she receives from everyone else for doing so.PRETTY IN PINK is the last of the three famous Molly Ringwald-John Hughes collaborations, and is also the least favorable, in my opinion.
The acting is terrific, namely from the always-great Molly Ringwald and the spectacularly wacky Jon Cryer as the film's most memorable character by far, Duckie.
John Hughes was a great director, even though his area of expertise was '80s teen movies--but, let's face it, no one could have done them better.To wrap it up, PRETTY IN PINK is a cute love story with fantastic acting and characters that manages to capture a bit of the true essence of love, even if it is a bit disappointing in the end.
The clever talent from John Hughes doesn't just mean it's a far-out comedy, but he expresses the problems of young love from central character Ringwald that sound dramatic and satirizing.
1. He's fearless: Duckie's afraid to tell Andie he loves her, Blane's afraid of his friends, but Steff walks up and hits on her right in front of his friends without caring what they'll think.
not even in the 80s, not even in a teen movie in the 80s.This is a cult favorite starring Molly Ringwald as Andie, a high school senior of limited means.
Molly also has to deal with Duckie (Jon Cryer), an amiable goofball who is madly in love with her.Andie is surprised when wealthy Blaine (Andrew McCarthy) casts an eye in her direction.
Kudos to Mr. Spader for such a great early performance.The excellent supporting cast includes Harry Dean Stanton as Molly's dad, James Spader perfecting his rich jerk persona, Annie Potts as Andie's kooky co-worker at a record store who thinks she is a relic because she is mid 30s, Kate Vernon, Gina Gershon, Kristy Swanson, Margaret Colin, Dweezil Zappa, and Andrew "Dice" Clay.
I'm not exactly the target audience for teen romance films, even thirty years ago when it was released, but even I enjoyed it, so if it's your kind of thing, you should love it.Just one more thing...Jon Cryer grew up and filled out nicely.
Molly Ringwald is Andie a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who has romantic interests from both sides of the spectrum; Duckie (Jon Cryer) who's puppy dog love for her is both sweet and endearing to watch, and Blane (Andrew McCarthy) the rich guy who has everything going for him.
What follows is Andie having to deal with this, the bitchy cheerleader type girls at school, her loving but dishonest father (An excellent Harry Dean Stanton) and through all this will she get an invitation to the prom?
Annie Potts as Iona, Andie's quirky older best friend is excellent and her weird and orginal costume changes throughout the movie are a high-point.
Jon Cryer's character was particularly annoying.Good performance by Molly Ringwald, a regular in John Hughes movies, in the lead role.
I have seen all John Hughes movies from the 80s starring Molly Ringwald and you can't really watch them without comparing them.
"Sixteen candles" is more of a "pure" teen-comedy with a big house party followed by a "hangover"-morning, and "Breakfast Club" is the most serious one and, as far as I'm concerned, the most distinctive of the "Brat-pack" movies.Breakfast Club is the one I like the most, but "Pretty in pink" is also a very good movie.
The story is very cliché with a rich guy and a poor girl from two opposite sides of society who falls in love, causing disappointments among their old friends.
Although John Hughes didn't direct this film, his steady hand is evident all throughout in this much more serious story about a poor girl and a rich guy who want to be together despite all odds against them.
Despite the more serious tone of this movie, it still has some funny and touching scenes, most of them featuring Duckie, the best friend of Andie and perhaps the man that truly loves her.
However, she has her heart set on Blane, the rich preppie who claims he doesn't act like his snobbish friends do but it is hard to tell at times.What makes this movie so great is how it is willing to treat all these kids as adults in real situations and real emotions.
The acting accentuates these overtones with Molly Ringwald in perhaps her most sophisticated role, Jon Cryer as the lovable Duckie, Andrew McCarthy as Blane, and James Spader in a perfectly devilish role as Steff, the worst of the bunch by so smooth and relentless, it is hard not to be impressed by him.
*WARNING SPOLIERS AHEAD*This film is the best movie to feature they actors now referred to as the "Brat Pack" (James Spader, Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy).
This high school drama/comedy is about Andie (Molly Ringwald), a beautiful and smart girl from a poor family (her father doesnt have a job).
I absolutely adore John Hughes' insight into teen angst, love, relationships, and overall experiences, I feel that Pretty In Pink was his weakest.
The characters, all except Duckie, were incredibly weak, and just when you thought Andie was going to rise above it all and make a grand entrance with her pink dress, she wussed out and it took the encouragement and support of Duckie to get her in the dance.Furthermore, it lacked the element of hope present in the other movies.
First off, the cast: Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer, James Spader, Annie Potts, etc all bring their own special something to the movie.
Jon Cryer in particular is perfect for the character of Duckie, an angst-ridden teen who yearns for Andie (Molly Ringwald).
Yes, her fashion is very outdated, but you have to realize that this was the 80's and Molly was trying to show her own uniqueness.I love the fact that Andie works at a record store, Trax, with punked-out Iona (Annie Potts)who is her confidant and funny to boot.
Released in 1986, "Pretty in Pink" stars Molly Ringwald as a working class eccentric at a Los Angeles high school.
Pretty in Pink is a classic Brat Pack film that does a good job expressing some of the emotional drama that teenagers go through.
I have always loved the music choices in this movie, including New Order, the title song "Pretty in Pink", and Otis Redding's tune Try a Little Tenderness, lip-synched to perfection by Duckie.I have to agree though with most reviewers here, that I have always felt robbed by the movie's ending.
Each time I watch the movie I get that familiar pang at the end...it's just not right, and I'm sorry to say, but I don't see what Andie could have ever seen in Blane.
I, like many viewers, was never convinced that he was right for her.6/10...great teen classic and the score would be much higher if Hughes hadn't shortchanged us with an ending that belied the film's intended direction..
Although the movie's plot has the typical tale of two lovers being kept part because of some social reason, the movie greatly captures what it is like to be a misfit in high school and being ashamed of your roots.Since the plot of Pretty in Pink is such an overused concept, it is very easy to disregard it as just another one of those typical 80's teenage love stories.
Paul Attanasio from The Washington Post further explains this point when he says that "without even listening to the movie, you know, 'He's poor, he's rich, and that's what's going on here.'" It is easy to see the clear divide between the two and the background characters of the high school seem to incorporate this type of theme as well, with the more popular kids displayed as wealthy, and the less popular kids depicted as more punk and edgier.Although the roles in the film are distinctly labeled, being classified by your peers is a reality that almost all teenagers in high school know to be true.
This film takes a deep look into each character, giving you a glimpse of their personal life when away from school, and also the emotions they feel when conflict pursuits.I believe Pretty in Pink is a top-tier film when it comes to so-called cliché 80's love stories because unlike other movies in its category, you do not feel the dullness of the typical love story plot.
Directed by John Hughes, Pretty In Pink (1985) is a movie about an awkward intelligent female teenager (Molly Ringwald) who is colorful and on the outside of the fringe.
Pretty in Pink is the last and worst of John Hughes three most popular 80's teen flicks (Sixteen Candles is, in my opinion, the best).
They struggle with disapproval of their friends (James Spader as Blane's best bud Steff is especially odious and Jon Cryer as Andie's guy pal Duckie is unforgettable) and their own lingering doubts.
Okay, I understand that John Hughes apparently changed the ending to this film at the last minute because he didn't want to send the message that rich people and poor people don't belong together or something.
The problem here was simply that the whole film up to the very end was designed with Duckie in mind as Andie's final choice, and that influenced the plot and characters greatly.For the current ending to work, the director would have needed to alter both the male leads a bit, adding a stronger character to Blane and making Duckie a little less endearing and a little more annoying (and perhaps putting a little more effort into finding him a substitute love interest...that thing with the blonde at the prom just came off as kind of annoying).
Instead the intangible style and attitude possessed by the characters ages the movie.On a more personal level, what makes me want to throttle this film is the is the creation of high school as the summit of life.
The late John Hughes made a successful series of teen movies in the 80's, and "Pretty in Pink" was one of them.
Having seen a bunch of other Hughes teen films and been overall impressed with each of them, and knowing that this one was fairly well-liked even if it's not the most popular of the bunch, I figured this would be a pretty good piece of its type.
Duckie has a crush on Andie, which means he wants to be more than friends with her, but his way of trying to show it annoys her, and she finds herself falling in love with another guy named Blane McDonough.
Watching Andie's troubles, including the rich snobs she faces, did not usually grab me, and the ending of the movie is a little abrupt.I've seen "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", "Weird Science", and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", all of which I've found to be good high school movies from the renowned John Hughes.
This is one of the best movies ever I love Molly Ringwald she does a fantastic job being Andie in the movie and I just love John Cryer as ducky he is so funny even when he is singing or lip singing LOL that song I don't know it off hand but I know it was funny.
John Cryer replaces Anthony Michael Hall as "The Geek", Annie Potts plays a very similar best friend, Andrew McCarthy plays a similar love interest, Harry Dean Stanton (in an undeniably terrfifc performance) plays a more downtrodden Dad.The only element that's a little new is the addition of the James Spader character, who is constantly trying to get Ringwald in the sack, all the while telling McCarthy he's too good for her.
Sure, it was a good movie for what it was, but it was mediocre for what I was anticipating.The soundtrack wasn't amazing and the script was a bit ho-hum for a John Hughes film.Jon Cryer and James Spader were really enthusiastic and entertaining in their roles, but they couldn't redeem this movie.
Jon Cryer as Duckie plays her sweet, devoted friend who has a secret crush on her, and Andrew McCarthy plays Andie's love interest, Blane.
Like any film production associated with the late great "Brat Pack" filmmaker John Hughes, "Pretty in Pink" is extremely well-acted and insightful into the minds of teenagers.
She happens to have a crush on a wealthy fellow classmate named Blane McDonnagh (Andrew McCarthy), who happens to come from the right side of the tracks.Their blossoming romantic relationship angers people in their respective circles of friends - Duckie (Jon Cryer) on Andie's side, and Steff (James Spader) and all the rest of their rich, spoiled associates.
He does have a funny supportive cast and well-written characters, like Jack, the fashion-impaired and lovelorn Duckie (Cryer's most well-known performance prior to his time on "Two and a Half Men"), and Annie Potts as Andie's record store friend Iona.Despite some painful personal memories, "Pretty in Pink" is yet another timely, timeless piece of John Hughes fanfare.8/10.
So that explains the weird hair and gaunt face.If you like this film then you must watch Weird Science, 16 Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Breakfast Club and top it off with the more current Not Another Teen Movie..
Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club and of course Pretty in Pink.This film has everything you look for in an 80's teen movie.
Not as good as the other John Hughes/Molly Ringwald films, but it still holds up..
Meanwhile, Andie's best friend Duckie is declaring even more is undying love for her."Pretty in Pink" is one of those great teen movies that only comes along once.
Meanwhile, Andie's best friend Duckie is declaring even more is undying love for her."Pretty in Pink" is one of those great teen movies that only comes along once.
Pretty in Pink, starring Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy, is about social stigma, letting go, and being there for someone.In the film, Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald; Sixteen Candles, "The Stand") and her unemployed father Jack (Harry Dean Stanton; Twister, Cool Hand Luke) live in one of the more run-down parts of town.
And, of course, Andie's best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer; Holy Man), who you can always count on for a laugh.Working in a music store with co-worker Iona (Annie Potts; Ghostbusters, Toy Story, "Designing Women"), Andie meets Blane McDonough (Andrew McCarthy; Mannequin, St. Elmo's Fire), a kid from the rich area of town.
Until I read the trivia for this movie, I had always assumed that Andie (Molly Ringwald) was meant to end up with Blane (Andrew McCarthy).
Rather than sending the message that "rich people and poor people don't belong together" (which was Hughes' fear), I think that it would have shown that strong friendships can provide a good foundation for love.My only other complaint, and I've seen this mentioned before, was how hideous Molly Ringwald looked in the prom dress that she supposedly created.
But when you watch the new bunch of teen movies that ape Hughes' best - like She's All That, or even Ten Things I Hate - they seem a little toothless and artificial compared to Pretty in Pink.
Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is a high school senior from a poor family same as her unrelenting admirer Duckie (Jon Cryer).
Iona keeps pushing for Andie to go to the prom and Blane just might want to be her date despite pressure from his friends.This is a Howard Deutch-John Hughes 80's teen classic.
As someone who went through her teenage years in the new millennium, Pretty in Pink provided a glimpse of what it was like being a teen in the '80s and yet was a movie I could identify with.
I like John Hughes's movies, but Pretty in Pink is not a favourite.
Doesn't mean you can't try."Pretty in Pink is one of several John Hughes movies that I'm just getting around to seeing for the first time, and it's a good one.
This movie is about a normal non-rich teen girl played by Molly Ringwald who seeks love from a rich boy, played by Andrew McCarthy while at the same time having an infatuated friend played wonderfully by a young Jon Cryer who can't seem to give her up.
PRETTY IN PINK was the hip and stylish teen angst comedy-drama where director John Hughes continued his cinematic love affair with Molly Ringwald which blends the expected teen angst with a sharp look the class system in the high school level.
Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy were both good, but I didn't really like Ducky.
Of course, it's by John Hughes (master of teen angst comedies and dramas.) Again, he picks a great cast like Jon Cryer to play Duckie, James Spader to play the creep, Molly Ringwald to play Annie, Annie Potts to play her strange older friend, Harry Dean Stanton who plays Annie's father, etc.
As always, John provides a believable love triangle among Jon Cryer's Duckie, Molly Ringwald's character, and that guy who I forget his name.
Is Pretty in Pink a movie like that?