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Re: The Wing Kong Exchange
Andie Walsh comes from the wrong side of the tracks, but that doesn’t stop rich kid Blane McDonnagh from asking her to the prom. Now she has to choose between her feelings for Blane and those for her childhood friend, Ducky. Will she make the right decision and live happily ever after?
"Yes, people actually used to dress like this!"
Pretty in Pink, directed by Howard Deutch (The Great Outdoors, Some Kind of Wonderful) and written by John Hughes (um, you know who he is if you’ve been reading) is another vehicle for actress Molly Ringwald, Hughes “muse” in the 80’s. While not as good as The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles it nevertheless is another great piece of writing from Hughes and certainly holds up well when compared to his other work. Unfortunately one thing that is noticeably different is the pacing in this film, which can be attributed to the fact that Hughes himself was not directing. While I think Deutch did a serviceable job I also think the film could have been better if Hughes himself had been behind the camera. That being said there’s a lot of good and only a little bad here, so let’s take a look.
"Better than the dancers on Solid Gold, that's for sure..."
The cast is all kinds of good here, with great performances from Ringwald (who plays this poor girl role well, better than the spoiled character of Claire in TBC), Andrew McCarthy (Mannequin), James Spader (in a classic douchebag role), Harry Dean Stanton (Alien), Annie Potts (Ghostbusters) and of course Jon Cryer (who really owns this film as Ducky). Add to that some wonderfully written dialogue courtesy of Mr. Hughes and we have ourselves one hell of a template for success. Andrew Dice Clay makes a funny little cameo appearance as a nightclub bouncer as well, just in case you were interested, which I know you were.
"Look how I casually let my smoke hang from my lips. Yep, I'm a douche."
How about some classic scenes? Well yep, there’s certainly a few. Ducky doing his best Otis Redding impression in the record store is simply a must see, as is the computer flirtation between Blane and Andy (though Anthony Edwards did it better in Revenge of the Nerds but that’s for another review). The scene in the nightclub where Ducky kisses Iona is also hilarious and made for a genuine LOL moment from me. Iona herself has some funny bits too, including missing a suspected shoplifter’s eye by “half an inch” with a staple gun and the funny scene where she talks about her prom and ends up dancing with Andie. I would also like to make mention of Spader’s absolutely awesome douchebag character Steff, who I would seriously punch in the face on principle if I ever ran into him on the street. Spader doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves, but he will from Fuji, and will definitely be making other appearances in the 80’s movie reviews as they continue.
"Wow, there's a LOT of makeup going on here..."
The true heart of this film however lies in the storytelling and the simple way in which Hughes can toy with our emotions. We have been in these characters shoes before and we understand how they feel. From Ducky’s aimless bicycle riding to his attack on Steff regarding his comments towards Andie, most of us totally realize we’ve been in that position at one time or another and can easily identify with him. Andie’s conversation with her father (Stanton) about how her mother/his wife is never coming back is painful to listen to but an unfortunately harsh piece of reality. It is in toying with our emotions that Hughes once again proved his mastery of the written word. Indeed none were better than him at pulling us along on that wild emotional rollercoaster of teenage life. The final scene, featuring the classic 80’s song “If You Leave” by OMD (not their best, that would be Enola Gay but it sadly doesn’t make an appearance here) is a real feel good moment for all parties concerned and ends the movie off the right way, sometimes everybody ends up happy, yes, it is true.
"My childhood fantasies come true..."
Of course I have to quickly throw out the standard soundtrack info because, as was the case with Sixteen Candles, the songs in this film are nothing short of spectacular. We’ve got “Elegia”, a brilliant little instrumental from NewOrder (their track “Thieves Like Us” is also featured), the title track as performed by The Psychedelic Furs, “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” which is one of the greatest songs by the criminally underrated band The Smiths and “Do Wot You Do” by INXS. Of course there is also the above-mentioned OMD song as well as the Otis Redding classic “Try A Little Tenderness” which is the one featured in the Ducky dance scene. Oh and Echo & The Bunnymen make an appearance here with “Bring On The Dancing Horses” so that’s also pretty winning.
"Poster boy for Whatever Happened To...?"
While I did not enjoy it as much as The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles, I felt that the film still brought a lot to the table, particularly in the writing department. It was clear to me that anything Hughes touched at this point turned to gold, and it is sad to know that he seemed to lose this “Midas Touch” over time. That doesn’t take anything away from this film however, which is a solid 7/10 and well worth the time spent watching it. So if you haven’t seen it, you know the drill, and I’m out.
Pretty in Pink
Andie Walsh comes from the wrong side of the tracks, but that doesn’t stop rich kid Blane McDonnagh from asking her to the prom. Now she has to choose between her feelings for Blane and those for her childhood friend, Ducky. Will she make the right decision and live happily ever after?
"Yes, people actually used to dress like this!"
Pretty in Pink, directed by Howard Deutch (The Great Outdoors, Some Kind of Wonderful) and written by John Hughes (um, you know who he is if you’ve been reading) is another vehicle for actress Molly Ringwald, Hughes “muse” in the 80’s. While not as good as The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles it nevertheless is another great piece of writing from Hughes and certainly holds up well when compared to his other work. Unfortunately one thing that is noticeably different is the pacing in this film, which can be attributed to the fact that Hughes himself was not directing. While I think Deutch did a serviceable job I also think the film could have been better if Hughes himself had been behind the camera. That being said there’s a lot of good and only a little bad here, so let’s take a look.
"Better than the dancers on Solid Gold, that's for sure..."
The cast is all kinds of good here, with great performances from Ringwald (who plays this poor girl role well, better than the spoiled character of Claire in TBC), Andrew McCarthy (Mannequin), James Spader (in a classic douchebag role), Harry Dean Stanton (Alien), Annie Potts (Ghostbusters) and of course Jon Cryer (who really owns this film as Ducky). Add to that some wonderfully written dialogue courtesy of Mr. Hughes and we have ourselves one hell of a template for success. Andrew Dice Clay makes a funny little cameo appearance as a nightclub bouncer as well, just in case you were interested, which I know you were.
"Look how I casually let my smoke hang from my lips. Yep, I'm a douche."
How about some classic scenes? Well yep, there’s certainly a few. Ducky doing his best Otis Redding impression in the record store is simply a must see, as is the computer flirtation between Blane and Andy (though Anthony Edwards did it better in Revenge of the Nerds but that’s for another review). The scene in the nightclub where Ducky kisses Iona is also hilarious and made for a genuine LOL moment from me. Iona herself has some funny bits too, including missing a suspected shoplifter’s eye by “half an inch” with a staple gun and the funny scene where she talks about her prom and ends up dancing with Andie. I would also like to make mention of Spader’s absolutely awesome douchebag character Steff, who I would seriously punch in the face on principle if I ever ran into him on the street. Spader doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves, but he will from Fuji, and will definitely be making other appearances in the 80’s movie reviews as they continue.
"Wow, there's a LOT of makeup going on here..."
"My childhood fantasies come true..."
Of course I have to quickly throw out the standard soundtrack info because, as was the case with Sixteen Candles, the songs in this film are nothing short of spectacular. We’ve got “Elegia”, a brilliant little instrumental from NewOrder (their track “Thieves Like Us” is also featured), the title track as performed by The Psychedelic Furs, “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” which is one of the greatest songs by the criminally underrated band The Smiths and “Do Wot You Do” by INXS. Of course there is also the above-mentioned OMD song as well as the Otis Redding classic “Try A Little Tenderness” which is the one featured in the Ducky dance scene. Oh and Echo & The Bunnymen make an appearance here with “Bring On The Dancing Horses” so that’s also pretty winning.
"Poster boy for Whatever Happened To...?"
While I did not enjoy it as much as The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles, I felt that the film still brought a lot to the table, particularly in the writing department. It was clear to me that anything Hughes touched at this point turned to gold, and it is sad to know that he seemed to lose this “Midas Touch” over time. That doesn’t take anything away from this film however, which is a solid 7/10 and well worth the time spent watching it. So if you haven’t seen it, you know the drill, and I’m out.