PRETTY IN PINK
A film review by Andrew Hicks
Copyright 1996 Andrew Hicks / Fatboy Productions
(1985) **1/2 (out of four)
Otherwise known as THE J. EDGAR HOOVER STORY... sorry, couldn't resist. Let's start the review over...
PRETTY IN PINK is one of three teen comedies of the mid-80's from John Hughes starring Molly Ringwold. When you think about it, all the Hughes movies fall into two categories -- dramas about the pressures of conforming to the high school masses (THE BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES) and fantasies about the individualists who don't (FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, WEIRD SCIENCE). PRETTY IN PINK is a mixture of both, giving us non-conformist characters Andie (Ringwold), Duckie (Jon Cryer) and Annie Potts, along with the dilemma of a mainstream character (Andrew McCarthy) who wants Ringwold as a girlfriend even though his "richie" friends won't approve.
Ultimately, this movie is the same typr of predictable psuedo- drama Hughes gave us in THE BREAKFAST CLUB, only this time the lines between characterizations are drawn more tightly. There are only two types of people in PRETTY IN PINK -- the mindless masses (translation: popular kids) and the people who are outcasts because they think for themselves and have outside interests. I think you can tell which group I side with in this case. I've always been one of the people who doesn't fit in, knows he doesn't fit in and doesn't want to fit in. So the movie rings true, even if Andrew McCarthy has never asked me out.
But the main assumption of the movie is that the two groups of people can never mix. McCarthy loses his popularity in pursuing Ringwold and Ringwold is considered a sell-out by Duckie (and if there's one thing you should learn in life, it's to never get someone named "Duckie" on your bad side) for dating McCarthy... Of course, Duckie has also had a public crush on Ringwold for the past ten years, so that may account for part of his not approving the relationship. Still, I know from experience that popular people and independents do mix. I've always been liked by mainstream society even if our main interests and convictions in life clash horribly, preventing the friendship from moving beyond the acquaintance level. Even though I'd never pretend to be something I'm not to get friends, if someone accepts me as I am and wants to be my friend, who am I to turn that person down no matter how popular he or she already is? And I think anyone outside of a John Hughes movie would agree with me on that point.
PRETTY IN PINK addresses familiar issues but not in a relevant way. The dilemmas of the main characters don't seem incredibly feasible to me. If your friends ostracize you for associating with someone they don't like, they weren't true friends to begin with. No, my name isn't Oprah all of a sudden, but that's kind of an obvious point.
And if you're the type who is independent of society and find out an attractive and popular member of the opposite sex wants to go out with you, for God's sake, say yes. Why would you even think twice about such a thing?
And if you've had a case of openly unrequited love for almost three presidential administrations for a person who clearly wants the relationship to stay at the level of friendship, don't act like a jerk when that person finds a love interest.
And if you're Molly Ringwold, you'd better get used to the fact that you'll never work again in Hollywood and just hope the residual checks from Saturday afternoon airings of movies you did ten years ago keep coming in.
And if you're John Hughes, stick with the fantasy movies instead of the predictable teen drama movies that are no longer relevant.
And if you're a bitter teenage movie reviewer who uses this forum to get cheap laughs insuting people with more money than you... keep up the good work.
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