Pretty in Pink may be one of John Hughes lesser films of the 1980s but still was an enjoyable flick propelled by Molly Ringwald’s wonderful performance.
Pretty in Pink
— Paramount Presents #6 —
(1986)
Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance
Paramount | PG13 – 96 min. – $29.99 | June 16, 2020
Date Published: 06/29/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.5/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Andie (MOLLY RINGWALD) is an outcast at her Chicago high school, hanging out either with her older boss (ANNIE POTTS), who owns the record store where she works, or her quirky classmate Duckie (JON CRYER), who has a crush on her. When one of the rich and popular kids at school, Blane (ANDREW MCCARTHY), asks Andie out, it seems too good to be true. As Andie starts falling for Blane, she begins to realize that dating someone from a different social sphere is not easy.
Review: Although I have seen Home Alone, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club more times than I could count, for one reason or another I had never took the time to watch Pretty in Pink, one of many movies at least written by John Hughes from the 1980s through the early 90s. Seeing now for the first time… it’s one of his lesser movies albeit still found it entertaining mostly for Molly Ringwald’s absolutely engaging performance. Even though it’s not a favorite Hughes movie of mine, as with Breakfast Club and to some extent Ferris Bueller, there is a timeless element even with the 1980s motif and music, that resonates with all generations who had to live through the highs and lows of high school and young love, before the real world hits your squarely in the nose. Okay, it’s not that bad. My main issue with the film, and one of the endless debates that have raged online, is the two guys vying for Andie’s affections: Blane and Duckie, one of wealth and conservative style, the other with an eclectic fashion… not to mention a bit of what we today would consider stalkerish behavior that eventually would lead to police intervention. In any case, my opinion of two? I really didn’t care about either which kind of makes the ending a bit moot nobody who she ended up with. Neither one felt right, although at least Ringwald and McCarthy shared some mild chemistry, course both are charismatic in their own rights anyway.
All in all, Pretty in Pink was an entertaining enough film and does have some repeat value for me, though I would prefer to re-watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles (which I recently watched for the first time), over this. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5 |
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This release comes with a slip cover with a fold out on the front revealing the original theatrical poster. Filmmaker in Focus: Pretty in Pink (7:38) is a new interview with director Howard Deutch looking back on making the movie. The Lost Dance: The Original Ending (12:15) — Featurette on the ending in which Andie and Duckie get together instead of with Blane. Has interviews with the cast and filmmakers on why this one didn’t work. Original Theatrical Trailer (1:27) |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| According to the back cover, Pretty in Pink, which I believe is making its debut on Blu-ray here in North America, is newly remastered taken from a 4K film transfer. As it is, this 1080p picture, shown with a 1080p high-definition transfer, does look quite good. Detail is pretty decent throughout and colors do appear to be of the era, not really boosted and instead looking natural, including the as-titled pink in Ringwald’s prom dress. There was some very minor specs but more of the blink or miss variety, so this is an otherwise clean transfer. |
AUDIO – 4.25/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounds quite good. Nothing extraordinary going on here with it, though, but dialogue comes across with nice clarity and the music and score make up the other channels, with some modest depth in the more crowded settings, like the prom scene at the end. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Pretty in Pink may be one of John Hughes lesser films of the 1980s but still was an enjoyable flick propelled by Molly Ringwald’s wonderful performance, though unlike some, I found Duckie to be on the obnoxious side, so okay with how this one ended, not that I found Blane all that endearing, still a nice enough guy. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.