1068. Pretty In Pink (1986)

Starring: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton

Director: Howard Deutch

Running Time: 96 mins

Pretty In Pink is an American film about a high school girl whose life is turned upside down when she meets a dashing boy, however his family’s wealth leads to complications in their relationship.

This is nothing more than your bog-standard teen rom-com. Regardless of it being a ‘Brat Pack’ film, it’s still incredibly average, with a pretty dull story, normal performances across the board, and a soundtrack that doesn’t really thrill you as much as other 80s classics.

Now, the one mistake that I and other people make is comparing all Brat Pack films to The Breakfast Club, however that stands alone for a clear reason: it’s totally different and not at all generic and stereotypical of 80s teen movies.

So, you need to look at this as a simple chick flick, because expecting any deeper emotional intrigue will only disappoint you – this is pretty much as basic as it gets.

Despite having a few good laughs and one stand-out character with a bit more enthusiasm in Duckie, there’s not much to get excited about here.

Molly Ringwald is fine in the lead role, although she’s not the most likeable on-screen presence here, despite achieving that in many other movies, whilst supporting players including James Spader, Andrew McCarthy and Harry Dean Stanton are pretty dull to watch, not helped by the fact that their characters are as one-dimensional and predictable as anything.

What’s more is that this is a completely run-of-the-mill generic teen movie story, using a formula that had been, and still is, incredibly tired. Its simplicity is good on the one hand to make for an easy-going watch, and the fact that this isn’t as annoying a film as others from the genre can be means it’s not an unpleasant watch, but the plot really does leave much to be desired.

Finally, the soundtrack. Many fans of the film have noted the soundtrack as brilliant, and whilst there was the odd song that catches your attention, particularly OMD’s ‘If You Leave’ in the final scene, but on the whole, it wasn’t that entertaining or exciting a soundtrack to listen to, and definitely not one that increased my interest or connection to the story at all.

Overall, then, this gets a 6.8, because despite being a simple, easy watch, this is such an average, run-of-the-mill 80s teen rom-com that there’s not really much to praise.