Plot: What’s it about?
If it took place in the 80’s and somewhere around the Chicago area, you can bet that John Hughes’ name isn’t far from the credits. No one man has better defined the "Me" decade than that of John Hughes. His success ran into the early 90’s as well, but it seems that he has finally let that decade go. From what I call a core group of his movies (in which he was either a Director, Writer or Producer) that defined his films. The characters change, and some of the actors do; but the most nestled down movie that I think is at the heart of them is "The Breakfast Club". Combining the talents of Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Molly Ringwald this movie seems to be at the very middle of this circle of movies. Anthony Michael Hall and Ringwald went onto two other of his films (both were in "Sixteen Candles" while Ringwald was in "Pretty in Pink" and Hall was in "Weird Science"). Teen angst, whether its in the 50’s in Rebel Without a Cause form, the 60’s in The Graduate form or the 70’s in American Graffiti form, doesn’t really ever change. Just the clothes. But enough about Hughes and his history…
Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) lives at home with her father (Harry Dean Stanton) who is looking for a job. Her mother had left them some years ago and it appears that she isn’t coming back. Andie is ashamed of her financial situation and the rich kids at her high school make no secret about making fun of her for having no money. Andie is an achiever, though, and dreams of getting out and making something of herself. Also, while trying to coax her dad out of bed to get him a job, she is the mother in her father/daughter relationship. Andie works at a trendy record store, owned by Iona (Annie Potts sporting some really great 80’s hair) who is her boss, but also her friend. Duckie (Jon Cryer) is Andie’s lifelong friend who is rustling with feelings of love for her, but unfortunately for him, he expresses it in less than flattering terms.
Along comes Blane McDonough (Andrew McCarthy) who is from the "good" side of the tracks. Blane and Andie share an instant attraction for one another and the two start dating. Blane’s friend, Steff (James Spader), has tried to go out with Andie if only to have sex with her, but Andie has turned him down on several occasions. The tension builds when Blane’s genuine affection for Andie and Andie’s fascination with money start to get in the way of their mutual happiness. Pretty in Pink is one of the movies that defined the 80’s, along with most all of Hughes’s other movies. Admittedly I had never seen the film until it’s release on DVD and though it’s very dated, I found it pretty good. My personal favorite of his films is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, followed by The Breakfast Club; but this ranks up there with some of the others. A good cast of then unknown actors and a strong storyline make this one that almost begs to be seen. My only complaint was with that of Jon Cryer, who seems to be a knock off of Matthew Broderick (the resemblance is uncanny)! Still, don’t let that get in the way of seeing one of the better teen movies from the 80’s. Look for Andrew "The Diceman" Dice Clay as a bouncer, he has some of the funnier lines in the film.
Video: How does it look?
A 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer was used for the DVD version of Pretty in Pink. Having never seen the movie before, I can only assume that this looks much better than previous VHS and Laser Disc versions of the film. The title is a bit deceiving except when it comes to the color scheme here. Yes, there is a LOT of pink in the movie. It’s never really talked about, but most of the wardrobe of Molly Ringwald is composed of the color pink. A bit of grain can be seen in some of the scenes, but it’s expected of a film that’s now 15 years old. Color is on target as are the black levels and hardly any edge enhancement can be seen. A good-looking transfer from Paramount who seems to be doing a better job with their catalog titles…well, on the video that is!
Audio: How does it sound?
A re-mastered Dolby Digital 5.1 track can be heard here and for the most part it sounds pretty good. Some of the dialogue has a "hollow" sound to it, thereby dating the film. The synthesizer, which is characteristic of most 80’s movies, does sound pretty good when coming out of all five channels. A teen comedy from 15 years ago isn’t one that will light up your home theater, but for what it’s worth–Pretty in Pink sounds just as good as it ever has. No real complaints here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc has no supplemental materials.
