DVD Review – Pretty in Pink

There are some films that will always transport you back to a certain time and place in your life and for me this is one of those films.

As a teenager in the 80’s this film along with others such as The Breakfast Club and Lost Boys ensconced its self not only in the memory but also the heart.

Because obviously most of you know the film I am going to do the review a little differently but I hope it might be an interesting format to use doing these reviews of Classic films so let me know…

The Plot

As story lines go its fairly simple a teenage love triangle where class, wealth and status threaten to keep the main couple apart.  Andi is the girl being brought up by her rather useless father after her mum has left (I have to say that like Disney, American teenage films seem to like absent parents) and she has been forced to grow up before her time.  Lacking money, and a female role model, she has developed her own style which, of course, leads to her being ostracised by the cool kids at school. She and her best friend Duckie are outcasts in an environment where fitting in is considered important.

The Trailer

I have to say I don’t really recall the trailer and watching it now I have to say compared to modern trailers I am struck by how poorly the whole trailer concept was used back then, it was not so much a teaser as a plot outline and did not do the film any favours.

The Soundtrack

You can mock the hair and the clothing but the one thing you will never be able to mock any 80’s film for is the music.  The title track is so inextricably linked with the film I challenge anyone who has ever seen it not to think of Molly Ringwald as they listen to it.

Where Are They Now

One thing I do love about Youtube is that there are some great videos out there made by people who take the time to put together amazing fact files on the casts of your favourite films and what happened after the camera stopped rolling.  For this one I have actually chosen a reunion as it is nice to get a little insight from the actors themselves.

My Favourite Scene

This was such a hard choice as there are so many I love, but I decided it had to be this one…

Happy Ending

Of course, teenage films always need to have a happy ending otherwise how would teenagers face the future, if we really knew the disappointments and struggles that lay ahead we would give up there and then.  The reason we loved these films was they allowed us to believe any thing was possible and the future was ours for the taking.

Overall Opinion

You can already tell I love this film, okay there are the odd things that I don’t like, I don’t like Andi’s prom dress, she takes a gorgeous 50’s style dress and destroys it, but I accept in the scheme of the film that’s what needs to be done.  I would also have loved to know more about why her mum left, it would not have taken much just a few minutes between her and Iona in conversation could have done it and that would have added a little more depth to why her dad was such a weak male character.

Marks Out of 5

5 out of 5 massive shoulder pads and an 80’s film can’t do better than that.