Pretty in Pink (1986) - 6/10

American high schools in the 80s seemed like hell, why on earth did we think they were cool when we were kids? Most of the characters here are preoccupied with looking cool. Not being cool, looking is enough. This is the world reluctantly inhabited by Andie (Molly Ringwald), who really just wants to study, do well, help her father, Jack ( Harry Dean Stanton), but of course this wouldn’t be an example of quintessential US teen rom-com, without some love interest and the perils of the high school prom to navigate. Ringwald seemed to find herself in this sort of plot continuously in the 80s, perhaps the perils of Hollywood are even harder to navigate than high school. Anyway, Andie likes Blane (Andrew McCarthy), Blane likes Andie, simple. Nope, that wouldn’t be much of a story. You see Duckie (Jon Cryer) also likes Andie and seems a better match, although he’s quite annoying. He has the same OTT 80s fashion sense and perhaps more importantly, the same household income bracket. You see Pretty in Pink is as much about the haves and have nots of American society as it is anything else. Should Andie stay in her lane, or aspire to the rich and wealthy lifestyle that Blane can offer? Blane seems nice enough, nicer than his mate Steff (James Spader), who’s the easy to dislike vile onscreen dick. It would all be a little tiresome, but although it’s largely style over content, the style is fun and the acting is great. I mean it’s not serious high art stuff, but it’s very engaging. Ringwald, I can’t help but feeling is seriously undervalued in the roles she played in this era. Cryer is great too, playing the larger than life anchor that delivers the comic energy. Annie Potts, plays Iona in the record store where Annie works and offers Annie a view of how her life might turn out if she sticks to her kind. To be honest, it looks pretty good. The love triangle does feel a bit shallow, the male characters are both a bit dumb and passive aggressive. Andie could do better, but these are the options she’s faced with. Ringwald could also do better, but this is the dialogue she’s given. For all its clunkiness though, Ringwald and a killer soundtrack carry it. It doesn’t plod, it hits every nostalgia button available and it has a pretty decent finale, one that divides opinion.

6/10