Pretty in Pink (1986)

Directed by Howard Deutch. Starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, James Spader, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts, Kate Vernon, Margaret Colin. [PG-13]

No real twist to the tired (but reliable) “wrong side of the tracks” teen drama. Ringwald lives in poverty with her often unemployed father (a surprisingly softhearted Stanton), but she catches the eye of preppy rich kid McCarthy, who brings her into his world even though it’s an uncomfortable fit; meanwhile, her best friend Duckie (Cryer) is hopelessly infatuated with her, but the feelings aren’t reciprocated. Ringwald’s so appealing that she practically glows, but the material she has to work with is spotty, and too many scenes with the spoiled kids have been done to death. Cryer has a few isolated moments, like an energetic lip sync of Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness,” but he mostly just comes off as grating and even a little creepy. Spader (as the kind of well-groomed snake he specializes in) and Potts (as a slightly kooky record shop manager) do solid supporting work. The film famously underwent reshoots to change the ending (and the identity of the boy Ringwald ends up with) because of negative test screenings, but frankly, she would have been better off ditching both and finding happiness elsewhere. The musical moments are where this film shines brightest, with a fine soundtrack that includes not just the Redding evergreen, but also New Order, Suzanne Vega, the Smiths, the Association, the Psychedelic Furs’ title tune (originally released a few years prior), and OMD’s (Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark) wonderful “If You Leave.”

61/100