Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

So in 1986 John Hughes wrote a little movie called Pretty in Pink. It is probably my favorite of his Molly Ringwald trilogy, except for the fact that (spoiler alert) at the end she ends up with the god-awful, bland-as-hell Andrew McCarthy instead of the totally cute and eclectically-dressed Jon Cryer. It's a problem. Hughes thought it was a problem too, so a year later he made Some Kind of Wonderful, a movie with the exact same premise and director, less famous actors, a different song-as-movie-title, an over-intense poster, and the correct ending.

Eric Stoltz plays Keith, a sensitive artist-type and part-time mechanic whose dad is always getting on him about applying to business college even though he'd rather just paint. His best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a drum-playing tomboy who totally wants to date him but hasn't had the courage to act on her feelings. Keith has his eye on Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), a beautiful and popular student who agrees to go out on a date with him as a refuge from her asshole ex-boyfriend. Various notions about class divisions, self-realization, parental expectations, high school stereotypes, and true love are explored.

Yeah sure, it's basically a ripoff of his own movie, though more dramatic and with less famous actors, but I really appreciate what Hughes did with Some Kind of Wonderful. It's a fairly simple film, but it works due to its well-rounded characters and straightforward story-telling. It doesn't obsess over hipness or style the way Pretty in Pink does, and it isn't quite as caught up in the "Oooooh nooo we're so poor, everything is the worst despite being white, employed, good-looking, healthy, and able to spend money on bars and hair product" rhetoric either. For the most part it really just focuses on character and a rockin' soundtrack, along with some cheesy dialogue and after-school special themes.

Eric Stoltz has this weird hunky/goofy vibe that makes me unsure whether or not I'm attracted to him, but he's ultimately likable even if his character is a clueless jerk half the time. Plus he likes art! Lea Thompson has big hair and an accusative tone working in her favor, though she comes off a bit whiny. I never really start to like her until she confronts Keith about how he's "using" her for her looks and status, just like everybody does. It was nice to see such a self-aware teenage girl. The real star of this movie is of course Mary Stuart Masterson, who is completely awesome as Watts. She's got style, spunk, wit, and a killer drum set, and I kind of cut my hair to resemble hers after watching it the other day. (I am way too influenced by hairstyles in movies.) She's just so cute! She's a great mix of strong, independent loner and love-sick teenager, making for a believable and relatable lady. She makes the movie, no question.

Some Kind of Wonderful: This time John Hughes didn't let test audiences change the ending to his movie. (And thank goodness.)

4/5

Pair This Movie With: I guess Pretty in Pink is the most obvious, but it really would work quite well!

My original art for this film is for sale.