13. Pretty in Pink

Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is an outsider. She literally lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Andie also makes her own clothes, which her father, Jack (Harry Dean Stanton) adores. However, the other kids at her school tease her about her looks and her upbringing.

Andie isn’t alone; however, she has a best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) who not only is her friend but makes it very obvious that he is in love with her as well. The rich kids in school are led by Steff McKee (James Spader), who secretly wants Andie. Steff’s friend Blane McDonough (Andrew McCartney) is the rich kid that Andie really wants to go out with, and eventually he does ask her out, not only on a date but to the prom. But will the pressure of Blane’s parents and friends spell disaster for Andie?

There are a couple of stone-cold 1980’s movies that are such a part of pop culture that you’ve feel like you’ve seen them a hundred times, even if you haven’t seen them once. Pretty in Pink is such a movie.

From the underdog story of Andie and Duckie to the douchey-ness of the rich kids, Pretty in Pink might be the most essential high school movie of the 80’s. Of course, many people will point to John Hughes’ other 80’s film The Breakfast Club, or Amy Heckerling’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but Pretty in Pink is in the conversation.

Pretty in Pink is such a success as a film because the casting is so magical and the direction by first time director Howard Deutch keeps the movie humming. Molly Ringwald had Pretty in Pink specifically written for her by Hughes and she does not disappoint. She breaks your heart when she forces her depressed father out of bed to go to a job interview, and she makes you fall in love with her when she tells Blane that the record, he chooses was good, knowing that it was not. Jon Cryer’s Duckie is also relatable as a hopeless romantic chasing the one girl he will never get.

The soundtrack is kick ass as well. From new wave hits to an unforgettable, show stopping lip-synch of Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness”, Pretty in Pink oozes charm.

Is Pretty in Pink cheesy? Yes. Does it make you laugh and cry? Absolutely. In my opinion it’s a totally radical 80’s film that never goes out of style.

Pretty in Pink makes its blu-ray debut with an absolute stunning 4K transfer. It looks so great, it might be the best looking film from the 80’s on blu-ray. The disc retains its film quality without sacrificing any details and natural sharpness. Paramount really brought their A-game with this transfer.

On the audio side, Pretty in Pink rocks with an immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Music and dialogue is incredibly important to this film and it does not disappoint. All elements of the sound design come through the disc flawlessly.

Paramount Presents is a new line of catalogue titles that Paramount has given new life to on blu-ray. And while the new transfer is worth a purchase alone, I do wish for more special features. What is on the disc however is quite good.

Filmmaker Focus: Pretty in Pink-This is an all too brief discussion with Director Howard Deutch. the saving grace is that it is informative and a great listen, just wish it was longer than 7 minutes…

The Lost Dance: The Original Ending-Is a legacy extra from the DVD release and it is a must watch. In the script Andie originally ended up with Duckie. According to the director the audience hated it. So he went back to John Hughes and they rewrote the ending. The feature is almost 15 minutes long and has most of the major players from the film involved.

Isolated Score Track-Watch the movie with only the music.

The packaging is great as the case is a clear blu-ray case with a slip case that folds out and to the original poster art. It looks sharp.

Pretty in Pink is a must buy for 80’s movie fans.

Film: A-

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras: B

Overall: A