Retro Rom-Coms: Revisiting Pretty in Pink
Plot:
Calling on the classic star-crossed love motif, Pretty in Pink(1986) centers around Andie (Molly Ringwald), a poor high schooler who falls for wealthy and popular classmate, Blane (Andrew McCarthy). As their love blossoms, Blane is pressured by peers, such as insensitive classmate Steff (James Spader), to stick to the status quo and remain affiliated with his privileged circle of friends. Meanwhile, Andie navigates difficulties in her home life, including her father’s (Harry Dean Stanton) distress over her mother’s abandonment of the family. Along the way, Andie’s record store boss, eccentric Iona (Annie Potts), and quirky classmate Duckie (Jon Cryer), who longs for Andie’s love throughout the film, offer her guidance and support.
From left: Molly Ringwald as Andie, Andrew McCarthy as
Blane, and Jon Cryer as Duckie in Pretty in Pink.
Memorable quote:
“I just want to let them know that they didn’t break me.”
Andie says this to her father just before leaving for her high school prom, and it paints a clear picture of her courageous spirit. After being faced with ridicule stemming from her social status, she chooses to proudly go to her prom knowing that she may not be welcomed or accepted by her peers.
In 2010, Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, and Annie Potts reunited for Entertainment Weekly to celebrate the film, and Ringwald referenced the quote.
“[I’ve had] women saying the line...with tears in their eyes and saying how much that line meant to them and how much power they felt for themselves,” Ringwald said. “So that’s pretty inspiring.”
Fun Facts:
The original ending of the movie showed Andie and Duckie ending up together. When this version was shown at a test screening, however, the audience booed at this resolution. Consequently, the cast had to return and reshoot the ending, wherein Andie and Blane reunite at prom and continue their relationship.
Andie (Molly Ringwald) reunites with
Blane (Andrew McCarthy) on prom night.
Andrew McCarthy, who plays Blane in the film, wasn’t the first choice of producer and writer John Hughes. While the part originally called for a macho, jock type, Molly Ringwald urged Hughes to cast McCarthy, and Ringwald said to Hughes that McCarthy was “the kind of guy I would fall in love with.”
Pretty in Pink marked the third film collaboration between John Hughes and Molly Ringwald, with the first two being Sixteen Candles(1984) and The Breakfast Club (1985). Hughes wrote Pretty in Pink specifically for Ringwald, and also originally offered the part of Duckie to another Breakfast Club alum, Anthony Michael Hall, who turned down the role when he felt it was too similar to his previous character portrayals in collaboration with Hughes.
What makes it unique:
Unlike other teen rom-coms with abundant party scenes and traditional high school dynamics, the focal point of Pretty in Pink is a strong female lead in Andie. She responds to her circumstances with strength, deciding to confront Blane for bending to societal norms and continuing to encourage and support her father through his personal struggles. And, by the end of the movie, Andie ends up finding love by standing in her power and practicing self-love above all else.
Where to Watch it Now:
Pretty in Pink is available to watch on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and is next airing through DIRECTV on Thursday, 12/31, on SUNDHD 239.
Devin Herenda is an award-winning multimedia journalist and emerging entertainment industry writer based in Los Angeles.
A 2020 recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists Lisa A. Davidson Memorial Scholarship and broadcast journalism major at CSU Northridge, Devin has written for various publications including myBurbank News and Rom Com Fest.
Devin is bicoastal as a native Californian with New Jersey roots and enjoys music, fashion, and all things rom-coms.
To view more of Devin’s work: