Pretty in Pink
Encyclopedia
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic
comedy-drama
film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald
, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. The film was directed by Howard Deutch
, produced by Lauren Shuler
and written by John Hughes.
) is a working class girl who has a crush on one of the rich, preppie boys in her school, Blane McDonough (Andrew McCarthy
). When Andie and Blane try to get together, they encounter resistance from their respective social circles.
Andie lives on "the wrong side of the tracks" with her unemployed father (Harry Dean Stanton
) who is still devastated by the breakup of his marriage to Andie's mother some years before. Andie's best friend, Phil "Duckie" Dale (Jon Cryer
), is in love with her, but plays it off as a joke in front of her. In school, he and Andie are harassed by Blane's friends, the arrogant so-called "richie" kids Benny (Kate Vernon
) and Steff (James Spader
).
Andie works at TRAX, a New Wave music
store in the Chinatown
neighborhood, managed by her older friend and mentor Iona (Annie Potts
). Iona advises Andie to go to her senior prom
despite not having a date.
Soon, Blane makes his move via chatting in the computer lab, and Andie is smitten. Blane ventures out to the area at school where the punk
s, metalheads, and New Wavers hang out and asks Andie on a date. Steff — whose crude advances Andie had earlier rebuffed — begins questioning why his best friend "was conversing with a mutant," but Blane brushes him off.
On the Friday night of the date, Andie waits for Blane at TRAX, but he is late. Duckie arrives instead, only to find Andie upset because she thinks she's been stood up. When Blane finally arrives, Duckie and Andie argue. Duckie tries to convince her that Blane will only hurt her. After a few harsh words, Duckie storms out, and Andie goes on her date.
First, Blane suggests going to a party Steff is throwing but the party isn't exactly what Blane expected, and Andie is treated poorly by everyone, including a drunk Steff and Benny. Andie, in turn, suggests going to the local club, where they discover Iona sitting with Duckie. Duckie is immediately hostile toward Blane, and as he and Andie start walking out of the club, Duckie kisses a startled Iona.
Blane offers to take Andie home, but she finally admits she doesn't want him to see where she lives. He drops her off there anyway and they kiss; afterward he asks Andie to the prom
. The next day, Andie visits Iona in her loft and Iona begins reminiscing about her own prom, donning her old pink prom dress, cute yellow fuzzy slippers and a beehive hairstyle.
At home, Andie's father surprises her with a pink dress he bought for her at the thrift shop. Questioning how he was able to afford it, Andie discovers he has been faking going to a full-time job. The two begin to fight until her father breaks down, obviously still bitter and depressed about his wife having left him.
Meanwhile Blane, pressured by Steff, begins distancing himself from Andie. He avoids her at school and doesn't return her calls until she finally confronts him. He claims that he had asked someone else to go to the prom with him before he'd asked her, but had forgotten. Andie runs away, heartbroken.
Andie finds Iona preparing for a date with a yuppie
, dressing like a normal adult for a change. Iona is already thinking about marriage. Iona's newly found happiness inspires Andie. She decides to attend the prom, to "show them they didn't break me." Using both Iona's prom dress and the thrift shop dress her father bought her, she creates a new pink dress to wear to the prom.
When she gets to the prom, she has second thoughts about braving the crowd on her own. Just as it looks like she may back out, she sees Duckie, also dressed up. They walk into the ballroom hand in hand. When Steff begins mocking the couple, Blane finally realizes that Steff was interested in Andie himself, and finds the courage to tell him off, angrily saying that Andie is better than either of them will ever be. Blane shakes Duckie's hand and tells Andie that he always believed in her; he just didn't believe in himself. He says he'll always love her no matter what and leaves the prom. Duckie concedes that Blane is not like the other rich kids at school and advises Andie to go after him. After Andie leaves, a blonde girl (Kristy Swanson
) notices Duckie and silently invites him to go over and dance with her.
Outside of the prom, Andie catches up with Blane in the parking lot just before he gets to his car, and they share a kiss.
was originally cast as Phil "Duckie" Dale, but turned the role down, fearing being typecast as a "geek". John Hughes tried later with Robert Downey Jr.
for the part of Duckie. Ringwald helped the producers look for "Duckie" and the reason Downey Jr. wasn't chosen was because Ringwald could see herself falling for him. She wanted someone that she could never be attracted to--someone who seemed like he could be her brother, her best friend. And with Cryer she knew he was a perfect fit. He was "Duckie."
The part of Andie was originally written for Ringwald. John Hughes stated that he had her in mind while writing the script. When first asked Ringwald was reluctant, but after seeing how hard it was for the producers to find a replacement for her, she decided she would indeed portray Andie in the film. Hughes was very happy and knew that the film wouldn't be the same unless Molly, for whom it was written for, played the main character.
Anjelica Huston
was originally offered the role of Iona, but turned it down to pursue another project. Annie Potts
was chosen after Hughes saw her in Ghostbusters
.
, 79% of critics gave Pretty in Pink a positive review.
The film earned US$
6,065,870 during its opening weekend and $40,471,663 during its theatrical run. It was the 22nd highest-grossing film in 1986.
The main cast of Pretty in Pink was featured in the October 15, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly
, which centered around cast reunions for landmark films and television shows.
episode "Witches of Mass Destruction". Alan Shore (played by James Spader
, who also played Steff McKee in Pretty in Pink) tells Denny Crane (William Shatner
), "Denny, you're pretty in pink", as they are both dressed in pink flamingos for a Halloween party.
In Psych
's season 4 episode 11, "Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers," Shawn(James Roday
) claims that he and Gus(Dule Hill
) are "like Andie and Duckie." Also, in season 3 episode 2, "Murder? … Anyone? … Anyone? … Bueller?," Shawn identifies a murder victim by relating the victim's situation to Duckie.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. The film was directed by Howard Deutch
Howard Deutch
Howard Deutch is an American film director. His most recent theatrical release was My Best Friend's Girl, starring Jason Biggs, Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, and Alec Baldwin...
, produced by Lauren Shuler
Lauren Shuler Donner
Lauren Shuler Donner is an American film producer who specializes in mainstream youth and family-oriented entertainment.-Early life and career:...
and written by John Hughes.
Plot
High school senior Andie Walsh (Molly RingwaldMolly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
) is a working class girl who has a crush on one of the rich, preppie boys in her school, Blane McDonough (Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
). When Andie and Blane try to get together, they encounter resistance from their respective social circles.
Andie lives on "the wrong side of the tracks" with her unemployed father (Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
) who is still devastated by the breakup of his marriage to Andie's mother some years before. Andie's best friend, Phil "Duckie" Dale (Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
), is in love with her, but plays it off as a joke in front of her. In school, he and Andie are harassed by Blane's friends, the arrogant so-called "richie" kids Benny (Kate Vernon
Kate Vernon
Kate Vernon is a Canadian-born film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS soap opera Falcon Crest from , the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in the comedy film Pretty in Pink , Mary-John Lovejoy in The Lost Colony Feature of Lovejoy and...
) and Steff (James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
).
Andie works at TRAX, a New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
store in the Chinatown
Chinatown, Chicago
The Chinatown neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, is on the South Side , centered on Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, and is an example of an American Chinatown, or ethnic-Chinese neighborhood. By the [ftp://ftp2.census.gov/census_2000/datasets/demographic_profile/Illinois/2kh17.pdf 2000 Census], has...
neighborhood, managed by her older friend and mentor Iona (Annie Potts
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
). Iona advises Andie to go to her senior prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
despite not having a date.
Soon, Blane makes his move via chatting in the computer lab, and Andie is smitten. Blane ventures out to the area at school where the punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
s, metalheads, and New Wavers hang out and asks Andie on a date. Steff — whose crude advances Andie had earlier rebuffed — begins questioning why his best friend "was conversing with a mutant," but Blane brushes him off.
On the Friday night of the date, Andie waits for Blane at TRAX, but he is late. Duckie arrives instead, only to find Andie upset because she thinks she's been stood up. When Blane finally arrives, Duckie and Andie argue. Duckie tries to convince her that Blane will only hurt her. After a few harsh words, Duckie storms out, and Andie goes on her date.
First, Blane suggests going to a party Steff is throwing but the party isn't exactly what Blane expected, and Andie is treated poorly by everyone, including a drunk Steff and Benny. Andie, in turn, suggests going to the local club, where they discover Iona sitting with Duckie. Duckie is immediately hostile toward Blane, and as he and Andie start walking out of the club, Duckie kisses a startled Iona.
Blane offers to take Andie home, but she finally admits she doesn't want him to see where she lives. He drops her off there anyway and they kiss; afterward he asks Andie to the prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
. The next day, Andie visits Iona in her loft and Iona begins reminiscing about her own prom, donning her old pink prom dress, cute yellow fuzzy slippers and a beehive hairstyle.
At home, Andie's father surprises her with a pink dress he bought for her at the thrift shop. Questioning how he was able to afford it, Andie discovers he has been faking going to a full-time job. The two begin to fight until her father breaks down, obviously still bitter and depressed about his wife having left him.
Meanwhile Blane, pressured by Steff, begins distancing himself from Andie. He avoids her at school and doesn't return her calls until she finally confronts him. He claims that he had asked someone else to go to the prom with him before he'd asked her, but had forgotten. Andie runs away, heartbroken.
Andie finds Iona preparing for a date with a yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
, dressing like a normal adult for a change. Iona is already thinking about marriage. Iona's newly found happiness inspires Andie. She decides to attend the prom, to "show them they didn't break me." Using both Iona's prom dress and the thrift shop dress her father bought her, she creates a new pink dress to wear to the prom.
When she gets to the prom, she has second thoughts about braving the crowd on her own. Just as it looks like she may back out, she sees Duckie, also dressed up. They walk into the ballroom hand in hand. When Steff begins mocking the couple, Blane finally realizes that Steff was interested in Andie himself, and finds the courage to tell him off, angrily saying that Andie is better than either of them will ever be. Blane shakes Duckie's hand and tells Andie that he always believed in her; he just didn't believe in himself. He says he'll always love her no matter what and leaves the prom. Duckie concedes that Blane is not like the other rich kids at school and advises Andie to go after him. After Andie leaves, a blonde girl (Kristy Swanson
Kristy Swanson
Kristen Nöel "Kristy" Swanson is an American actress best known for playing Buffy in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she also played Catherine "Cathy" Dollanganger in the movie version of the V.C...
) notices Duckie and silently invites him to go over and dance with her.
Outside of the prom, Andie catches up with Blane in the parking lot just before he gets to his car, and they share a kiss.
Cast
- Molly RingwaldMolly RingwaldMolly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
as Andie Walsh - Jon CryerJon CryerJonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
as Philip F. "Duckie" Dale - Andrew McCarthyAndrew McCarthyAndrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
as Blane McDonough - Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
as Jack Walsh - Annie PottsAnnie PottsAnne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
as Iona - James SpaderJames SpaderJames Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
as Steff McKee - Kate VernonKate VernonKate Vernon is a Canadian-born film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS soap opera Falcon Crest from , the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in the comedy film Pretty in Pink , Mary-John Lovejoy in The Lost Colony Feature of Lovejoy and...
as Benny Hanson - Andrew Dice ClayAndrew Dice ClayAndrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
as Bouncer at CATS - Kristy SwansonKristy SwansonKristen Nöel "Kristy" Swanson is an American actress best known for playing Buffy in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she also played Catherine "Cathy" Dollanganger in the movie version of the V.C...
as Duckette - Alexa KeninAlexa KeninAlexa Kenin was an American actress known for her supporting roles in several films released during the 1980s, including Pretty in Pink, Little Darlings, and Honkytonk Man.-Career:...
as Jenna - Dweezil ZappaDweezil ZappaDweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor.-Early life:Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of musician Frank Zappa and Adelaide Gail Sloatman, who worked in business. He is the second of four siblings: his older sister, Moon, younger sister Diva and younger...
as Simon - Gina GershonGina GershonGina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
as Trombley, Girl Friend / Gym Class
Production
John Hughes wrote the film screenplay early in 1985. Filming began on June 22, 1985 and ended on October 12, 1985.Casting
Anthony Michael HallAnthony Michael Hall
Michael Anthony Hall , known professionally as Anthony Michael Hall, is an American actor, film producer and director who starred in several teen-oriented films of the 1980s. Hall began his career in commercials and on stage as a child, and made his screen debut in 1980...
was originally cast as Phil "Duckie" Dale, but turned the role down, fearing being typecast as a "geek". John Hughes tried later with Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey, Jr. is an American actor. Downey made his screen debut in 1970 at the age of five when he appeared in his father's film Pound, and has worked consistently in film and television ever since. During the 1980s he had roles in a series of coming of age films associated with the...
for the part of Duckie. Ringwald helped the producers look for "Duckie" and the reason Downey Jr. wasn't chosen was because Ringwald could see herself falling for him. She wanted someone that she could never be attracted to--someone who seemed like he could be her brother, her best friend. And with Cryer she knew he was a perfect fit. He was "Duckie."
The part of Andie was originally written for Ringwald. John Hughes stated that he had her in mind while writing the script. When first asked Ringwald was reluctant, but after seeing how hard it was for the producers to find a replacement for her, she decided she would indeed portray Andie in the film. Hughes was very happy and knew that the film wouldn't be the same unless Molly, for whom it was written for, played the main character.
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
was originally offered the role of Iona, but turned it down to pursue another project. Annie Potts
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
was chosen after Hughes saw her in Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
.
Reaction
The film was a critical and commercial success. Based on 29 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 79% of critics gave Pretty in Pink a positive review.
The film earned US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
6,065,870 during its opening weekend and $40,471,663 during its theatrical run. It was the 22nd highest-grossing film in 1986.
The main cast of Pretty in Pink was featured in the October 15, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, which centered around cast reunions for landmark films and television shows.
In popular culture
There is a reference to the movie in the Boston LegalBoston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
episode "Witches of Mass Destruction". Alan Shore (played by James Spader
James Spader
James Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
, who also played Steff McKee in Pretty in Pink) tells Denny Crane (William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
), "Denny, you're pretty in pink", as they are both dressed in pink flamingos for a Halloween party.
In Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
's season 4 episode 11, "Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers," Shawn(James Roday
James Roday
James Roday is an American actor and screenwriter. He currently stars on the USA Network series Psych as hyper-observant consultant detective and fake psychic Shawn Spencer.-Personal life:...
) claims that he and Gus(Dule Hill
Dulé Hill
Karim Dulé Hill is an American actor and tap dancer. He is best known for his roles as personal presidential aide Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series The West Wing, and as pharmaceutical salesman-private detective Burton "Gus" Guster on the USA Network television comedy-drama Psych...
) are "like Andie and Duckie." Also, in season 3 episode 2, "Murder? … Anyone? … Anyone? … Bueller?," Shawn identifies a murder victim by relating the victim's situation to Duckie.