(I know one thing for certain: if my son took his college fund and blew it on a pair of earrings for some social-climbing skank, he'd better run - and keep running as long as there's ground to run on...)
CAST: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Lea Thompson, Craig Sheffer, Elias Koteas, Maddie Corman, John Ashton, Molly Hagan, Jane Elliott, Candace Cameron.
DIRECTOR: Howard Deutch
WARNING: SPOILERS and surprisingly solid love triangles right up ahead...
In 1986, the director/writer combo of Howard Deutch and John Hughes created PRETTY IN PINK, the Molly Ringwald-Andrew McCarthy teen romance about a poor girl and the rich guy who unexpectedly falls in love with her - and vice versa, causing problems for both of them. Apparently thinking that there were more golden eggs to be harvested from that particular goose, Deutch and Hughes collaborated the following year on a project that is essentially PRETTY IN PINK, but with some gender switches in the roles - and substantially more depth and bite. I present to you: the underrated gem, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL.
From the opening credits, we know that this is going to be a more edgy ride than PRETTY IN PINK. Whereas PINK played its chirpy and peppy title theme song over its main titles, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL opens to an aggressive and driving beat played out by our female lead, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), on her drums. Intercut with Watts' drumming are flashes of the other major characters: (1) her best friend and our hero, Keith (Eric Stoltz), working in some sort of garage, getting his hands really greasy; (2) Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson) making whoopee with (3) rich jackass Hardy (Craig Sheffer) in her modest home; and (4) Keith watching Amanda and Hardy canoodling in her yard, (5) and Keith walking on some tracks toward an oncoming train and stepping out of the way at the last minute. Judging from these snippets, we can deduce the following about our main players: (1) Watts is no girly-girl like Andie from PRETTY IN PINK but instead is a badass tomboy musician, (2) Amanda is a T-ramp, (3) Hardy likes T-ramps, (4) Keith wishes he were Hardy so he could bang Amanda the T-ramp, and (5) Keith obviously has a death wish - and I'm not just talking about the train.
In Keith's home, things are equally interesting: (1) Pops (John Ashton) is riding Keith hard to apply to a college so that he can be the first man in his family with a degree, (2) younger sis Jenny (Maddie Corman) is a drama queen of the most histrionic order who insists on pirouetting on Keith's last nerve, (3) youngest sis (Candace Cameron) is one of those movie kids who acts and talks like a neurotic 35-year old, (4) and Mum (Jane Elliott) is completely oblivious to these quirky dorks in her immediate orbit. All in all, your average working class American family. Nevertheless, Keith can't exactly be considered your average American teenage boy, because your average American teenage boy doesn't have a not-so-average tomboy/musician/hellraiser as a best friend. Make that a not-so-average tomboy/musician/hellraiser who secretly loves him.
She's Watts, whom we met in the opening credits. And she's crazy for Keith. Oh, she bluffs a good game and makes it look like she's just a close buddy who is exasperated by her dipshit best friend, verbally smacking him around and insulting him every chance she gets - but what is all that if not yet another form of foreplay? And, as Keith himself opines later on in the film, "you always hurt the one you love." He says this jokingly to explain Watts' rough treatment of him. Oh, Keith, baby... you have no idea how warm you are, bud. Yup, Watts has learned first-hand that you do not choose who you fall in love with. The fuckers choose you - and there's not a goddamned thing you can do about it. Unfortunately. And there are three ways to deal with unrequited love: (1) be honest and tell the object of your affections that your heart beats for them, and let the chips fall where they fucking may; (2) suffer in silence as you remain in their orbit as nothing but a friend; or (3) immediately move to Leningrad and cut off all contact. Well, Watts is neither (1) brave enough to confess her feelings, nor (2) rich enough to move to the former Soviet Republic, so (3) she chooses to suffer in silence - and continue to browbeat Keith like she's Mike Tyson, hoping that her roughness will hide the fact that her heart is no longer hers.
Meanwhile, things aren't so great at school. In an effort to get to know Amanda better, Keith contrives to get himself thrown into the same detention period as Amanda. Oh, and in case you're wondering how our lovely Miss Jones got her hot ass into detention, she got caught leaving campus with Hardy in order to, as she claims, "talk." Right. Must be sign language involving his flapping dick and her jiggling breasts. At any rate, Keith pulls a fire alarm, hoping for the worst Well, he gets it when finds out that: (1) Amanda didn't get detention, after all, because the T-ramp pulled major googley eyes on the male teacher in charge and he fell for it like a Hollywood Boulevard hooker going for a Lotus Esprit that has just pulled up to the curb; and (2) the punks that he tussled with earlier in a gallant and hilarious effort to defend Watts' honor are now (3) right there with him in detention. Ooooooops.
Fortunately, an unexpected friendship develops between Keith the and the punks, led by the charming Skinhead (Elias Koteas). Even more fortunately, Amanda reaches a point where she's sick and tired of Hardy's tomcatting with anything wearing a skirt right in front of her nose, and breaks up with him. And guess who happens to be standing nearby when that happens? If you say "Why, Keith of course" then I am seriously impressed. Not really. Who else would be standing nearby? Tom Berenger? Gandhi? Anyhow, Keith swoops in and asks Amanda out, who promptly accepts - much to the chagrin of: (1) Hardy, who can't believe that his successor is someone who fills his car with gas on a routine basis; (2) Watts, who can't believe that her rival is someone with hair bigger than some supermarket parking lots; and (3) Amanda's rich friends, who remind her that she might just have a very lonely year if she continues to date people at her level. Did I mention that Amanda's not much better off economically than Keith? Turns out that she's the beautiful poor girl allowed to run with the clique of rich bastards and bitches. But not for long, if she keeps playing with fire.
Meanwhile, Watts continues to wrestle with her feelings for Keith. Unfortunately, try as she might to hide her emotions, they occasionally erupt to the surface - like when: (1) she corners Keith at a club and tells him that she will avoid him from now on, because she'd rather have him not see her and think well of her, than have him see her and hate her (if only more of my stalkers would adopt that attitude, my life would be great); (2) she tells Keith that her music and their friendship is all that she has in this world; and (3) when she talks Keith into preparing for his date with Amanda - by practicing his kissing skills on her. Needless to say, Keith and Watts share what is a seriously fucking hot kiss that blew my little brain when I first saw this movie as a kid - and continues to do so to this day. Forget all the kisses that won the MTV Best Kiss Award - this is the smooch that was heard around the globe.
Alas, even with the three major clues above, Keith still doesn't realize that Watts is ga-ga over him. To be fair, he doesn't exactly have time to ponder this mystery too much because of the following: (1) his sister Jenny (remember her? the fucking drama queen?) accidentally on purpose hears Hardy saying that he's going to beat up Keith at his party on Saturday; (2) his father discovers that he withdrew his college fund to buy Amanda a pair of genuine diamond earrings, and (3) Watts is still moping around like she's unwillingly fallen in love with someone she can't ever have. Ahem. Hint, hint. Anyhow, all this by way of saying that Keith's got a complicated life all of a sudden.
Fortunately, it all works out for the best. To wit, the following occur: (1) Keith and Amanda share a lovely date where they pour their hearts out to each other, (2) they arrive at Hardy's party to bravely face the music (figuratively) and Hardy's fists (literally); (3) Skinhead and his pals show up just in time to mop the floor with Hardy's ass and turn him into their bitch/mascot; and last - but most importantly: (4) Keith finally earns his "Hello, Captain Obvious!" badge when he realizes that Watts is deeply in love with him. He realizes this when he and Amanda flee Hardy's party-turned-Skinhead's-slaughterhouse - and sees Watts gazing at him with adoring eyes. Amanda notices this, as well as the googley eyes that Keith is suddenly giving his tomboy best bud, and sees the writing on the wall: Keith and the dyke belong together. She graciously hands him the diamond earrings, telling him that "in you heart, you wanted to give these to someone else." At that moment, Keith's dad swoops in and grabs the earrings out of her hands while bellowing: "You're goddamn right! We're giving these babies back to the sales lady! In exchange for all the fucking money Keith saved since he was old enough to mow lawns!"
Kidding. Keith runs after Watts - and pledges his undying love to her by giving her the earrings. Watts, realizing that diamonds are not exactly the sloppiest of seconds, grabs those fuckers and plugs 'em into her lobes. Suddenly, just like that, she goes from tough, sardonic, and feisty tomboy to Girly-Girl of the Universe, cooing: "Ooooh, I really wanted these...."
Women.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Compared to SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, PRETTY IN PINK is almost pat and superficial. Not saying that SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL is WAR AND PEACE or DANCES WITH WOLVES, but it explored territories that PRETTY IN PINK chose to examine only in passing: marching to your own drummer, sacrificing your values to belong, the pain of loving someone in silence, and eventually making a stand for what you believe in. Yes, these elements were all in PRETTY IN PINK, but while they were presented in a way that was entertaining, they just don't have the emotional resonance that SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL gives them. The primary reason that WONDERFUL is a better film than PINK is simple: it has a much stronger love triangle. In PINK, the triangle was lopsided. While Blaine was an attractive and decent love interest for Andie, the other "man" was grating to the point of torture: Duckie Dale (Jon Cryer), easily the most annoying character to grace a John Hughes film. You could easily understand why Andie would choose Blaine over Duckie's sorry ass.
Contrast this with WONDERFUL's triangle, which is one of the best love triangles to ever grace the silver screen - right up there with CASABLANCA, AGAINST ALL ODDS, TEQUILA SUNRISE, SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE and SWEET HOME ALABAMA. All these love triangles presented the protagonist with two potential mates that were both attractive and formidable - which led to true conflict and no easy choices. In WONDERFUL, Keith is torn between Watts and Amanda - two females who are both strong, intelligent, decent, and complex. You can see Keith being happy with either of them. What's more, you root for both women to get the guy, and dread knowing that one of them is going to get her heart broken - that's how well-drawn and well-played their characters are. But it's not just this central love triangle that shines. The other relationships within the film are also engaging and emotionally-rewarding: (1) Keith's warm yet spiky relationship with his Dad, which has the authentic ring of real father-son relationships; (2) Keith's testy relationship with Jenny - and their reconciliation later when Jenny proves her loyalty and love for her brother by revealing what she overheard from Hardy; and (3) Keith's unexpected bond with Skinhead and his hooligans - which has the fortunate effect of saving the day at the party.
The cast is, no pun intended, some kind of wonderful. As Keith, Eric Stoltz imbues the character with shy tentativeness and stubborn tenaciousness that are irresistible and compelling. Combine this winning personality with artistic talent and classic handsome looks, and you can see why Watts and Amanda would both be drawn to him. Speaking of Watts - the tough, mouthy, and fiery chick who carefully hides her love for Keith - Mary Stuart Masterson turns in the film's most touching performance. In a perfect world - one where teen movies are taken seriously - she would've gotten an Academy Award nomination (at least) for her performance. Masterson reveals more hidden emotion with a quick averted glance, a sad smile, a longing look, or an uncomfortable shrug of the shoulders than most other actresses could with two pages of dialogue. She's awesome. Equally terrific is Lea Thompson as Amanda, who is a refreshingly complex and surprising character. A less creative and talented writer than John Hughes would have portrayed her as a one-dimensional bitch. A less expressive and gifted actress than Thompson would have fumbled Amanda's different facets. Instead, in their very capable hands we get a character who is fascinating, calculating, human, and ultimately admirable in her attempts to understand her weaknesses - and rise above them. Which she does at the end - triumphantly. It's hard to say which girl I like better, Watts or Amanda. I love 'em both. If I was Keith, I would have a very, very, very, very hard time choosing between these two good women. I feel your pain, bro.
As for the supporting cast, Craig Sheffer as Hardy does well what he's called for to do: be an arrogant asshole who thinks that his money gives him the right to treat people like he owns them. John Ashton is excellent as Keith's dad - loving and loyal, but doesn't take any shit from his kids. He's the kind of father I would like to think I'd be one day - someone who know when to let his kids get away with their crap - and when to call them on it. Kinda reminds me of my own Pops (Shout Out, Dad! Love ya!). Elias Koteas is extremely appealing as Skinhead, Keith's unlikely ally and welcome co-warrior against Hardy and his rich band of smug assholes. I love it when characters who initially don't get along eventually become the best of friends. Rounding out the solid support is Maddie Corman, Jane Elliott, and Molly Hagan as, respectively, Keith's sister, his mom, and Amanda's rich fair-weather friend who forgets about her when the chips are down.
In the end, while PRETTY IN PINK was the bigger box-office success, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL is the better film. No doubt about it. And it all comes down to that scenario that's been playing out since the beginning of time: one person, torn between two loves. If only more romantic dramas and romantic comedies would put their protagonists in difficult positions where they really have to choose, we might be spared crap like LEAP YEAR and BRIDE WARS and IT'S COMPLICATED. If only....
