Hughes, already established as the "teenpic maestro", wrote the screenplay but handed directing duties over to first-timer Howard Deutch, mainly known for directing music videos. Deutch would collaborate again with Hughes in Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), a film meant to be yet another project with Ringwald, but she rejected the part. This refusal would mark the end of the Hughes/Ringwald working relationship, and the role eventually went to Lea Thompson. But Pretty in Pink had its share of changes and substitutions as well: the original casting choice for the role of Duckie was another Hughes fave, Anthony Michael Hall. Hall, fearing typecasting due to similar nerdy roles in other Hughes pics, turned down the role and Jon Cryer stepped into the pointy white shoes.
The biggest change of the film, however, was the entire ending, which originally had Andie and Duckie end up together. The test screening did not fare well with audiences, and film execs decided Blane instead should be the lucky guy. The entire cast and crew returned to re-shoot the ending, but in the interim Andrew McCarthy had shaved his head and lost a lot of weight to appear in a New York play. Adept viewers will want to look for a thinner Blane with a bad wig! Another change connected with the revamped ending was the musical selection: originally a song - "Goddess of Love" - by the band OMD was to be featured. When Andie ended up with Blane, however, another OMD tune was used instead - "If You Leave" - a move that guaranteed the song immortality at senior proms everywhere.
Pretty in Pink featured an impressive supporting cast, including Harry Dean Stanton as Andie's warmhearted but deadbeat dad. James Spader was perfectly cast as Blane's sleazy best friend; McCarthy and Spader would star together in two more films, Mannequin and Less Than Zero (both 1987). Annie Potts, from Ghostbusters (1984) and Designing Women fame, played Iona, Andie's kooky co-worker. One of the film's dedications was to Alexa Kenin, featured as Andie's friend Jena. Kenin was tragically murdered by her boyfriend shortly before the release of Pretty in Pink. An up-and-coming actress, Kenin had appeared opposite Clint Eastwood in Honkytonk Man (1982). Other significant bit player parts included Margaret Colin as a teacher, Gina Gershon as a snob, Dweezil Zappa as a stoned-out flake, and comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay as a club bouncer.
By and large, Pretty in Pink was panned by critics at the time of its release (One critic, apparently more taken with the soundtrack, advised "See the album."). Over time, however, it has been recognized as a fine effort from the man now called "The Frank Capra of contemporary cinema." The film made an instant and lasting impression, however, on its intended audience - high school kids. And it worked: one would be hard-pressed to find any child of the 80s not touched by the painfully accurate representations of adolescent angst, whether it be the heartbreak of unrequited love or social rejection by the popular kids.
Producer: Lauren Shuler Donner, John Hughes
Director: Howard Deutch
Screenplay: John Hughes
Production Design: John W. Corso
Cinematography: Tak Fujimoto
Costume Design: Marilyn Vance
Film Editing: Richard Marks
Original Music: Michael Gore
Cast: Molly Ringwald (Andie Walsh), Harry Dean Stanton (Jack Walsh), Jon Cryer (Phil "Duckie" Dale), Andrew McCarthy (Blane McDonough), Annie Potts (Iona), Jim Haynie (Donnelly), Alexa Kenin (Jena), Kate Vernon (Benny).
C-96m.
by Eleanor Quin
Pretty In Pink
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Howard Deutch
Molly Ringwald
Andrew Mccarthy
Jon Cryer
James Spader
Annie Potts
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
John Hughes wrote this seminal '80s movie starring Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer in a bittersweet love story about self image and social classes. Ringwald plays a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who catches the eye of the rich and popular Andrew McCarthy. But between his snobby friends and her oddball best friend Duckie, played by Jon Cryer, the romance might be doomed.
Director
Howard Deutch
Cast
Molly Ringwald
Andrew Mccarthy
Jon Cryer
James Spader
Annie Potts
Harry Dean Stanton
Bader Howar
Melanie Manos
Jamison Anders
Kate Vernon
Kevin Williams
Timothy J
Christian Jacobs
Tommy Blatnik
David Sutton
Jimmer Podrasky
Maggie Roswell
Kevin Ricard
Kristy Swanson
Alexa Kenin
Bruno
Audre Johnston
Margaret Colin
Dweezil Zappa
Jeffrey Hollie
Andrew Dice Clay
Gina Gershon
Jim Haynie
Emily Longstreth
Terry Wilson
Kevin D Lindsay
Karen Laine
Rock Deadrick
John Rozman
Crew
Paul Abascal
Steve Addabbo
Pamela Alch
David Anderle
George H Anderson
John Ashton
The Association
Darryl M Athons
Arthur Baker
Elinor Bardach
George Berndt
Ruth Bird
Bruce A. Block
Don Bolger
Charles J Bond
Gary Bourgeois
Irene Brafstein
Mike Brooker
Frank L Brown
Bruno
Richard Butler
Tim Butler
Jimmy Campbell
Chris Carpenter
Dean Chamberlain
Michael Chinich
Tommy Cole
Reginald Connelly
Erik Cord
John W Corso
Lauren Shuler Donner
Dennis Drummond
Dorian Dunas
Sam Edelman
Vince Ely
Andrew Farriss
Jack Feldman
Wayne Fitzgerald
John Frazier
Matt Freeman
Tak Fujimoto
Gerald Gates
Gary Gero
Joan Giammarco
Michael Gore
Joseph A Graham
Carol L Green
Jack N Green
Robert Grieve
Gordon Hackman
Conrad W. Hall
Mary Sutton Hallmann
Dick Hancock
Paula Herold
Danny Hutton Hitters
Michael Hoffman
John Hughes
John Hughes
Michael Hutchence
Jane Schwartz Jaffe
Daniel S. Jimenez
Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson
Art Jones
Neville Keighley
Nik Kershaw
Tony Kerum
Duncan Kilburn
Terry Kirkman
Charles Darin Knight
William Kolber
Karen Kovacevich
Maggie Lee
Maggie Lee
Vicki Lemay-jackson
John Lennon
Doug Leonard
Stephen Lim
Marci Liroff
William A Lowman
John Maguire
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Louis Mann
Richard Marks
Johnny Marr
Melton C Maxwell
Ian Stephen Mcculloch
Julene Mckinney
Jack Mclean
Mel Metcalfe
Laurel Moore
David Moritz
Roger Morris
Joel Moss
Charles J. Newirth
Bob Noland
Kenny Ortega
Jeff Passanante
Ronald W Payne
L Leon Pendarvis
John S Platt
Jimmy Podrasky
Jennifer Polito
Paul Power
John T Ramsey
Otis Redding
Ed Reilly
Donna Roberts
Michael D Roberts
John Robie
P Scott Sakamoto
Gary Scalzo
Don Schlicher
Arne L Schmidt
Chuck Sharp
Winston Sharples
Art Shippee
Lauren Shuler Donner
Steve Sibenick
Belouis Some
Elena Spiotta
Craig Staley
Tim Staubs
Richard Stone
Bruce Sussman
Gene Triol
Rick Valencia
Marilyn Vance-straker
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Gaston Veilleux
Jane Vickerilla
Ellen Vogt
Jeanne Weber
Bruce Weintraub
Linda Whittlesey
Pamela J Yuen
Film Details
Technical Specs
Articles
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Winter February 28, 1986
Released in United States on Video February 1, 1989
Re-released in United States on Video July 18, 1995
Film is in memory of Alexa Kenin and Bruce Weintraub. First feature for director Howard Deutch.
Released in United States Winter February 28, 1986
Released in United States on Video February 1, 1989
Re-released in United States on Video July 18, 1995