The original ending of Pretty In Pink was changed after test audiences said they would rather Molly Ringwald's character end up with Andrew McCarthy's, instead of Jon Cryer's. (Wrong! At least in my opinion.) They got it right in "Some Kind Of Wonderful." What a great 80's teen flick this is! Not too sappy, not too dramatic- everything gets balanced out with little drops of humor here and there. Candace Cameron is hilarious in every one of her scenes (check her out as Eric Stoltz's younger sister before she wound up on TV's migraine headache inducing "Full House"); so is Maddie Corman who plays the middle sister. (She later ended up on Margaret Cho's short lived "All American Girl" sitcom and was in another GREAT 80's teen flick called "Seven Minutes in Heaven" which also starred Jennifer Connelly.)

If you love this movie, or are a fan of the John Hughes genre, you should also check out the "Some Kind Of Wonderful" soundtrack. It's every bit as GREAT as the "Pretty In Pink" soundtrack. The opening credits sequence music from "Some Kind Of Wonderful" ("Abuse" by Propaganda) is not on the cd, but is available on Propaganda's "Wishful Thinking" cd.

The only issue I have with this DVD is the same issue I have with a lot of other Paramount DVD's: no extra goodies. No trailer, no outtakes, no deleted scenes, no commentary. That is disappointing, but it's still great to have this on DVD finally.


Wonderful 80's Film   July 9, 2004
 18 out of 18 found this review helpful

1987's Some Kind Of Wonderful is a gender-revised version of 1986's Pretty In Pink. Eric Stoltz takes the place of Molly Ringwald and Lea Thompson & Mary Stuart Masterson do the same for Andrew McCarthy & Jon Cryer. Mr. Stoltz plays Keith a loner, artistic type who works at a garage and whose best friend is a tom girl, drummer Watts played by Ms. Masterson. Keith pines after Amanda Jones (Ms. Thompson), one of the most popular girls in school. Amanda dates the spoiled rich boy Hardy Jenns (Craig Sheffer) and after they fight, Keith swoops in and asks Amanda for a date, to which she agrees. Keith finds out that the whole date is just a setup to get him to Jenns' house so he can beat him up, he still continues with the date. He sets an elaborate evening, dinner at a fancy restaurant, art museum after hours and a set of diamond earrings. It turns out that Amanda isn't some spoiled rich girl, but a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who sold herself out for popularity. All the while, Watts is secretly in love with Keith and in the end after a showdown at Jenns' house where he is exposed as a chicken and fraud, Keith realizes his true feelings for Watts and they kiss. The movie is filled with nice performances by the three leads, but it is the supporting players that give the best performances. John Ashton is perfectly gruff and pushing as Keith's dad, Maddie Corman is the classic, annoying younger sister, but Elias Koteas steals the show as Duncan, the school thug who befriends Keith. Mr. Koteas throws out some classic lines. This was the last film John Hughes would write or director in the classic 80's teen angst vein. The soundtrack to the film is excellent, featuring no name bands like Flesh For Lulu, The Licking Tins and Furniture and it captures the essence of the films.


Before Dawson's Creek, There Was Some Kind Of Wonderful   February 8, 2000
 16 out of 18 found this review helpful

This movie has remained my favorite film since it came out in 1987. That's 13 years my friends. Like most of the teen angst pictures made by filmmaker John Hughes (Pretty In Pink, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off), this movie treats teenagers problems with a level of reality that you can't help but respect. John Hughes always made sure the adults were talking on a different level then the kids. Clifford (Keith's dad): "Ah, Keith, you're only 16 years old." Keith (Eric Stoltz): "Then I'm 18, then I'm 19, then I'm 20. When does my life belong to me?" There is a certain level this movie attains that other films cannot touch. Plus, at the core is a love-triangle story that you can't help but get wrapped up in. Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes) and Lea Thompson (Back To The Future) reaaly shine as the ladies in the life of Eric Stoltz (Mask). This movie does't pontificate with so many 50 cent words as much as it hits home with bright, witty dialog and a cast that actually looks like they live in the world they move about in. Buy it. You won't regret it.


Right in there with Sixteen Candles and the Breakfast Club !   May 17, 2000
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

A definite teen classic. Before teen movies became lustful sexfests like "American Pie," Generation X-ers had a handful of teen epics that could be related to. It's definitely a feel-good movie and the acting is wonderful. As cheesy as some scenes might be, the overall effect overcomes the cheese-meter.

An introspective artist, a pretty rich girl and a smart-mouthed tom-boy look for love in all the wrong places until the end. Petty people become deep, true loves find one another... not exactly reality, but a great flick none-the-less. Perhaps it's nostalgia that puts this film in my personal 5-star category, but when I watch it as a full-fledged adult, I'm not looking back and thinking, "boy was this flick stupid... I can't believe I liked it." Instead, I feel like I'm seeing it again for the first time. It's easy to get emotionally involved with these teens whose parents don't quite get the idea (as hard as some of them might try) of what's going on in their kids' lives.

Reminiscent of "Pretty in Pink", all things work out in the end. This film didn't do as well in theaters as it could have because of the unconventional (read: weird) trailers that advertised the film. You just see bluejeans and a drummer hitting drums... I basically saw this film only because Eric Stoltz was in it... but I ended up adoring the film in spite of the cheesy trailer that promised nothing of substance. Gen-Y folks might find this a bit too bubble-gum, but if you're in your early 30s to late 20s and you haven't seen this film, it's your duty to see it. :-)

If you're a bit younger, give it a try. It may not be as "sophisticated" as films seem to be today, but it was right on target when it was released.

For parents, this film is safe to show to young teens. There is no nudity or sexual inuendo. There is a kissing scene that might cause you to have to fan yourself, but it's a kiss and not heavy petting or anything. There is language, but not above or beyond what can be heard on "NYPD Blue." The film shows the values in true friendships, self-sacrifice, and true love based on sacrifice - not on sex, beauty or money. Relationships between parents and their children and between siblings is also explored in the film. Because of this, it actually has an underlying moral theme that is so lacking in films targeted to teens today.


Break His Heart and I'll Break Your Face ... Memorable Line!   April 4, 2006
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This was the most memorable line in the whole movie... when the tom girl in love with her best guy friend tells the popular girl to watch out! Hmmm... this should have been a signal that she was a keeper. The 80's was really captured in this movie and it signals the genres theme of teenage turmoil in a greedy decade. I'm glad the best friends ended up together. Sometimes it's true that our feelings run deep and we have no idea until a rival comes along.