This review for the John Hughes Blogathon comes, once again, from Rob of Movie Rob. Thanks, Rob! He liked Pretty In Pink after just recently watching it for the first time so let’s now hear his thoughts on Some Kind Of Wonderful. đ
“Keith… you’re losing it. And when it’s lost, all you are is a loser.” – Watts
Number of Times Seen â at least 5 times (Theater in 1987, cable, video and 12 Mar 2014)
Brief Synopsis â A poor kid who falls in love with a rich girl is helped by his tomboy friend in order to win her over. Little does he know, that she is in love with him too.
My Take on it â What would you do if you were one of the most successful filmmakers of 1980’s teen films and the studio forced you to change the ending of your movie?
You’d do what John Hughes did.. Remake the movie with slightly different characters and keep the ending you always wanted.
I use to love this movie as a teen because it showed that sometimes as a teen you don’t know what’s right for you and are willing to do whatever it takes to get what you want. And then in a moment of clarity, you realize that you made a mistake and are able to rectify that mistake.
Wouldnât it be great if life was so simple?
That statement is both allegorical to this movie and to the situation Hughes was in himself when he chose to make this movie.
Hughes was so adamant at making everyone know about his frustration that he ever wanted to cast Molly Ringwald in the Main female part. She declined and was never asked to be in another John Hughes movie ever again.
In her stead, Hughes hired Lea Thompson who ended up falling in love with the director of the movie Howard Deutch and they have been married ever since.
Besides Thompson, this movie features Eric Stoltz and Mary Stuart Masterson (who I still have a strong crush on to this day).
The themes and situations of this movie and Pretty in Pink (1986) are so blatant that you would have to be a complete idiot to not realize that they are basically the same movie but with different happy endings.
Having only watched Pretty in Pink (1986) very recently, I actually think the opposite. In my mind, this movie is the original with the correct ending and the other is the “remake” with the wrong ending. đ
Bottom Line – Great “remake” of Pretty in Pink (1986) that actually has the proper ending. Excellent cast.
Recommended!
Starring:
Eric Stoltz
Mary Stuart Masterson
Lea Thompson
Craig Sheffer
John Ashton
Elias Koteas
Molly Hagan
Maddie Corman
Jane Elliot
Candace Cameron Bure
Chynna Phillips
Scott Coffey
Carmine Caridi
Lee Garlington
Pamela Anderson
Running time: 95 minutes
Plot Synopsis: Pretty In Pink. But better in some ways.
My Opinion:
I’ll keep this review short as I’ve already reviewed Pretty In Pink (review HERE) and, for those who don’t know much about John Hughes films, this is basically a remake of that but with the roles reversed (Eric Stoltz is Molly Ringwald – you can figure out the rest if you watch them as I try to stay spoiler-free for Hughes-newbies). Which one is the better film? Pretty In Pink. Which one do I like more? Probably Some Kind Of Wonderful.
I think it’s a shame that Some Kind Of Wonderful seems to get forgotten while Pretty In Pink gets all the attention. I won’t go into Pretty In Pink much as I’ve already reviewed it but the things it really has going for it are two very strong characters (Duckie & Iona) and some classic Hughes-style quotable lines. I think the script is stronger and, as I said, it’s a better film overall. However, I really couldn’t relate to any of the characters in Pretty In Pink. In Some Kind Of Wonderful, I found them much more realistic & they felt more like people who actually would have been in my high school. Plus Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a great female character. I prefer the tough tomboy thing to Molly Ringwald’s usual girly roles in the Hughes movies. Watts still gets a little “silly” over a boy but, hey – she’s a teenage girl. Her character feels very genuine in the movie plus her friendship with Stoltz is totally believable and I bought into it more than Andie & Duckie’s in Pretty In Pink.
Eric Stoltz does a decent enough job in the movie & you do find yourself wanting things to work out for him. Lea Thompson is a little… Empty. But so was the character who was her equivalent in Pretty In Pink. Elias Koteas is the “Skinhead” in this and is a very enjoyable character in the way that Iona was great in Pretty In Pink. The “bitches” are less bitchy than in Pretty In Pink but are more believable. Craig Sheffer is, well, a low-budget James Spader – anyone could have played his role. He’s the equivalent of Michael Ironside being the low-budget Jack Nicholson. But the important thing is that the two main characters, Stoltz & Masterson, are very strong and, for me, more likeable and realistic than in Pretty In Pink. Especially Watts.
Summary:
Sorry for basically just comparing this to Pretty In Pink but it would be impossible not to. If you haven’t seen either film, I’d recommend both if you like slightly-dramatic 80’s teen movies and especially if you like John Hughes as these are both very much “him”. It’s hard to say which one you’ll like more – some prefer one and some prefer the other. If you’ve seen (and like) Pretty In Pink, you MUST watch Some Kind Of Wonderful as well! It’s good. You may even find you end up liking it more than Pretty In Pink. Okay – Yeah, I like it more too. It just wins out over Pretty In Pink thanks to the characters feeling more real. Some Kind Of Wonderful deserves more recognition than it seems to get compared to the other Hughes teen movies.
This review for the John Hughes Blogathon comes from Rhetologue’s Movie Logs. Thank you for being a part of this blogathon! Let’s see what he thought of She’s Having A Baby. đ
Love and marriage. It goes together like a horse and carriage but also has Kevin Bacon freaking out in John Hughes much maligned surrealist romantic comedy.
EHarmony. Match.com. OKCupid. What do they all have in common? Well, theyâre all websites that have millions scrambling to find âthe oneâ. Yet what is it about the actual settling down, past the overly extravagant dates, butterflies and passion filled coitus that has some men freaking out? This is what the late John Hughes explores in his 1988 dramatic comedy Sheâs Having a Baby. First of all, how hilarious is it that the title completely puts the ball in her court? Even before you get into the story you are completely aware of what starving artist Jake Briggs (Kevin Bacon) thinks about the baby growing inside wife Kristy (Elizabeth McGovern).
Sheâs Having a Baby charts the early years of their relationship and is truly told from the perspective of Jake as he contends with settling down, building a home and becoming a father. As much as (some) men like women, Hughes presents the young men in his movie as seeing them as crazy people. Hughes paints Jake’s love interest as a wide eyed, irrational, succubus out to ensnare the innocent young Jake and drain him of his independence and virility. To this degree âSheâ is nearly inconsequential, yet is Jakeâs only real antagonist, as Hughes seems to believe that the target audience (i.e. other men) will understand the basis of his conceit completely. The seed of such a perspective of trepidation is planted by a young and mullet-rocking Alec Baldwin as mirror Davis, a dim witted Lothario still looking for love yet happy to defy its conventions. Baldwin has been playing this character for years and it never gets old, recently making good of the ageing lothario character in Woody Allenâs Blue Jasmine.
The conflicting perspectives are handled with biting candour in Hughesâ monologues as bile flies from all involved, including Jakeâs in-laws eager for him to stop playing artist, get a real job and pump out some grandkids. Kevin Baconâs big innocent eyes and anxiously fatalistic monologues are the anchors to this passive tale as he wanders through his own life, a supposed victim of an inevitability. Yet Hughes marries Jakeâs latent misogyny with his devotion, volatile self-esteem, emotional flexibility and belief in love. This was a very mature role for the Footloose star, yet is testimony to a great career of never being typecast. Few actors can say that they have had such a diverse career and that the range has been of such a high standard. Here Bacon delivers the quiet anxiety that is foundation to his concerns.
As he looks out from behind Hughesâ iconic frames, character and inspiration collide and we are given insight into the writerâs thoughts and convictions with comedic exaggeration. Hughes does a great job of taking theatrical motifs such as moving sets and clashing alternate realities to visually represent Jakeâs anguish. We are used to seeing such an approach in movies and sitcoms like Scrubs but here they are delivered with the rough and poor execution of burgeoning innovation. The same can be said for the story, which barrels together as a mess of great ideas, falling over one another without particular form or grace yet bursting with ingenuity. These motifs assist Hughes in conjuring a dream-like quality to Sheâs Having a Baby, with situations and conversations culminating in Jakeâs worldview or providing him suspended time to make moralistic decisions. This surrealist tone has our hero almost unable to believe anything in his life is really happening. For a film to solely generate the mind-set of its protagonist in this way is quite an achievement and has this movie hold a particular novelty.
As Jake flirts with infidelity and finds solace only when the proverbial crapola nearly hits the fan, this is far from a romantic taleâŚand thatâs awesome. In a world of overly saccharine Rom-coms, leading to predictable conclusions with people characterised as overly successful or simplistic failures, itâs nice to watch a story that surrounds people with some rough edges. Sure, those rough edges are of a successful lawyer and a guy walking ass backwards into a job in advertising but itâs as close to the everyman as you can get. This was always Hughesâ gift (or famed indulgence), to paint what can subjectively be called real people, with writers/directors like Judd Apatow firmly living within his legacy.
Last Words âWe need the eggsâ
Itâs not a line from Hughesâ much ignored movie but my Last Words are from the end of Woody Allenâs Annie Hall. âWe need the eggsâ has always seemed to encapsulate the attempt of such narratives that seek to make sense of the relationship between men and women. Hughesâ movie is a charming mess of ideas, concepts, opinions and realities that culminate without any real conclusionsâŚwell, except that it would be better if the woman Jake loves didnât die. That commentary in of itself just made me laugh as I wrote it and that is the fun thing about this movie, it works under an awkward and unashamedly male bias.
Therefore, there are many reasons why Sheâs Having a Baby wouldnât be in a John Hughes box set, joining the likes of The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science. Sure, it has Hughesâ cutesy hallmarks, with fun contrived montages and anxious monologues, but at its core is a hell of a lot more bite and fatalism. This presents a stoic world view, even beating out the likes of The Breakfast Club in its attempts to contend with coming of age as a baptismal story of underlying sobriety. Itâs not as melodramatic as Hughesâ other stories, thereâs no overt emotions or morals, as at its core is a darkly comic conceit.
Though all those other John Hughes movies are miles better in construction and delivery, Sheâs Having a Baby is one of his often ignored tales that provides sparks of novel creativity, a rarely presented true-ish male perspective and the cahones to be honest about a manâs fear of what it feels like when a woman is having a baby.
This review for the John Hughes Blogathon comes from Rob of MovieRob. This is his THIRD review after Home Alone and then Flubber, posted earlier today. Thanks again for all these reviews, Rob! Now let’s see if he liked She’s Having A Baby (more than Flubber, I hope!). đ
“College is like high school with ashtrays.” – Jefferson “Jake” Edward Briggs
Number of Times Seen â at least 5 times (cable in the 80’s and 6 Mar 2014)
Brief Synopsis â The story of young love, and the ups and downs in a relationship from marriage until that first child is born.
My Take on it â John Hughes is known to most as the king of teen movies from the 80’s, but he also was able to give us memorable movies that don’t quite fit into that niche.
This movie is one of his great movies that doesn’t fit the teen genre, but still can affect us emotionally.
The story revolves around the early years of a marriage of characters who could have fit into his teen genre, so in essence, we get a glimpse of how Hughes pictured the future lives of his loveable teen characters.
Kevin Bacon and Elisabeth McGovern are both excellent here as we see the ups and downs of the first few years of a marriage. The viewer can connect with these characters really well and we constantly root for them to succeed in everything they do; whether it be making a living, being happy with the extended family or how and when to start their own family.
These themes are all touched upon here and instead of the usual Hughes few days timeline, this movie takes place over the period of a few years which shows the slow and emotional development of the characters in their new lives as husband and wife and makes us also invest a lot in their lives.
Hughes had a knack for taking serious matters and dabbling a bit of humor into those situations making the scenes and situations more enjoyable for us to watch.
I think that when I saw this one as a kid, I wasn’t able to fully comprehend and appreciate all the nuances of married life, but as an adult, those themes stand out as being some of the best ones in this film.
This is enjoyable from a kids perspective, but more so from an adult one.
The credits scene here is hilarious and features many many cameos by former Hughes stars (some even in character).
Bottom Line -This is one of the rare Hughes movies that can be more appreciated as an adult than as a teen. Done exceptionally well by Hughes. Recommended!
This guest review for the John Hughes Blogathon comes from Cara of Silver Screen Serenade. Thanks for being a part of this blogathon, Cara! She’s going to tell us what she thought of Some Kind Of Wonderful. đ
Just wanted to quickly say thanks to Table 9 Mutant for being so awesome as to pull this blogathon together! It was a great idea, and Iâm thrilled to be taking part. Also, T9M, thanks for pretty much picking my movie for me. I suck at decisions. Lol. Anyway, review time!
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
Directed by Howard Deutch
Starring:
Eric Stoltz
Mary Stuart Masterson
Lea Thompson
Craig Sheffer
John Ashton
Music by Stephen Hague & John Musser
Running time: 95 minutes
Plot synopsis: (via Wikipedia) The film is set against the strict social hierarchy of an American public high school. The tomboyish Watts (Masterson) has always considered working class misfit Keith Nelson (Stoltz) her best friend. But when Keith asks out the most popular girl in school, Amanda Jones (Thompson), Watts realizes she feels something much deeper for him.
What I liked:
⢠The cool, very 1980s opening. Dramatic music! Drums! Fixing cars! Teenagers making out! Yeah this film is DOINâ STUFF!
⢠Dreamy Eric Stoltz. Those blue eyes and that ginger hairâŚYEP.
⢠Elias Koteas as the filmâs tough guy. He doesnât have a huge role in this, but heâs still pretty awesome as Keithâs bully-turned-buddy, Duncan. I could see why Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wanted him to play Casey Jones a few years later.
⢠Mary Stuart Masterson as tomboy Watts. She plays tough yet insecure very well, and sheâs got some great lines in this. For example, when Watts and Keith are talking about AmandaâKeith: âYou canât judge a book by its cover.â Watts: âYeah, but you can tell how much itâs gonna cost.â You tell âim, sassy lady.
⢠Keith and Wattsâ relationship. Stoltz and Masterson portray their chemistry well, and their dialogue is fun and natural.
⢠The detention scenes. Particularly one in which Keith and Duncan show each other their respective âartwork.â Very funny.
⢠Wattsâ speech confessing to Keith how much he means to her. It couldâve easily come off as corny, but itâs actually one of the best moments of the film.
⢠Amanda is not a flat character. Itâs easy to make the popular girl into a generic villain, but you actually end up admiring her by the end up the film. She has to deal with some stuff, and she grows from it.
⢠Duncan and co. showing up at the end of the film. Awesome. Just awesome.
What I didnât like:
⢠Keith is VERY stalkery with Amanda. I realize heâs got a serious case of puppy love, but he goes too far. He always seems to know where she is, and we only ever see him drawing/painting her. Plus, when he finally takes her out on a date, he blows almost all of his money on too much too soon. Woah, boy. Rein it in. Youâre making this borderline horror flick sometimes.
⢠Is it just me or is the âpushy father who doesnât listenâ a recurring character in John Hughes movies? Iâve encountered him in Ferris Buellerâs Day Off, Iâve heard tales of him in The Breakfast Club, and now here he is again in the form of Keithâs father. We get it, Johnâ1980s teen boys had daddy issues.
⢠Amandaâs boyfriend, Hardy. Played by Craig Sheffer, Hardy just didnât seem like a real person to me. Heâs over the top in almost every way. Iâm not buying it.
⢠Thereâs a scene where Amanda flirts with an older teacher to get out of detention. First of all, ew. Second, there is no way that would ever happen. Ever. Unless the teacher was a secret perv, and thatâs getting into a can of worms too dark for a lighthearted teen movie.
⢠The resolution is too easy and not presented in a completely satisfying way. Itâs too hard to talk about this vaguely, so SPOILERS: Yes, Keith ends up with Watts, and, yes, thatâs what everybody watching wants. However, Keith had zero romantic interest in Watts (even after a steamy kiss), and all of the sudden his crush on her just kind of smacks him in the face in the last five minutes of the film, leaving poor Amanda high and dry. Plus, Keith and Watts barely get to talk about their feelings, and you donât really get to see them as a couple. END SPOILERS.
⢠Random, but why is this film called âSome Kind of Wonderful?â I kept waiting for them to play the song or reference something to do with it, but I donât think that ever happenedâŚ
Summary:
This film is fun! It might not be as original as The Breakfast Club or as funny as Ferris Buellerâs Day Off, but it definitely has that John Hughes style to it so many know and love so well. As far as teen romantic comedies go, you could do far worse.
My Rating: 7.5/10 (Probably a B+ or so on my rating system)
Cinema Parrot Disco 