Writer/producer John Hughes took his own plot for Pretty in Pink (girl falls for unattainable boy when there’s a perfectly good friend right in front of her) and twisted it around for this romantic comedy – here it is aspiring artist Keith (Stoltz) who yearns for popular girl Amanda (Lea Thompson) when in fact he should really be paying more attention to his drummer tomboy pal Watts (Masterson), who is such a great gal she even plays chauffeur on his hot date.
This works well because Hughes has the ability to make all his teen characters believable, rather than clichés, so while we all hope Keith will realise Watts is the gal for him, Amanda isn’t depicted as a vacuous girl; she’s got feelings too. The three leads are terrific, especially Stoltz (in a role written with him in mind by Hughes) and Masterson, who’s the smart-talking, tough-but-sweet pal we all wish we had had growing up.
Is Some Kind Of Wonderful suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
None.
If you like this, why not try: Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, 10 Things I Hate About You, Easy A,