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[tab title="Movie Review"]

Pretty in Pink (1986)

“You don’t want to go out.  You don’t want to go home.  What do you want to do, Andie?”

The pink, volcanic ensembles.  The cast - Molly Ringwald, Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, James Spader, and Andrew McCarthy - bringing their best acting to a BRILLIANT script by John Hughes. And, damn, the music; the blistering saxophone of Duncan Kilburn rages as the poppier mix of The Psychedelic Furs “Pretty in Pink” blasts through the speakers in the beginning as a very rundown side of Chicago greets us.  

"Everything in Pretty in Pink works to create a fluid emotion that ANYONE who came up from the other side of the train tracks (or is struggling to fit in) can relate to"


 

Who the hell doesn’t LOVE director Howard Deutch’s Pretty in Pink?  

Let’s begin with Harry Dean Stanton as Andie’s (barely) working class father.  He loves his daughter.  That much is for sure, but as the movie opens, Andie (Ringwald) is the one taking care of him, making sure he gets up on time for a job interview he doesn’t really want to go to.  His performance - giving advice to his daughter and to her best friend - is simply one of the best things about this movie.

For me, that lip sync performance as Cryer performs Otis Redding’s “Tenderness” while Potts and Ringwald look on simply seals the deal on this classic 80s flick.  Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite films which constantly reminds me, thanks to the Amtrak train which constantly whips by Andie (Ringwald) and Jack’s (Stanton) tiny house, to never forget where you came from.  After all, according to Buckaroo Banzai, “no matter where you go, there you are.” {googleads}

While inspired by the song, which Ringwald brought to Hughes attention, Pretty in Pink incorrectly interprets the lyrics of the tune and brings viewers a movie about social classes intermingling as Andie, according to the adults, puts out signals that she doesn’t want to belong.  Her best friend, Duckie (Cryer), is harboring a major crush for her, but Andie is getting a lot of attention from Blane (McCarthy) and Stef (Spader), who are in another class than she is, making her unsure of what to do.

She accepts Blane’s offer to go to a party with him and immediately regrets it, as her worst fears play out before her thanks to a bunch of drunk yuppies.  So, ditching the party, she takes Blane to her hangout and, for him, the reverse happens.  Blane gets the shit treatment from Duckie, who is - in response to her rejection - treats him like a complete jerk.  And her woes are just beginning as her home life - full of money struggles - takes a turn for the worse as her father reveals that he’s still depressed about her mother leaving him.Pretty in Pink (1986)

Everything in Pretty in Pink works to create a fluid emotion that ANYONE who came up from the other side of the train tracks (or is struggling to fit in) can relate to.  It is a dynamic coming-of-age narrative that never gets old, no matter how many times viewed.

Paramount seems to be making amends for the poor handling of some of their earlier releases on blu-ray with their new line of PARAMOUNT PRESENTS, which is a good thing.  This is their 6th release and, thankfully, the clean-up is pretty awesome, improving both the sound and the look of the film.  Pretty in Pink has been digitally remastered in 4K and, while lacking a commentary, has new bonus features, arriving with a fold-out slipcover.

The laughter! The tears!  The music!  Pretty in Pink is back . . . because a good kiss can scramble anybody’s brains.

5/5 stars

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Pretty in Pink (1986)

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Presents #6
Available on Blu-ray
- June 16, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English, English SDH, French, German, Japanese
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Music: Dolby Digital 2.0; German: Dolby Digital 2.0; French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

A newly remastered Blu-ray, from a 4K film transfer supervised by director Howard Deutch, Pretty in Pink looks prettier than ever. Teen sensations Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club) and Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo’s Fire) drew rave reviews for their starring performances in this hit love story produced and written by John Hughes (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles). Andie is a high school girl from the other side of town. Blane’s the wealthy heartthrob who asks her to the prom. But as fast as their romance builds, it’s threatened by the painful reality of peer pressure. From its bittersweet story to its hip New Wave soundtrack, the film features great supporting performances from Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, James Spader and Annie Potts

Video:

This brand-new HD release of Pretty in Pink sports a brand-new restoration by Paramount from a 4K scan of the original negative.  Presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio utilizing the AVC codec, it was supported and approved by the film’s director and is absolutely the best this film will ever look.  The image is crisp and black levels – especially on the streets of Chicago – absolutely POP. Colors are bold, bright, and shadows are thick with lines and deep blacks. The night scenes – and there are a lot of them – are detailed and heavy with edges. The colors, thanks to some awesome lighting effects, are bold and bursting with color. Saturation levels are on point and so too is the restored audio. 

Audio:

There is a robust 5.1 DTS-HD mix which absolutely explodes with dynamic-sounding beats. The  option of an isolated score track is also included. There are also options for German, French, and Japanese audio tracks in regular 2 channel stereo. English subtitles are included for the hearing impaired.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

There is no commentary, but there are some new featurettes included with this release.

  • Filmmaker Focus: Director Howart Deutch on Pretty in Pink
  • Isolated Score
  • The Lost Dance: The Original Ending
  • Original Theatrical Trailer

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 5/5 stars
  Video  5/5 stars
  Audio 5/5 stars
  Extras 3/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

4.5/5 stars

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[tab title="Film Details"]

Pretty in Pink (1986)

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime:
97 mins
Director
: Howard Deutch
Writer:
John Hughes
Cast:
Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton
Genre
: Comedy | Romance
Tagline:
He's crazy about her. She's crazy about him. He's just crazy.
Memorable Movie Quote: "It's called a sense of humor - you should get one - they're nice."
Theatrical Distributor:
Paramount Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
February 28, 1986
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
June 16, 2020.
Synopsis: Andie (Molly Ringwald) is an outcast at her Chicago high school, hanging out either with her older boss (Annie Potts), who owns the record store where she works, or her quirky classmate Duckie (Jon Cryer), who has a crush on her. When one of the rich and popular kids at school, Blane (Andrew McCarthy), asks Andie out, it seems too good to be true. As Andie starts falling for Blane, she begins to realizes that dating someone from a different social sphere is not easy.

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[tab title="Art"]

Pretty in Pink (1986)

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