Pretty in Pink (1986)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Howard Deutch

Writer:

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

28 February 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He's good. She's good. He's just Duckie.

Plot:

A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a geeky new-waver who worships her, a rich High School Hunk who has her eye, and John Hughes.

Plot Keywords:

School | Crush | Wrong Side Of The Tracks | High School | Quirky

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6

1:15 PM

AMC

Cast

Molly Ringwald	...	Andie Walsh
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Jack Walsh
Jon Cryer	...	Duckie (Phil Dale)
Annie Potts	...	Iona
James Spader	...	Steff
Andrew McCarthy	...	Blane McDonnagh
Jim Haynie	...	Donnelly
Alexa Kenin	...	Jena Hoeman
Kate Vernon	...	Benny Hanson
Andrew Dice Clay	...	Bouncer at CATS (as Andrew 'Dice' Clay)
Emily Longstreth	...	Kate
Margaret Colin	...	English Teacher
Jamie Anders	...	Terrence
Gina Gershon	...	Trombley, Girl Friend / Gym Class
Bader Howar	...	Sales Girl
Christian Jacobs	...	Boy in Record Store
Audre Johnston	...	Benny's Mother
Melanie Manos	...	Girl at Party
Maggie Roswell	...	Mrs. Dietz
Dweezil Zappa	...	Simon
Jimmie Podrasky	...	The Rave-Ups (as Jimmer Podrasky)
Tommy Blatnick	...	The Rave-Ups
Timothy J.	...	The Rave-Ups
Terry Wilson	...	The Rave-Ups
Bruno Coon	...	Talk Back (as Bruno)
Jeffrey Hollie	...	Talk Back
Kevin Ricard	...	Talk Back
David Sutton	...	Talk Back
Kevin T. Williams	...	Talk Back (as Kevin Williams)
Rock Deadrick	...	Talk Back
Karen Laine	...	Girl at Prom
Kristy Swanson	...	Duckette
Kevin D. Lindsay	...	Kevin

Directed by
Howard Deutch

Writing credits
John Hughes		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Chinich	....	executive producer
John Hughes	....	executive producer
Lauren Shuler Donner	....	producer (as Lauren Shuler)
Jane Vickerilla	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Michael Gore

Cinematography by
Tak Fujimoto

Film Editing by
Richard Marks

Casting by
Paula Herold
Marci Liroff

Production Design by
John W. Corso

Set Decoration by
Jennifer Polito
Bruce Weintraub

Costume Design by
Marilyn Vance

Makeup Department
Paul Abascal	....	hair stylist
Tommy Cole	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Arne Schmidt	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carol Green	....	second assistant director
Vicki Jackson-Lemay	....	dga trainee (as Vicki J. Le May)
Stephen Lim	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Gerald Gates Jr.	....	painter
Gordon Hackman	....	swing gang
Louis M. Mann	....	set designer
Jeff Passanante	....	construction foreman
Paul S. Power	....	production illustrator
John Rozman	....	lead man
Don Schlicher	....	swing gang
Arthur Shippee	....	property master (as Art Shippee)
Craig Staley	....	swing gang
Gene Triol	....	swing gang

Sound Department
George H. Anderson	....	sound effects editor
George Berndt	....	adr editor
Ruth Bird	....	assistant sound effects editor
Donald L. Bolger	....	boom operator
Charles J. Bond	....	cable person
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Gary Bourgeois)
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dennis Drummond	....	sound effects editor
Joan Giammarco	....	assistant sound effects editor
Robert Grieve	....	supervising sound effects editor
Jeffrey A. Humphreys	....	sound recordist
C. Darin Knight	....	sound mixer
Mel Metcalfe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Linda Whittlesey	....	sound effects editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Frazier	....	special effects

Stunts
Erik Cord	....	stunts
Dick Hancock	....	stunt coordinator
John S. Platt	....	stunts
Pat Romano	....	stunt double
Pat Romano	....	stunts (as Patrick Romano)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Brooker	....	additional grip
Joseph Graham	....	additional grip
Jack N. Green	....	camera operator (as Jack Green)
Conrad W. Hall	....	first assistant camera
Danny Jimenez	....	dolly grip (as Daniel Jiminez)
William A. Lowman	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Melton Maxwell	....	chief lighting technician (as Melton C. Maxwell)
Jack E. McLean Jr.	....	lamp operator (as Jack McLean)
Laurel Moore	....	still photographer
John T. Ramsey	....	first company grip
Ed Reilly	....	assistant chief lighting technician
P. Scott Sakamoto	....	second assistant camera
Gary Scalzo	....	lamp operator
Gary Scalzo	....	rigger
Chuck Sharp	....	best boy electric (as Charles W. Sharp)
Chuck Sharp	....	lamp operator
Steve Sibenick	....	second company grip
Tim Staubs	....	second company grip

Casting Department
Dorian Dunas	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Darryl M. Athons	....	set costumer: men
Michael W. Hoffman	....	costume supervisor: men
Julene McKinney	....	set costumer: women
Donna Roberts	....	costume supervisor: women (as Donna Roberts Orme)

Editorial Department
Jane Schwartz Jaffe	....	associate editor
David Moritz	....	apprentice editor
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Pamela Jule Yuen	....	assistant editor (as Pamela J. Yuen)
Peter Lonsdale	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
David Anderle	....	music supervisor
Joel Moss	....	score mixer (as Joel W. Moss)
Leon Pendarvis	....	orchestrator (as L. Leon Pendarvis)
Richard Stone	....	supervising music editor
Bruno Coon	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Sam Edelman	....	transportation coordinator
Rick Vallencia	....	transportation co-captain (as Rick Valencia)
Gaston Veilleux	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Pamela Alch	....	script supervisor
Elinor Bardach	....	personal assistant: Ms. Vance
Bruce A. Block	....	filmic consultant
Irene Brafstein	....	teacher
Irene Brafstein	....	welfare worker
Frank L. Brown	....	unspecified assistant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Matt Freeman	....	production assistant (as Matthew Freeman)
Gary Gero	....	animal trainer
Mary Sutton Hallmann	....	assistant: Mr. Schmidt
Arthur 'Clondike' Jones	....	craft service (as Art 'Klondike' Jones)
Tony Kerum	....	caterer
William Kolber	....	assistant: Mr. Shuler
Karen Kovacevich	....	production associate
John Maguire	....	assistant production auditor
Charles Newirth	....	location manager (as Charles J. Newirth)
Kenny Ortega	....	choreographer
Ronald W. Payne	....	production assistant
Michael Roberts	....	production auditor (as Mike Roberts)
Steven Jay Rubin	....	unit publicist
Elena Spiotta	....	production associate
Ellen Vogt	....	assistant: Mr. Anderle
Jeanne Webber	....	technical consultant (as Jeanne Weber)
Adam Hill	....	shophand/set detail caster: Paramount Studios (uncredited)

Thanks
Alexa Kenin	....	in memory of
Bruce Weintraub	....	in memory of

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1989) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• A&M Records  soundtrack
• Televideo Computers  computers supplied by
• Wax Trax Records, Chicago  special thanks

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #28001) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The movie is dedicated to Alexa Kenin and Bruce Weintraub. Kenin, who played Jena, was murdered in New York just after the movie was released.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Blane puts Andie in his car, the painted brick wall with the newspaper boxes is in the background, without Duckie. In the next shot, he is sitting on the newspaper box.

Quotes:

Duckie: [as he is leaving Andies' room with a juice box in hand] Drinking and driving don't mix.
Duckie: That's why I ride a bike.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Degrassi: The Next Generation: Love My Way (#6.16)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Thieves Like Us

Pink for a girl OR a boy, apparently!

This is a typical teen dilemma story at its heart, one which I somewhat suspect I watched far more often than is healthy when I was a young boy aged six or so. Guys be warned - that's what having a sister who is eight years older gets you when you're growing up... Anyway, I'm sure this film added to my gender confusion as a kid and turned me into the mild-mannered softie that I am today!

Having to watch it so often during the early stages of my development might have been far more damaging to me if everything about the film didn't suggest that its heart was in the right place. John Hughes was lucky enough to have a fantastic cast gathered together who help to breathe life into his writing. Ringwald especially was a terrific teen actress to snag for this type of material, because there was no-one who could do 'vulnerable' better than her at the time. If the audience connects with your lead character then it gradually becomes a trickle-down effect, which must be a tremendous help for the supporting players, too. Throw in Andrew McCarthy at the height of his powers before his career went into free-fall, plus sidekick duties performed by a young and zany Jon Cryer, and that's a winning trio you have. It doesn't matter that the crises don't add up to much when you think about it, as long as they're sold to us in a way we can identify with.

So far so snug, then. The only glitch appears in the resolution, where our heroine is encouraged to give up her individuality and that of her friend as a way for her to be finally accepted into 'the cool crowd'... What?! That isn't a fairytale ending, it's a graceful swan-dive toward conformity! It's not a message I expected Hughes to be advocating, and it taints the wholesomeness of the tale a little bit. Aside from that blip so close to the finishing line, however, this is an unashamedly feel good movie that won't corrupt impressionable young minds and is a unisex bit of fun. (Or at least that very last part is what I tell myself, anyway... :-) )