Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink are essential viewing for all teen movie fans. They’re classics, and some of the best '80s movies for fans of romantic angst — especially involving unrequited love. They’re also two of John Hughes' best movies and best high school movies, and both were also directed by Howard Deutch.
Having the same writer and director are where the similarities begin but not where they end. The premises of each are very similar. They’re both movies about class status, having a crush on your best friend, and high school drama. They also both feature some of John Hughes’ biggest jerk characters. Of all his movies, though, these feel the most like pairs.
They also feel like movies that stand in total opposition to one another, as they have a lot of similarities, but their differences are almost opposites of each other.
Let me explain.
The Genders Are Swapped
The first obvious difference between Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink is that all the main characters’ genders are swapped. The main character of the latter, Andie (Molly Ringwald) is a girl, her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) is a guy, and her love interest, Blaine (Andrew McCarthy), is also a guy. In the former, the main character Keith (Eric Stoltz) is a guy, his best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a girl, and his love interest, Amanda (Lea Thompson), is a girl.
It’s also slightly interesting that both leads have red hair, so in some way — despite their different personalities — they could be swapped gender versions of each other. Also, Duckie and Watts are both the kind of characters who don’t follow gender standards and norms. Watts is a tomboy and Duckie is kind of metrosexual. So these characters also feel like they have completely opposite personalities but they have a similar romantic dilemma.
Who Gets The Object Of Their Affection
In PIP, Andie picks Blaine by the end of the movie. In SKOW, Keith realizes his feelings for Watts and picks her. Many of us know by now that the original Pretty in Pink ending had a similar outcome to Some Kind of Wonderful. Andie picked Duckie until test audiences hated it.
Because Hughes was forced to change his original ending, it’s been long speculated that SKOW was created in opposition to the PIP ending.
In a Screen Rant interview, Howard Deutch disputed that rumor, and said that Hughes had already written Some Kind of Wonderful before Pretty in Pink was completed. However, he does say that the ending of the later movie matched “the spirit” of the original PIP ending.
How Vocal The Friend Is About Their Love
Watts’ love for Keith is secret, but Duckie has shouted from the rooftops that he loves Andie for most of their friendship. Well, he hasn’t told her that he loves her yet, but he makes his crush and affection for her pretty obvious.
This kind of fits with the whole gender film standards. Guys in films are often bold with their declarations of love, whereas girls are more prone to hiding their true feelings. For better or worse, it’s standard in some of the best romantic comedies.
How The Main Characters Start Dating Their Crush
Amanda has no true interest in Keith until their actual first date. She sort of uses him to make her ex-boyfriend, Hardy (Craig Sheffer), jealous. But she starts to develop real feelings for him after their elaborate date, where they open up to each other. They discover they’re more compatible than they thought.
In Pretty in Pink, Blaine and Andie are both attracted to each other. Blaine makes the move and they begin dating. It’s while dating that they learn they’re not that compatible, but choose to be together despite the obstacles.
The initial couples have a different journey to starting a possible romance but opposite outcomes. Andie and Blaine stay together though their worlds are very different. Amanda encourages Keith to go after Watts despite liking him now and their lives being more similar than different.
The Main Characters’ Families
Andie only has her father in her life. They have a good relationship, but her family feels a bit broken because of her mother's absence. Her father is also not really going anywhere with his life and career. He’s jobless and can’t let go of his ex-wife. He’s a loving father to Andie but he’s not the most stable parental figure.
Keith has the opposite family life. His parents are together and he has two younger sisters. It’s the picture of an ideal family. They are also not rich, but Keith’s father is a hard worker and really involved in his children’s lives — maybe too involved. He wants a better future for them than his life.
Both films show loving parents but one shows a single-parent household versus one with both parents. It’s kind of a picturesque family life versus a family that's a little more unstable, but just as loving and devoted. Also, both leads are from working-class families. I don’t think these movies are great movies for families to watch together (because of the mature subjects), but they are definitely movies where family plays an important role in the characters' identities.
How The Broken Hearted Deal With Their Broken Hearts
Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink answer the age-old question about whether it’s better to nurse a broken heart by finding someone new, or to cop with the pain alone. Both options are seen as solid choices. Immediately, after Andie leaves to find Blaine, Duckie captures the attention of a pretty girl. It’s assumed that he’ll get over Andie because he has someone new.
Amanda maturely realizes that she needs to conquer one of her biggest fears and just be alone. I always preferred Amanda’s choice, because it feels right for her character and is a very strong way to approach her situation.
Duckie’s outcome didn’t seem that realistic, but it’s nice that he got a somewhat happy ending.
Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink are just two of the many great movies to watch on HBO Max right now. They’re also two of the best coming-of-age stories, even more so to watch as companion movies. These films have similar stories with a few critical differences, which show that small changes can lead to different outcomes.
