Pretty in Pink

Did You Know?

• Charlie Sheen was considered for the role of Blane but Ringwald convinced the filmmakers to cast Andrew McCarthy.
• Anthony Michael Hall turned down the role of Duckie because he didn't want to be typecast.
• The film is mentioned in the song "1985" by Bowling for Soup with the line "She knows all the classics. She knows every line. Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, even St. Elmo's Fire."

Plot

High school senior Andie Walsh lives with her underemployed working-class father, Jack, in the Chicago suburb of Elgin. Her best friend, Philip "Duckie" Dale, is in love with her but afraid to tell her. At school, Andie and Duckie are bullied by the popular rich kids, including Benny Hanson and her boyfriend Steff McKee, who secretly resents having been rejected by Andie. Andie works at Trax, a record store managed by the quirky Iona, who advises her to attend the senior prom despite not having a date.

Blane McDonnagh, a preppy boy and Steff's best friend, falls for Andie and asks her out. On their date, Blane takes her to Steff's house party, where she is bullied, then to a nightclub where Duckie is hostile and jealous. After an argument, Andie and Blane leave; he asks her to the prom and they share their first kiss. Blane, pressured by his friends, begins distancing himself.

Jack presents Andie with a pink dress, but they argue about his unemployment. At school, Andie confronts Blane, who claims he has already asked someone else to the prom. She calls him a liar, and Duckie attacks Steff after overhearing him trash Andie. Andie goes to Iona, upset, and asks for her old prom dress.

Production

Ringwald introduced Hughes to the Psychedelic Furs song that inspired the screenplay. Deutch felt the opening scene was missing something, so Hughes wrote the scene where Jack tells Andie she could add ruffles under his T-shirt. Originally, Andie and Duckie ended up together, but test audiences booed this ending. Hughes wrote a new ending where Andie and Blane get together, shot in one day months after production wrapped on a soundstage designed to look like the original ballroom.

Andrew McCarthy had lost weight and cut his hair for a stage play, so he wore a wig. Ringwald had anticipated audience dissatisfaction with the original ending, saying it didn't make sense for a Cinderella story not to end with the guy she wants. Ringwald said Duckie was based on her best friend, who was gay. Cryer was shocked by the test audience's reaction, feeling the film was built around Andie and Duckie.

Hughes aimed to protect Duckie's character in the new ending by having another girl show interest in him. Paramount executives worried the original ending might be seen as classist. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark wrote "Goddess of Love" for the original ending, then wrote "If You Leave" in less than 24 hours for the new ending. Paramount cannot find the footage of the original ending.

The film is dedicated to actress Alexa Kenin and set designer Bruce Weintraub, who died after production. A novelization by H. B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfield, released in 1986, retains the original ending.

Release

Pretty in Pink premiered at Mann's Chinese Theatre on January 29, 1986, and was released theatrically in the United States on February 28, 1986 by Paramount Pictures. It was the top-grossing film for the week of March 12, 1986, earning $6.1 million during its opening weekend and $40.5 million during its theatrical run, making it the 22nd-highest-grossing film of 1986. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 75% approval rating based on 117 reviews, with the consensus praising Ringwald's performance.

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a "B+" grade. Roger Ebert gave three stars out of four, praising Ringwald and Annie Potts but criticizing the plot. Janet Maslin of The New York Times found the actors likable and the story gentle. James Harwood of Variety noted Hughes's maturing teen thinking and Ringwald's growth as an actress.

Pauline Kael of The New Yorker called the film slight and vapid. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave one-and-a-half stars, faulting the script and Cryer's performance. Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times called it delightful. Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post said it works from a standard formula.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack mostly features new wave music, influenced by Hughes's decision to use post-punk music throughout. The title song by the Psychedelic Furs was rerecorded for the film's opening sequence in a less raw version than the original. "Left of Center" was remixed by Arthur Baker. "If You Leave" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark was written in 1985 specifically for the film.

New Order contributed an instrumental version of "Thieves Like Us" and the instrumental "Elegia," which appear in the film but not on the soundtrack. The Rave-Ups perform in the film but have no songs on the soundtrack album. Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" appears in a version by Danny Hutton Hitters. The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" appears on the soundtrack.

Echo & the Bunnymen's "Bring On the Dancing Horses" was recorded specifically for the film. The film also includes Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness," the Association's "Cherish," and Talk Back's "Rudy," which are not on the soundtrack album. The soundtrack was released on vinyl by A&M Records in February 1986 and was certified gold by the RIAA two months later. It was listed on The Huffington Post's "Best Movie Soundtracks" list and Rolling Stone's "The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time." AllMusic rated it four stars out of five. It was re-released in 2013 as a limited edition on pink-colored vinyl.