John Hughes still rules: Pretty in Pink and the movies that defined a generation
You don’t need to have been a teen in the ’80s to recognise John Hughes as a defining voice of youth cinema. His films captured the angst of adolescence, shaping a generation and changing perceptions of teens forever.
Hughes honed his comedic chops at National Lampoon, contributing to the magazine before scripting Class Reunion and Vacation. He made his directorial debut with Sixteen Candles, introducing the world to Molly Ringwald, who would become his muse. She went on to star in The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, the latter written specifically for her.
In today’s era of fast-paced filmmaking and rapid releases, it’s easy to overlook just how prolific Hughes was in the ’80s.
Consider this: In just five years, he directed Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, She’s Having a Baby, Uncle Buck, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, while also writing Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, The Great Outdoors, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. That level of output is insane!
Even more impressive than his teen movie legacy is how John Hughes seamlessly transitioned to family-friendly comedies once the era of teen films waned. He gifted the world with classics like Home Alone (1 & 2), Flubber, Beethoven, Baby’s Day Out, Dennis the Menace, 101 Dalmatians, and Curly Sue, among others.
This week, however, we celebrate Pretty in Pink, which receives a stunning 4K Ultra HD release.
Let’s dive into some fun facts about this timeless classic!
- Fellow Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall (The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles) was originally offered the role of Duckie but declined, fearing typecasting. The part eventually went to Jon Cryer, and it's now hard to imagine anyone else playing the role
- The inspiration for Pretty in Pink came when Molly Ringwald introduced Hughes to the Psychedelic Furs song of the same name. Famous for his lightning-fast scriptwriting, Hughes immediately got to work, penning the film specifically for Ringwald.
- The movie was shot at the same high school as Grease - John Marshall High School in Los Angeles. The school has also appeared in La Bamba, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Grosse Pointe Blank, Garden State, and School of Rock. Notable alumni include will.i.am, Courtney Gains, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
- Hughes reunited with director Howard Deutch the following year for Some Kind of Wonderful, a gender-reversed retelling of Pretty in Pink, with Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson taking on roles akin to those played by Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, and Andrew McCarthy.
- Spoiler alert! The original ending had Ringwald’s and Cryer’s characters ending up together. However, negative test screenings led Hughes to rewrite it, pairing her character with Blaine (Andrew McCarthy) instead.
- That new ending also required a new song from OMD, as the producers changed the speed that people were dancing – it was filmed to the strains of Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. So, the new OMD song Goddess of Love was binned, and they wrote and recorded If You Leave in less than 24 hours. It became the UK band’s biggest ever US hit.
- When McCarthy returned to film the new ending, he was noticeably wearing a wig because he had shaved his head for a stage production.
- Pretty in Pink’s original soundtrack was ranked among the greatest of all time by Rolling Stone.
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