“ I just want them to know that they didn't break me.”
-Pretty in Pink, 1983
Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) is a hard working teenage girl with big dreams and modest pockets, caught between her unmotivated and unemployed father(Harry Dean Stanton), awkwardly cute best friend (Jon Cryer), and guilty-pleasure crush (Andrew McCarthy). Yes, this is a teen movie. And yes, it is one of the better ones.
Photo credit: new-slang.com
Though the movie is literally stuck in the 80s, Andie is just like any other teenage girl today: she is trying to find her fit, make her way, and find love on the journey. What I love about it is that it can still make me smile, and swoon, and cringe, though they say things like “just watching some toons.” Another thing is that the movie is actually really motivating. Andie is a self-starter and she’s independent, but she still conceals teenage insecurities. She’s very empowered and very witty, but she still wants what we all want: to be happy and in love, and hopefully happy in love.
Teenager-aimed films are still trying to recreate that Pretty In Pink feel that was perfected decades ago in the 80’s. Molly Ringwald was the teen-queen and there just really isn’t a modern Molly Ringwald to be found.
John Hughes had an amazing way of invading the teenage mind, and somehow his ability was timeless. Or maybe our problems just haven’t really changed much. This may not be the best film ever written and shot, but it is a teen comedy and romance that kind of makes you long for the days before High School Musical. Any cheesiness should be forgiven for one simple reason: it was the 80s, bro.
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