Some Kind of Wonderful
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The 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful stars Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, and Mary Stuart Masterson. It was one of the many successful teen dramas written by John Hughes in the 1980s, although this one was directed by Howard Deutch.
Synopsis
The tomboyish Watts (Masterson) has always considered working-class Keith Nelson (Stoltz) her best friend, but when he begins dating the popular Amanda Jones (Thompson), she realizes that she feels something much deeper for him. Hardy Jenns, Amanda's jealous former boyfriend (played by Craig Sheffer), further complicates matters.
Connection to Pretty in Pink
Some Kind of Wonderful is noted for having the same basic premise as Hughes and Deutch's previous film, Pretty in Pink. The premise is the same: A quiet blue-collar high-schooler with aspirations of upward mobility (Stoltz in Wonderful and Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink) becomes infatuated with a "popular" classmate (Thompson and Andrew McCarthy), while remaining oblivious to the attraction to them felt by their close friend of the opposite sex (Masterson and Jon Cryer) and avoiding the attention of a spiteful and petty "rich kid" with a connection to the love interest (Sheffer and James Spader). Hughes originally wrote Pretty in Pink ending with Ringwald and Cryer's characters falling in love, but was pressured into changing the story so that Ringwald would end up with McCarthy. Supposedly, Hughes wrote Some Kind of Wonderful in response, with the ending he preferred.
Although its obvious connection to Pretty in Pink has been criticized, both critics and fans have praised Some Kind of Wonderful for the depth of its characters and strong performances from the lead actors.
External link
- IMDb listing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094006/)
- Very extensive fan site (http://www.somekindofwonderful.org/)