SummaryAndie (Molly Ringwald) is a high school girl from the wrong side of town. Blaine (Andrew McCarthy) is the wealthy heart-throb who asks her to the prom. But as fast as their romance builds, it's threatened by the painful reality of peer pressure. [Paramount]
Directed By:Howard Deutch
Written By:John Hughes
Pretty in Pink
Metascore
Mixed or Average
56
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
50% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
41% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
9% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
90
To be able to give this kind of stuff new and sympathetic twists is a tribute to Hughes' skill with narrative, and to Ringwald's magnetism as a performer.
75
As irresistibly sweet as cotton candy. Even though the poor-girl-meets-rich-kid plot is older than the Hollywood hills, and this romantic comedy lacks the cheeky humour of Hughes' first outing, "Sixteen Candles," the film definitely warms the heart.
User score
Generally Favorable
76% Positive
37 Ratings
37 Ratings
20% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jul 20, 2014
10
Pretty in pink is a great comedy drama with Molly Ringwald from The Breakfast Club. The movie has a great screenplay and all of the characters are fascinating. This is one of the best movies of the 80's.
Feb 13, 2026
8
"Pretty in Pink" like John Hughes' other movies, offers a refreshingly realistic, if slightly sugarcoated perspective on modern adolescence. These characters convey a lot of their insecurities with eloquence and despite Hughes' tendency to pigeonhole their behavior, they still act like real teenagers. Remember when Jon Cryer and James Spader both had very sexy hair. So glad they re-released this in theaters all the jokes played so well with a crowd, a cult classic that really holds up compared to what we get now.
75
Although it is not a great movie, it contains some moments when the audience is likely to think, yes, being 16 was exactly like that.
60
Sweet but predictible angst-ridden Brat Pack outing.
50
Fortunately for Hughes and director Howard Deutch, Juliet is played by the fetching 18-year-old Molly Ringwald, an actress capable of revealing adolescent angst with amazing grace. Unfortunately, Romeo is an underwritten blank who resists all of actor Andrew McCarthy's efforts to make him charming. The manic Mercutio role goes to Juliet's bosom buddy The Duck (Jon Cryer), an ehibitionist cutup who loses the girl he adores to a guy who doesn't deserve her. "Pretty in Pink is a gentle and well-meaning sketch of teen peer pressures, but its dopey, feel-good ending leaves you suspecting that what you've really been watching is Much Ado About Nothing. [17 March 1986, p.82]
40
The movie lacks luster, and that quintessentially adolescent passion that fueled "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." There's no punch to the pacing, and the players, though pleasant, are uninspired by Howard Deutch, who is directing his first feature film after doing videos, including one from Ringwald's second movie, "Sixteen Candles." The happy ending, changed to suit the tastes of preview audiences, steals the movie's potential pathos, and turns teen trauma into so much gooey, rose-colored mush. [28 Feb 1986, p.11]
30
The movie is slight and vapid, with the consistency of watery jello...It isn't about teenagers – it's actually closer to being a pre-teen's idea of what it will be like to be a teenager. [7 Apr 1996, p.91]
Jul 19, 2023
8
Classic coming of age movie following group of students some of whom manage to overcome their social economical classes to develop a relationship in a contemporary 190's american town. Superb cast/soundtrack/screenplay. Still holds up very well.
May 1, 2019
8
I don't know about this but I gotta say that Pretty in Pink is quite a good film for an 80's film as you all may know that I'm a huge fan of 80's films and 80's songs. I've heard that it's famous, well, for the most part for being a cult classic because of they're have some good tunes like Pretty in Pink by The Psychedelic Furs and If You Leave by OMD aka. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The script is written by "Brat Pack" director, John Hughes and it's kind of a Cinderella story about a High school girl named Andie Walsh played by a really young, Molly Ringwald who lives with her father played by Harry Dean Stanton. Then Duckie played by "you know him from Two and a Half Men", Jon Cryer is in love with her, but is afraid to tell her how he truly feels. Steff played by James Spader who is secretly in love with Andie and Blane played by Andrew McCarthy who is Steff's best friend and eventually asks Andie out for the prom. So the whole thing is about that she must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy. I don't know what I like about this movie but all I can say that the ending is disappointing. I was expecting more from it but after I watched it the day after, I decided to watch it again and I kind of got over it but I still think that the end is disappointing. Aside from that, the film itself is cool and I liked it. One thing I like is that Jon Cryer's character "Duckie" is dancing while lipsyncing to "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding. That scene is amazing! Now for a Cinderella story, it's quite simple. I mean, Molly Ringwald plays this Cinderella kind of character, Jon Cryer's character is kinda like a sidekick kind of character, Jaq. Andrew McCarthy's character, Blane is Prince Charming for the most part because of his charming personality. James Spader is like this evil stepmother but an evil stepfather kind of character who is cruel to Andie. Well, that's is a perfect way to describe this coming-of-age tale of Cinderella's version of Pretty in Pink, in the teenage way. I would definitely recommend this movie for those who are a fans of 80's comedies especially dramas and all the genres. The film is a good coming-of-age comedy drama film for it's good 80's tunes and a bittersweet story to come by.
Sep 17, 2024
7
One last collaboration for John Hughes and Molly Ringwald, whose creative partnership dissolved after this film. Somewhat softer and more self-serious than the preceding teen epics Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink tackles social cliques and classism from various perspectives. Ringwald and leading man Andrew McCarthy, akin to Romeo and Juliet, find their young relationship stressed by the negative influence of friends who insist they date someone closer to their own status. There really isn't much sparkle to the pairing, though, apart from a few awkward make-out scenes, and they both come off as especially wet noodles in comparison to the vibrant, brash supporting cast. Jon Cryer is most memorable of these as Duckie, a flamboyant mod who's been carrying a torch for Ringwald all his life, and he nearly steals the film with an abrupt dance/lip-sync number just before everything gets overly angsty. Most of the third act is wasted on hand-wringing and moping, though, and the ending (changed at the last minute, much to Hughes's chagrin) feels disingenuous even if it does make a better fit for the movie's theme. The window dressings are drowned in '80s flavor, too, from the appropriately synthy soundtrack to the Halloween-grade costume choices. Looks like everyone at this school was either Don Johnson, Sid Vicious or Morrissey.
Feb 19, 2024
6
Enjoyed it for its era specific charms. Unfortunate when the selected love interest is so boring and unremarkable. At the end she took 2 good dresses and combined them to make an ugly one.
Jan 8, 2015
6
Howard Deutch and John Hughes' "Pretty In Pink" is a serviceable 1980s teenybopper dramedy that delivers enough chuckles and smiles to surmount its lackluster ending.
