Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Movie Info

Fortunately there is no sexual tension with you, Watts…

Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz) is an outsider.  As the oldest son and artist, his father (John Ashton) plans for Keith to be the first of his family to make it to college.  Keith has other plans.  As an artist, college is the last thing on his mind, but Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson) is the first.  Amanda is popular, and the chances of being with Amanda are slim due to her rich jock boyfriend Hardy Jenns (Craig Sheffer).  Kevin has a plan, and against the wishes of his best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), landing a date with Amanda might be easier than trying to keep it.

Directed by Howard Deutch, Some Kind of Wonderful was written by John Hughes.  The film was Hughes’ response to his own film Pretty in Pink (due to changes with the ending) and like many of Hughes’ films, the movie has gained a cult following.

Artists and their work

I’m not a huge Pretty in Pink fan and I did feel that even if the characters weren’t involved sexually, Andie should have picked Duckie at the end…and it kind of ruined the movie when she didn’t.  Some Kind of Wonderful reverses the sexes of the characters and alters the ending…to a better result.

Like Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful is barely a comedy.  The film is mostly a drama with some comedic moments.  The movie features teens (generally talking way above the level of intelligence of most adults) and tries to get to the core of popularity, the meaning of love, life choices, growing up, and class society…all in a nice hour and thirty minutes.  It does a decent job covering these topics.

The cast is also a great ’80s cast.  Eric Stoltz originally was cast in Back to the Future where Lea Thompson would have played his mother (thought Molly Ringwald was also wanted for this role and turned it down).  Thompson later went on to marry the director Deutch.  John Ashton is good as the frustrated father and Candace Cameron had her first role as the young sister.  Elias Koteas has an early role as Duncan and Chynna Phillips plays one of the popular girls.  Mary Stuart Masterson (like Duckie) is the scene stealer as the world’s best friend.

A full scale painting of me in an art gallery on our first date…well, you’ve nailed this creepy stalker role

Like most of Hughes films, the movie is a style throwback.  You get all the looks of 1987 (or really 1986 when it was filmed).  You can see the good, the bad, and the ugly, but the stylistic time capsule is worth visiting itself.

Some Kind of Wonderful might not be considered the upper tier of John Hughes films, but it still is a very good film because it is a bit more low key.  The movie is better than Pretty in Pink though not as classic and is worth revisiting if you haven’t seen it in a long time (or see it for the first time if it flew under your radar).