This is a typical teen dilemma story at its heart, one that I suspect I watched at far too young an age growing up; that's what having an older sister gets you
Having to watch it so often during the early stages of my development might have been far more confusing for me if everything about the film didn't suggest that its heart was in the right place. John Hughes was lucky enough to have a fantastic cast gathered together who help to breathe life into his writing. Ringwald especially was a terrific teen actress to snag for this type of material, because there was no-one who could do 'vulnerable' better than her at the time. If the audience connects with your lead character then it gradually becomes a trickle-down effect, which must be a tremendous help for the supporting players, too. Throw in Andrew McCarthy at the height of his powers before his career went into free-fall, plus sidekick duties performed by a young and zany Jon Cryer, and that's a winning trio you have. It doesn't matter that the crises don't add up to much when you think about it, as long as they're sold to us in a way we can identify with.
So far so snug, then. The only glitch appears in the resolution, where our heroine is encouraged to give up her individuality and that of her friend as a way for her to be finally accepted into 'the cool crowd'... What?! That isn't a fairytale ending, it's a graceful swan-dive toward conformity! It's not a message I expected Hughes to be advocating, and it taints the wholesomeness of the tale a little bit. Aside from that blip so close to the finishing line, however, this is an unashamedly feel good movie that won't corrupt impressionable young minds and is a unisex bit of fun.
Having to watch it so often during the early stages of my development might have been far more confusing for me if everything about the film didn't suggest that its heart was in the right place. John Hughes was lucky enough to have a fantastic cast gathered together who help to breathe life into his writing. Ringwald especially was a terrific teen actress to snag for this type of material, because there was no-one who could do 'vulnerable' better than her at the time. If the audience connects with your lead character then it gradually becomes a trickle-down effect, which must be a tremendous help for the supporting players, too. Throw in Andrew McCarthy at the height of his powers before his career went into free-fall, plus sidekick duties performed by a young and zany Jon Cryer, and that's a winning trio you have. It doesn't matter that the crises don't add up to much when you think about it, as long as they're sold to us in a way we can identify with.
So far so snug, then. The only glitch appears in the resolution, where our heroine is encouraged to give up her individuality and that of her friend as a way for her to be finally accepted into 'the cool crowd'... What?! That isn't a fairytale ending, it's a graceful swan-dive toward conformity! It's not a message I expected Hughes to be advocating, and it taints the wholesomeness of the tale a little bit. Aside from that blip so close to the finishing line, however, this is an unashamedly feel good movie that won't corrupt impressionable young minds and is a unisex bit of fun.