[Quick Summary: Andie, 18 y.o., who is not rich, falls for Blane, a rich kid, much to the chagrin of Andie's old friend Duckie.]
Yes, I know that poor girl dating a rich guy is an "old, old, old" plot.
Yes, the story could've been more modernized.
However, the good things in the script far outweigh the bad things.
The way Hughes wrote about the way teens interacted in the 1980s is timeless.
For example, he nails the cattiness of the two mean girls in the scene below. They are caught being rude, and make it worse by rebuffing Andie's kind gesture.
NOTE:
- Andie is paying attention in class to the teacher. The rich girls whisper and gossip about Andie. The teacher stops teaching to ask what is going on.
ex. "ANDIE
She sinks in her seat. The teacher, rather than make it better, is making it worse.
ANDIE (to herself): Just shut up lady. Please.
TEACHER
She looks at Andie.
TEACHER: I apologize on behalf of my class.
ANDIE
She nods, just wishing everybody would forget her.
TEACHER
She does the unthinkable.
TEACHER: Ms. Trombley and Ms. Hanson will be thinking of you tonight... (to the class) ...as they analyze an extra sonnet.
THE TWO GIRLS
Their faces freeze.
ANDIE
She raises her hand.
ANDIE: Don't bother with the sonnets. Don't worry about it. Everything's cool.
Andie looks across at the girls.
THE GIRLS
They stare at Andie. One of them raises her hand.
GIRL: We'll take the sonnets.
She throws Andie an icy smile.
ANDIE
She returns it."
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I liked how Andie's maturity was seen in her response to the mean girls. She extended kindness to girls she didn't like, and when it was rebuffed, she didn't doubt herself.
Pretty in Pink (1986)(5th draft, 5/9/85)
by John Hughes
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