Synopsis:
When a teenager (Molly Ringwald) living with her unemployed dad (Harry Dean Stanton) falls for a rich boy (Andrew McCarthy), she seeks support from her quirky boss (Annie Potts) and her lifelong friend “Duckie” (Jon Cryer), who is hurt that Andie (Ringwald) isn’t interested in a romantic relationship with him instead.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Class Relations
• Cross-Class Romance
• Father and Child
• High School
• Love Triangle
• Teenagers

Review:
John Hughes’ third and final collaboration with Molly Ringwald — after Sixteen Candles (1984) and The Breakfast Club (1985) — was this film (directed by Howard Deutch) in which Ringwald once again plays a savvy teenager making her way through the complexities of adolescence and romance.

At its core, this is a story about class relations — characters literally live “across the tracks” from one another — as epitomized by the unbearably snobbish, white-suited Steff (James Spader):

… and his bullying girlfriend Kate (Emily Longstreth, standing here next to Gina Gershon):

Meanwhile, McCarthy represents someone trying to navigate both sides of the coin:

… though truthfully, he simply comes across like a bland wet blanket. Much more colorful — if intentionally annoying — is Jon Cryer as Andie’s lovesick friend:

… while Annie Potts steals every scene she’s in as Andie’s slightly-older boss and friend; the sequence in which she reminisces about her prom is my favorite in the entire movie:

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Tak Fujimoto’s vibrant cinematography
  
• Molly Ringwald as Andie
  
• Annie Potts as Iona
  
• Jon Cryer as Duckie
  

Must See?
No, though of course John Hughes fans will consider it a must.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• SF Gate DVD Review
• TCM Article