Listen/Watch/Read

:: Last Night At Pretty In Pink

August 19, 2014

Andie (Molly Ringwald), Blane (Andrew McCarthy) and Duckie (Jon Cryer) in Pretty in Pink.

Oh my gosh. Last night I screened Pretty In Pink for a bunch of great people as part of Craft Victoria’s Craft Cubed Festival. I did not realise how great this was going to feel until I sat down (next to Veggie Mama) and the movie started. Everyone was giggling and chatting quietly. The excitement was palpable! I had a tiny cry as it all began to unfold. And then I mostly laughed/cringed/hid behind my hands (so many DAMP kissing bits!) It was so much fun.

It’s not often that you are in a room with 100 ish other people and everyone is having an unfiltered, open hearted, ace time. It was JUST like that!  So good.

Apart from the aceness/wrongness of Pretty In Pink, the soundtrack is totally amazing! And to watch it on the big screen instead of on the telly via VHS or DVD was the best. They have digitised a whole bunch of these older movies and the sound is SO MUCH better than when you are at home. You get to hear all the details (and see all the details too as it’s stretched across the room in front of you!)

Our movie screening was to benefit The Fitzroy Learning Network. I think this is a thing I am going to do more often as it was so much fun. Like SO MUCH.

pip

If you didn’t get along, you can still be a part of it! Alice Oehr designed an amazing poster for us and there are a limited amount left. Grab one for you or for a friend! They are A2, high quality, beautiful to look at, only $20 and printed on amazingly gorgeous stock.

Some of the best parts of our panel discussion beforehand (featuring myself, jeweller Victoria Mason, Frankie editor Jo Walker and artist Gemma Jones) were:

Everyone admitted their dislike for the final dress (but I forgave it because it symbolised growth and individuality)
Everyone loved all the other fashion in Pretty In Pink and were very influenced by it
Jo actually interviewed Molly Ringwald for Frankie once and said she was totally lovely
I was obsessed with Harry Dean Stanton and Molly Ringwald’s sweet relationship
Victoria customised her way through the late 80s and early 90s fashion-wise
Jo has watched this movie more than anyone else in the Universe! (Truly!)
We all hated the ending but loved the movie (and wish the original ending was retained!)

If you don’t know, the ending was changed! Andie (the Molly Ringwald character) originally ended up with Duckie (the Jon Cryer character) but test audiences didn’t like it. They then reshot the ending so that MR ends up with Blaine (the Andrew McCarthy character). Urk. So gross. If you ever stumble across the NOVEL version of Pretty In Pink you can experience the Duckie/Andie final pairing because the book was finalised before the ending was changed.

Have you watched Pretty In Pink lately?

x Pip

gym : pretty in pinkDuckie singsionaSteffprom

24 Comments

  • Reply Wendy November 22, 2014 at 3:14 PM

    LOVED this movie! Jon Cryer was so cute as Duckie, and I wanted him to end up with Andie. I was glad to read the book at the time to know that he was meant to! Such a good film, but haven’t seen it since the 80s. Breakfast Club on the other hand…I have seen that a couple of times in the last year and think it should be compulsory study in high school. So good. Go the 80s.

  • Reply Renae August 22, 2014 at 8:18 AM

    I would have loved to have gone to your screening. It sounds like it was awesome.
    I watch the movie every couple of months and have to say I would have hated it if she ended up with Duckie!

  • Reply Rebecca from Wee Birdy August 21, 2014 at 8:26 PM

    Team Duckie all the way! But gosh darn, I had the WORST crush on Andrew McCarthy.

  • Reply Sue Kennedy August 20, 2014 at 3:56 PM

    I went along on Monday, with my daughter who was two when the movie came out. Neither of us had seen it before (true!). I kind of like The Dress – it was much, much nicer than those things the other girls were wearing. What were people thinking, making frilly taffeta horrors like that? Hilarious, and so was the hair, that’s what I really like about 80’s movies. 🙂

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 20, 2014 at 8:08 PM

      Oh my gosh. Dancing in taffeta = CRAZY!!! Apricot! Spearmint! What were they thinking indeed?!

  • Reply Cate August 19, 2014 at 7:19 PM

    Sounds like a fantastic event! We don’t go to the cinema all that much over here as the films and tv are all dubbed in German and my german isn’t good enough yet. Though we did see Dallas Buyers Club and Wolf Creek 2 in German-the accents make it quite amusing!

    I had no idea there was an alternate ending to PiP (get it? hehe). I’m glad they choose the current ending!

    I saw a market stall selling lace wrist bands the other day in Berlin, very 80’s!

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 7:21 PM

      Are you a BLAINE fan?! Or perhaps Duckie and Andie were too pal-y for you? I wanted Duckie and Andie to fall in love!!!!

  • Reply Nicole Upton August 19, 2014 at 7:11 PM

    I totally did NOT know this! Crazy. I’ll have to watch it again and see how I feel about the love triangle. Glad the night was a great success. It would’ve been fab.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 7:18 PM

      Oh you have to watch it again! You can see that Andrew McCarthy is wearing a wig and is MUCH skinnier in the final scenes, because they were shot so long after the original movie!

  • Reply Michelle August 19, 2014 at 2:29 PM

    I loved this event so much, and I’ve been thinking about the movie all day! I read that they wanted Robert Downey Jr to play Duckie, now that would have made sense if she ended up with RDJ!
    xx

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 7:19 PM

      I am so glad you loved it!

  • Reply Trish August 19, 2014 at 1:10 PM

    I have seen Pretty in Pink a gazillion times, and I did not know the ending was not the real ending! Crazy. I will have to give this all some thought.

    It sounds like a super-fun night. I hope you do another!

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 7:25 PM

      Oh yes! You must watch it again and see how you feel!!!

  • Reply Sophie Timothy August 19, 2014 at 11:27 AM

    Pip! Thanks for putting this event on. I was born in 1986, so was pretty pumped to see a film released in the year of my birth. It was so much more awesome than I expected. Now I’m totally in love with Molly Ringwald and I *loved* Iona’s apartment. The doorbell! So good.

    Thanks for good vibes and great times and all for a great cause. Yes please, do it again! xx

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 7:19 PM

      Thank you so much for coming!!! I think I will do it again. I am hatching a plan!!

  • Reply Erin August 19, 2014 at 10:37 AM

    I am thrilled to learn there was another ending where Duckie wins!!!!! Is it on the DVD or YouTube or anywhere?

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 11:10 AM

      I don’t think it’s been released… but I might be wrong! x

    • Reply judith waller August 19, 2014 at 2:27 PM

      Yes you can get it on dvd.

  • Reply Veggie Mama August 19, 2014 at 10:19 AM

    I actually would have been wigged out if she ended up with Duckie, because it didn’t seem believable! Like, I know she loved him as a friend, but not romantically. Buuuuuut I bet if I read the book, I’d feel differently.

    I only hated the end dress because that 60s one was so rad it seemed a shame to turn it into a sack. BUT agree with individuality! (and the 80s were wack).

    So glad to have come and had such a rad time. You made me laugh when you cried, it was so sweet x

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 11:10 AM

      I am SUCH a sook. Thanks for coming. It was so nice to hang out. Sorry we didn’t get to say goodbye!!! xxx

    • Reply Michelle August 19, 2014 at 2:31 PM

      Naw. I wish I had known you were there Stacey, I would have loved to say hello! x

      • Reply Veggie Mama August 21, 2014 at 10:12 AM

        noooo! did I miss you?! I snuck in late x

  • Reply Aimee Sealy August 19, 2014 at 9:30 AM

    I am totally bummed that I missed out on this event! I knew of the alternative ending but I still love this movie. Uber cool! Did you know that the girl who played Jena, Andie’s friend, was murdered before the movie was released? And also this was the last movie pairing of Molly Ringwald and John Hughes. John wanted Molly to star in Some Kind of Wonderful, which was his next movie with the outcome of what he wanted for Pretty in Pink. When she refused, it ended their working relationship 🙂

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 19, 2014 at 7:24 PM

      Oh excellent PiP trivia! We were talking about the Jena issue last night after the film. So sad, right? I love how much you love this film!!! You should have been on the panel too, Aimee!

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