1987’s Some Kind of Wonderful marked the end of a cinematic era. After making a name for himself with hits like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, filmmaker John Hughes left behind the world of teenage concerns and concentrated on more adult subjects. This led to some successes like 1987’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles along with duds like 1988’s She’s Having a Baby.

Hughes didn’t stretch outside of safe territory in Wonderful. Artistically talented high school senior Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz) comes from a blue-collar background. His dad Cliff (John Ashton) pushes him to become the first member of the family to go to college, but he seems to lack ambition – at least to pursue what his father wants. Keith hangs out with tomboyish classmate Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), and she clearly crushes on him. However, Keith pines for sexy Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), though she seems to be out of his league since she mostly associates with the rich kids.

When he ogles her, Keith incurs the wrath of Amanda’s snotty boyfriend Hardy Jenns (Craig Sheffer), but this doesn’t prevent him from pursuing her. Eventually she dumps Harvey to protest against his scummy ways and agrees to go out with Keith. The rest of the movie follows their relationship and its effect on others.

My biggest gripe about Wonderful comes from the fact it’s a thinly-veiled remake of 1986’s Pretty in Pink. Whereas Pink was a fantasy for all the quirky girls, Wonderful acts as hope for the oddball boys. Stay true to yourself, do what you believe, and you’ll end up with the hottest girl in town.

It’s a load of tripe in either direction, but Wonderful makes the message go down much more smoothly than the dopey Pink. Some of the greater appeal stems from the characters and the actors, as both are superior in Wonderful. In particular, Stoltz offers a radically stronger performance than Molly Ringwald in Pink. The script doesn’t give Stoltz a lot to work with, but he manages to turn Keith into a charming, satisfying personality. We believe him as something of an outcast, but Keith’s not a freak. Stoltz really does a nice job in the part. He brings out an innocent, genuine quality to Keith that endears him to the audience.

That level of quality extends to the others as well. Masterson’s Watts is infinitely more likable than the annoying Jon Cryer’s Duckie. I really grew to hate the latter, whereas Masterson manages to turn a potentially grating character into someone sympathetic and likable. Given the importance of the Keith/Watts relationship, that’s crucial. Her chemistry with Stoltz allows the movie to thrive.

In smaller parts, both Ashton and Elias Koteas as Duncan the skinhead create some laughs. Ashton makes the most out of a scene in which he inadvertently embarrasses his teen daughter in school, and Koteas loosens up his one-dimensional role to amuse us. These moments are gratuitous and not connected to the plot, but at least they’re enjoyable.

Truly, my only real complaint about Wonderful comes from its derivative nature. I always thought it was odd that the same people made the same movie twice in two consecutive years, and that decision remains perplexing to me now. Wonderful and Pink aren’t just loosely similar; they really are the same film with some minor variations.

Nonetheless, I won’t complain too much since Wonderful provides a much more satisfying experience. Better acted and more logical, Wonderful surpasses Pink in virtually every way. It’s a sweet and endearing flick.

Trivia note: Wonderful betrays a Rolling Stones obsession on the part of the filmmakers. The most obvious reference comes with Amanda Jones, as “Miss Amanda Jones” is a song off the Stones’ 1967 release Between the Buttons. In case you missed that reference, the song appears twice in the movie: once as an atrocious cover from some forgotten 80s band called the March Violets and once in its original form.

Wonderful doesn’t stop its Stones allusions there, though. “Keith” is clearly named after the unkillable Mr. Richards, and “Watts” takes her name from legendary drummer Charlie. Perhaps other references appear as well and I just haven’t made the connections, but these name choices clearly aren’t coincidental.

Some Kind of Wonderful appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. The movie displayed a lackluster transfer.

Sharpness was decent. Most of the movie came across as reasonably distinctive and concise. Wide shots occasionally looked a bit indistinct, but the flick was acceptably defined for the majority of its running time. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and only a little edge enhancement was detected. As for source flaws, the occasional speck or mark appeared, but these defects remained acceptably subdued.

Colors were erratic. Occasionally they looked reasonably dynamic and lively, but they usually suffered from the vague murkiness that often affected Eighties flicks. Though I didn’t think the tones were weak, they lacked much vivacity. Blacks were similarly decent but somewhat flat, and shadows tended to be a bit dense. The image had its ups and downs but was good enough for a “B-“.

Though I liked the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of Some Kind of Wonderful, it wasn’t especially memorable either. Music most benefited from the expanded soundfield. The songs demonstrated good stereo spread and also spread to the surrounds with decent involvement. Effects played a smaller role and didn’t do much through the movie. They presented a minor sense of atmosphere but not much else. Still, the music opened things up in a satisfying manner.

Audio quality was fine for a movie from 1987. Again, music was the most important element, and the songs seemed reasonably lively and dynamic. At least they offered more satisfying bass when compared to the thin tones of Pretty in Pink. Speech seemed concise and crisp, and effects were acceptably accurate and clean. This was an unexceptional mix but it worked for the film.

How did the picture and sound of this 2008 “I Love the 80s Edition” compare to those of the special edition from 2006? Audio remained the same for both releases, but this disc offered superior visuals, primarily because it lacked the excessive grain seen in the 2006 version. The 2008 DVD wasn’t a huge step up in quality, but it provided the stronger picture quality.

This “80s Edition” of Wonderful actually is a reissue of the movie’s original release from 2002. That means it drops the extras from the 2006 SE but it throws in a Bonus CD with four hits from the era. We find INXS’s “Need You Tonight”, a-ha’s “Take On Me”, Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar” and Erasure’s “Chains of Love”. I have no clue how they chose these songs and why we get a mere four. I suppose the disc is a decent extra if you want the DVD anyway, but I can’t imagine it’ll be a decision-maker for any fans on the fence about this disc.

Because I disliked Pretty in Pink, I didn’t expect to enjoy Some Kind of Wonderful. After all, the latter literally remakes the former. However, Wonderful ended up as a much more likable and better-made movie that proved quite satisfying. The DVD offers acceptable picture and audio along with no real supplements.

Which creates the biggest dilemma in terms of which version fans should get. The 2006 Special Edition provides superior extras, but this disc boasts moderately stronger visuals. Since I like supplements, I’d probably make the minor picture quality sacrifice and go with the SE, but if you don’t care about bonus materials, go with this release.

To rate this film visit the Special Collector's Edition review of SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL