Retro Moment: Some Kind of Wonderful

Today's Retro Moment is the movie Some Kind of Wonderful, one of my all time favorites.

It got buried by rat pack films like the Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, and Pretty In Pink, but it's still a classic in my book.


The movie is a showpiece for one of my all time crushes, Lea Thompson. She is the object of desire of loser-boy Eric Stoltz, who somehow manages to convince an audience that it's a good thing that he pisses away his college education on one date with her.

Come to think of it, I might have done it if I had the chance.


Smoking hot Mary Stuart Masterson plays the hot girl who doesn't know she's hot. This of course has become such a cliché that "Not Another Teen Movie" did a parody of it. She's literally the tomboy who becomes the hot girl by putting on an earring.

Man, if this stuff wasn't so good, it would be so bad.


The sexual tension is there throughout the movie. You're supposed to root for the two to get together, and eventually you do (except for those in love with Lea Thompson).

What sets this movie apart from others is the dialogue, which is quite good for a teen movie.

There's Eric Stoltz's father, saying to his son "She's Mom, I'm Dad, and you're nuts." The sister joins in later on, saying "Any fool can get into college, only a precious few can say the same about Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson)."

Then there's Duncan, the feel-good skinhead, who breaks up the obnoxious rich person's party with the classic line, "I'm here to wipe the floor with you, and you know it, and everybody here knows it, and above all, you deserve it. In fact, I think it's safe to say that this party is about to become a historical fact."

And then there's Masterson saying to Thompson on the date, "break his heart or I'll break your face".

It is one of my favorite 80s movie soundtracks, with obscure new-wave-esque hits like "Turn to the Sky" by the March Violets. Obscure bands, and some never were's, like the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Apartments fill out the rest of it.

According to Amazon.com, Molly Ringwald was offered the role of Amanda Jones but refused it, ending her successful relationship with John Hughes. At the recommendation of Eric Stoltz, Hughes then hired Lea Thompson. I'm glad it worked out this way, I don't think Ringwald could have pulled off the "very pretty girl" thing.

If your video store has this movie, rent it! It's a lot of fun.

RELATED LINKS:
Other Retro Moments

Hollywood Teen Movies: Some Kind of Wonderful

The Spinning Image: Some Kind of Wonderful

Some Kind of Wonderful Box Office Numbers

Some Kind of Wonderful: IMDb

Some Kind of Wonderful Movie Reviews

Bitchslap: Some Kind of Wonderful