I was in the mood to watch Pretty in Pink (1986), but it wasn't available, so I saw this; made only two years later, has Molly Ringwald, and Matt Larkin in a love story, it should be similar, right? Wrong! Do not go into this thinking it's a fun '80s comedy, it is not. This is a heavy drama... or maybe I should say that it is when Ringwald is onscreen. When she's off camera, the movie is trying to inject comedy to save itself, but she'll show up and remind us what this story is actually about. According to the credits, this is based on a play... makes sense. I never saw the play, but this movie does not work. Like, who thought this was a compelling story? A college guy falls for a backwoods girl, he dumps his girlfriend, and the plot thickens. What should have been a simple love story adds on complexity that is far beyond the confines of our characters. Allow me to analogize for a moment: imagine The Breakfast Club (1985), same movie, but in the second act our group of high schoolers accidentally murder Richard Vernon, then have to cover it up. Quite a huge tonal shift, wouldn't you say? What I'm saying here is make a dark drama or make a fun romance. Don't try to ping pong back and forth. I would not recommend this to anyone. The story is a mess. Ringwald is good, but her character was too cryptic; I could never get on her side, because it was never clear what was true and what was a lie.
Review by BronsonBlockedParent2024-04-20T01:51:51Z
I was in the mood to watch Pretty in Pink (1986), but it wasn't available, so I saw this; made only two years later, has Molly Ringwald, and Matt Larkin in a love story, it should be similar, right? Wrong!
Do not go into this thinking it's a fun '80s comedy, it is not.
This is a heavy drama... or maybe I should say that it is when Ringwald is onscreen. When she's off camera, the movie is trying to inject comedy to save itself, but she'll show up and remind us what this story is actually about.
According to the credits, this is based on a play... makes sense. I never saw the play, but this movie does not work.
Like, who thought this was a compelling story? A college guy falls for a backwoods girl, he dumps his girlfriend, and the plot thickens.
What should have been a simple love story adds on complexity that is far beyond the confines of our characters.
Allow me to analogize for a moment: imagine The Breakfast Club (1985), same movie, but in the second act our group of high schoolers accidentally murder Richard Vernon, then have to cover it up. Quite a huge tonal shift, wouldn't you say?
What I'm saying here is make a dark drama or make a fun romance. Don't try to ping pong back and forth.
I would not recommend this to anyone. The story is a mess. Ringwald is good, but her character was too cryptic; I could never get on her side, because it was never clear what was true and what was a lie.