The Untold Endings of Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful

The Original Ending of Pretty in Pink

Among John Hughes’ most popular teen rom-coms is Pretty in Pink, which almost had a very different (and potentially controversial) ending, which Hughes later used in another movie. John Hughes is one of the most influential writers and filmmakers in the genres of teen movies and rom-coms, with movies like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Hughes was the mind behind many successful movies from the 1980s and early 1990s, though he didn’t direct every movie he wrote, as is the case for Home Alone and Flubber. Another popular movie often wrongly crediting Hughes as its director is Pretty Pink, directed by Howard Deutch and written by Hughes.

Jon Cryer and Mollie Ringwald in Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink is the story of Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald), a high school senior living with her underemployed father in a Chicago suburb. As Andie is not a popular girl, she and her friends, among them her best friend Duckie (John Cryer) are often bullied by arrogant “richie” and popular kids, such as Steff McKee (James Spader). Andie’s life takes a turn when popular (and “richie”) boy Blane (Andrew McCarthy) asks her out, and they fall for each other. Pretty in Pink is now a cult classic, and its ending continues to spark some debate among viewers – but Andie’s fate was almost very different.

Pretty in Pink Andie Blane Duckie

Andie’s romance with Blane isn’t just a problem for them due to their different social status and groups at school, but Duckie also makes it hard for Andie to fully embrace her relationship with Blaine. Duckie isn’t afraid to show his love for Andie, even if she doesn’t love him back the same way, and he’s hurt when she starts going out with Blane, as he’s the type of person they had always criticized. Still, Duckie defends Andie when Steff trashes her at school, and he meets with her at the prom after Andie and Blane’s messy breakup.

Once at prom, Duckie and Andie come across Blane, who apologizes to Andie after calling Steff out in front of everyone. As Blane leaves, Duckie concedes that he isn’t like the other “richies” and encourages Andy to go after him, leading to their reconciliation. Pretty in Pink, then, ends with Andie and Blane getting back together, while Duckie dances with a girl at prom who shows interest in him. This ending was originally completely different, as Hughes planned for Andie and Duckie to end up together, and Blane wouldn’t have apologized to Andie as he did in the final version.

According to Legends Revealed and Tampa Bay Times, the original script for Pretty in Pink saw Andie and Duckie arriving at prom together and Andie leading Duckie to the dance floor. The two would have then started dancing without caring what others said and thought, and Blane and Steff would have been there to watch the scene. The final moment in Pretty Pink would have been Andie and Duckie looking at each other and smiling, and as Duckie laughed, Andie would have squeezed him tight and “lift him off his feet”. This ending was filmed, but test audiences didn’t like seeing Andie ending up with Duckie, and even after everything Blane did, they still preferred Andie and Blane together, so a new ending had to be filmed. Pretty in Pink is available to stream on Max.

The Influence of Pretty in Pink on Some Kind of Wonderful

In 1987, a year after Pretty in Pink was released, John Hughes and Howard Deutch teamed up again in Some Kind of Wonderful. Also a teen romantic drama film, Some Kind of Wonderful follows blue-collar Keith (Eric Stoltz), who has a crush on popular girl Amanda (Lea Thompson), which doesn’t let him see that his best friend, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), is in love with him. After Amanda breaks up with her boyfriend, Keith asks her out, with Watts doing what she can to show him how much she loves him. At the end of Some Kind of Wonderful, Amanda realizes that Keith and Watts have feelings for each other, and urges him to go after her.

Some Kind of Wonderful Keith and Watts staring at each other

Some Kind of Wonderful ends with Keith and Watts accepting their feelings for each other and kissing, with Keith giving her the diamond earrings he had originally bought for Amanda. Some Kind of Wonderful repeats the “nerdy character falls for popular character” formula of Pretty in Pink, but unlike Andie’s story, Some Kind of Wonderful had the nerdy guy choosing his loyal best friend over his popular crush and allowed Hughes to see a similar ending to the original Pretty in Pink one come to life.

Although the ending of Some Kind of Wonderful is often seen as a response to the studio changing the original ending of Pretty in Pink, Hughes didn’t do so intentionally. In an interview with Screen Rant, Howard Deutch explained that Hughes had already written the script of Some Kind of Wonderful before Pretty in Pink finished filming, but admitted that the former’s ending is “more in the spirit” of the original ending of the latter. Pretty in Pink’s original ending would have surely impacted its audience and critical reception, but at least Some Kind of Wonderful was able to show what could have been.

Some Kind of Wonderful is a testament to the influence of Pretty in Pink, and the creative vision of John Hughes, in shaping the narratives of teen romantic dramas.