John Hughes' "Some Kind Of Wonderful"! S'alright!

I know I went on a major rant about what I refer to as the "Teen Wolf" syndrome in a post a few months back, claiming that it is the definitive example of 80's movie wankery where the subplot of the story revolves around the concept of a dim witted main character who is blind to the fact that he is the object of his best friends desires, all because he himself has designs on hooking up with a major league bitch who is certain to fuck him over at some point before the end of the film.

Perhaps I was a bit unfair to Teen Wolf, and this post is more of an ammendment than anything else because you can imagine my amazement when I finally got around to watching the John Hughes penned "Some Kind Of Wonderful"! Here is a movie that takes that exact theme, makes it the focal point of the entire story, leaves you with the taste of that predictable Hollywood ending in your mouth and yet somehow gets away with it.

Life ain't easy for Keith! He's ignorant and dumb, yet somehow still slightly arrogant!

To my unending astonishment, I actually really enjoyed it. Maybe there was a certain bias creeping in because I do like Eric Stoltz and Lea Thompson, and in all honesty, I've yet to see a John Hughes movie that I didn't at the very least like. It's pretty much lathered with all the traditional Hughes teen movie charm, and there's no denying that it's his work. I always find myself wondering when I watch his movies, if this was the way he lived during his teenage years. Did he base any of the characters off his own high school experiences...or did he create the stories based off a fantasy youth that he wished he had lead? Either way, the movies are very impactful, especially if you watch them for the first time as a teen yourself.

As far as the movie itself goes...it's everything that you'd expect and if you enjoy it, you'll do so in spite of yourself. If you take the subplot of Scott and Boof from Teen Wolf, and dip it in the "lets break down the class boundaries within our society" theme that lingered throughout Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles, baby you got a stew goin'...and that stew tastes a little something like "Some Kind Of Wonderful!"

Because that's what friendship means!

Once again, Hughes provides an early platform for showcasing the talents of a number of young actors who went on to achieve major stardom. Stoltz went on to appear in films such as Pulp Fiction and Two Days in The Valley, whereas Thompson (who had already been recongisable from her performance as Lorraine McFly in Back To The Future) would star in her own sitcom "Caroline in The City" in the late 90's! There's also an appearnace from Elias (Casey Jones) Koteas as a menacing skin head. What's not to like?

For the most part, it's pretty much recycled Hughes fare which doesn't quite rank up there with The Breakfast Club, or Sixteen Candles, and if the plot tests your patience, then rest assured that the performances within the film are enough to keep you more than thoroughly entertained.

It's miles better than St. Elmo's fucking fire!