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The fascinating behind-the-scenes story of Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

β€œSome Kind of Wonderful” is a much better film than you – and likely, the cast, who seemingly signed on for a very different movie – remember.

Though not exactly original, director Howard Deutch’s 1987 comedy is sweet, funny and enthused with a welcomingly upbeat pop-rock soundtrack straight out of the Reagan-era. In all essence, it’s β€œPretty in Pink” all over again.

Just as writer John Hughes – who also penned the Molly Ringwald-starring β€œPink” – intended.

(When the studio asked for the ending Β of Hughes’ β€œPretty in Pink” (1986) Β to be changed – so that Andie (Molly Ringwald) ended up with Clay (Andrew McCarthy) instead of β€˜Duckie’ (Jon Cryer), as per his script – the acclaimed screenwriter and filmmaker essentially decided β€œSome Kind of Wonderful” would fix the rights of that movie’s wrongs.)

Unfortunately, director Martha Coolidge – hot off teen sensation β€œValley Girl” – didn’t share Hughes’ vision and wanted to craft something more unique.

β€œIt was an entirely different script [from the film you know] – it was almost a silent film”, actor Eric Stoltz, who played in the film, told Moviehole. β€œMartha [Coolidge, who was originally set to direct the movie] had this interesting idea of trying to make it as much of a non-verbal, non-jokey teen film as possible. Clearly, the powers that be didn’t go for that.”

 

Hughes, now a bankable name thanks to eminent classics β€œThe Breakfast Club” and β€œFerris Bueller’s Day Off”, had more sway with Paramount Pictures than Coolidge.

Explains Stoltz, β€œAs we got closer to shooting [Hughes] replaced her because he didn’t like what was being done to his material. He fired Martha – and a lot of the cast. I stayed onboard – I don’t know how that happened – but even then, I think I barely stayed onboard. We had shot two or three weeks with my hair below-my-shoulders and I was very greasy and odd looking – because the guy was someone who wasn’t able to fit in, we thought that was a great way to go. Anyway, they shut down production.”

The studio decided that they’d remodel Stoltz’s character to be more akin to ‘Clay’ from β€œPretty in Pink”.

β€œSomeone at Paramount came down and said β€œWe’re going to cut your hair, and clean up your act’. I said β€œBut the role is a rebel who doesn’t fit in!”. β€œThey said β€˜You’re going to cut your hair, and we’ll clean you up’. I said β€˜Oh, so this is how the world works.”

 

 

β€œThere was the first draft that was sort of like a broader sex comedy,” Mary Stuart Masterson, who played β€˜Watts’, told Entertainment Weekly, explaining that β€œmy character was named Keith and she wanted to be male.”

After β€œthe purge of the cast”, Stoltz suggested his friend Lea Thompson – who he had worked briefly with on β€œBack to the Future” two years prior (before he was fired) – for the role of the object of affection, Amanda Jones.

β€œI brought her the script”, the actor said, recalling that he rode over to her house on his motorbike and hand-delivered the β€œHoward the Duck” star the script himself. Β β€œShe was lovely.”

Thompson was stepping in for Kim Delaney – who would go on to fame on TV’s β€œN.Y.P.D Blue” – who was originally cast as Amanda Jones (While Craig Sheffer was brought in to replace β€œBlue Velvet” star Kyle MacLachlan was originally onboard to play Jones’ scumbag ex-boyfriend, Hardy Jenns).

 

By the time β€œSome kind of Wonderful” went into production, β€œPretty in Pink” was collection sizeable coin at the box office. Β Hughes asked that film’s director, Howard Deutch to replace Coolidge on β€œWonderful”.

[Interestingly enough, Paramount ended up making some changes to the ending of β€œSome Kind of Wonderful”, just as they did Hughes’ previous film.

In the film, just before the credits roll, Keith (Stoltz) gives Watts (Masterson) a pair of diamond earrings and says, β€œYou look good wearing my future.”

In the original script, Watts then tells Keith, β€œThese babies go back in the morning. You’re going to art school.” He responds, β€œWe’ll keep one and make it a ring”, suggesting they’re off to get married.]

Convinced remaking β€œPretty in Pink” was the way to go, Hughes even tried to hire Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy, initially, to play the leads.

β€œI declined because I felt like the script wasn’t strong enough and was too derivative of the other films I’d already made with John,” Ringwald told The Atlantic. β€œHe wanted me to play the role of a character called Watts, which went to Mary Stuart Masterson, but I was ready to graduate from high school.”

McCarthy says he immediately knocked back the film, saying β€œIt seemed like we just kept making the same movie again”, referring to β€œPink”.

And he was right – but not such a bad thing, ya know?

Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that Some Kind of Wonderful is the “much-improved, recycled version of the Pretty in Pink story”

β€œI got to tell you, it didn’t do that well when it opened”, Deutch told Vulture. β€œIt was a disappointment to the studio. And then, as time went on, it became more loved. People really like that movie. Lea [Thompson] tells me she got more mail about that movie from kids having troubles, considering suicide, than any other movie. It endures.”

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