Some Kind of Wonderful (DVD, 2006, Special Collector's Edition)

Some Kind of Wonderful is another John Hughes creation. It came out in 1987. In terms of plot, it is not that different from "Pretty In Pink", except for the ending. It is another teen flick from the '80s that deals with hard-core issues that face teenagers, such as romantic love, being in the 'in' group, being right vs. being popular and being cool vs. being yourself.

The plot is basically that Keith (Eric Stoltz) has a crush on pretty and popular Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), yet his best friend, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) has a crush on him and Amanda is going out with Hardy Jenns (Craig Sheffer) who is rich, arrogant and a bully. Keith goes to extraordinary lengths to try to get Amanda to even notice him, such as deliberately getting into detention, to be with her, only she talks her way out of detention, but he makes some new friends, most notably Duncan (Elias Koteas), an extremely tough street kid.

This movie did not star any of John Hughes' regulars. Instead, it featured a new crop of actors. The main actors, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson and Mary Stuart Masterson, did not appear in any of Hughes' other films. My favorite character was Duncan (Elias Koteas), who played the hood. He was so bad he was good and he played the role of the hoodlum with style and flash, to the point where you enjoy watching him be bad. As the movie progresses, it's clear that Duncan, despite his tough-guy persona, is really a good guy and a loyal friend. This is particularly true at the end of the movie when Hardy Jenns, sets up Stoltz at a party and then Duncan and his gang of hoodlums show up at the party in the nick of time. It all ends happily.

'Some Kind of Wonderful' is something of an also-ran. It's plot is very similar to 'Pretty In Pink' and it came about only because 'Pretty In Pink' didn't have the kind of ending John Hughes wanted. The acting is pretty good overall, but nothing spectacular, with the exception of Elias Koteas playing the hoodlum.

The best part of the movie was Duncan and the scenes that he played, particularly when he and his guys take over Hardy Jenns' party.

This DVD of Some Kind of Wonderful is a must-buy for anyone who likes the movie because it includes commentaries about the making of the movie, behind-the-scenes stuff and interviews with the actors themselves.