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Who gets the girl? It’s a complicated question that plagues almost every romantic comedy, and it’s not always an easy question to answer. Writers and directors can’t predict how an audience is going to react to certain on-screen pairings, and when you introduce a love triangle, that outcome becomes even more unpredictable. And the same seems to go for the “king” of teenage comedies, John Hughes.
No one has enjoyed as strong of a string of iconic teen comedies as John Hughes did in the 1980s. The writer-director helped create Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful. That’s hall of fame shit. Right in the middle of that stretch, Hughes teamed with director Howard Deutch on Pretty in Pink, which catapulted Molly Ringwald to the head of the Brat Pack and solidified the careers of Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer and James Spader.
In the film, Ringwald plays the prototypical teenage girl from the “wrong side of town” who falls for the cool rich kid (McCarthy) but also strings along her nerdy best friend (Cryer). But during a recent interview, Deutch told us that they originally had an ending that test audiences hated. So, Hughes wasn’t perfect? That’s kind of comforting. Deutch opened up about that speed bump, telling CinemaBlend:
The original ending was Duckie and Molly ended up together. And the audience booed. And so we all had a heart attack, and had to reshoot. And John figured out how to change it so that Andrew came alone to the prom, and then Duckie sacrificed his love, and Molly and Andrew could be together.
Yep, that’s a totally different ending from what we ended up seeing. And in some way, it’s remarkable that test audiences in the 1980s didn’t support Jon Cryer’s Duckie getting the girl at the end. Throughout Pretty in Pink, Duckie is the one who has Andie’s (Ringwald) back. Who can forget this classic 80s moment?
You want to see that alternate ending? The one that audiences booed, giving John Hughes and Howard Deutch a heart attack? We asked the director if it was going to be part of the new Blu-ray release that Paramount has on shelves as of June 16, but he said:
I don't know. I know it’s available in different – I remember a lot of people always saying, ‘Hey, I saw the ultimate ending,’ but I don’t know how they got it.
Well, GOOD NEWS! Paramount confirms that the alternate ending for Pretty in Pink is available on Blu-ray, and you can purchase that starting today. Finally, fans who have waited years can see the moment when Andie chooses Duckie, and not BLAINE. Click here to order Pretty in Pink through Amazon.
