Since someone (completely unrelated to me) very kindly decided to describe The Fine Art of Truth of Dare as “Anna and the French Kiss Meets Pretty in Pink“, I’ve been seeing lots of comments about what a good thing that would be. Well, there are certainly some similarities to both. Ella, like Anna, is definitely a stranger in a strange land…and the land is definitely somewhat strange. Alex Bainbridge, like Etienne St. Clair, is a very cute, really decent, slightly clueless guy. They speak French.
Like Andie in Pretty in Pink, other-side-of-the-tracks Ella doesn’t quite fit in and, if given the choice, would rather not have to pay attention to all of the rubbish that comes with trying to survive high school: mean girls, the right shoes, well-meaning (read: inept) adults, heartbreak. Like Andie, Ella has the very best best friend ever. And (even if just in my head) a really good soundtrack.
I remember seeing Pretty in Pink for the first time. While The Breakfast Club remains my truly beloved John Hughes fave, I have a big soft spot in my heart for PiP. I’m a huge sucker for any good Cinderella story. As long as Cinderella has some serious goals along with getting the prince. Like a Nobel prize. Or a showing at MoMA.
Anyway. Thinking about PiP got me thinking about some of the teen-oriented movies that I’ve loved through the years.
(Yes, I do store these things up for Tuesdays.)
Ten Fave Teen Flicks
10. Valley Girl (1983). Romeo and Juliet with legwarmers, malls, and a happy ending.
9. Bring It On (2000). Cheerleaders and intellectual property theft. Cool.
8. Heathers (1988). Mean Girls meets the Brothers Grimm. Not a movie that would get made now, probably. Lucky for us, it was made then.
7. Can’t Buy Me Love (1987). McDreamy when he was McDreamy, Jr.
6. Election (1999). A really impressive script. Really impressive acting. I mean, we expect it from Reese Witherspoon, but Chris Klein, Mr. Gormless…?
5. Mean Girls (2004). Forget the more familiar names. Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried are so fab. Weather prediction as I firmly believe it is really done.
4. Say Anything (1989). John Cusack and the boombox. Better than any balcony scene ever written. Ever.
3. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). Oh, Heath. Thank you for leaving us this.
2. The Breakfast Club (1985). Simply wonderful. Even twenty-five years after the fact.
1. Clueless. Jane Austen in Beverly Hills. It makes perfect sense. It’s a nearly perfect teen romedy.