Some Kind Of Wonderful

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Eric Stoltz	Keith Nelson
Mary Stuart Masterson	Watts
Lea Thompson	Amanda Jones
Craig Sheffer	Hardy Jenns
John Ashton	Cliff Nelson
Elias Koteas	Duncan
Molly Hagan	Shayne
Maddie Corman	Laura Nelson
Jane Elliot	Carol Nelson
Candace Cameron Bure	Cindy Nelson
Chynna Phillips	Mia
Scott Coffey	Ray
Carmine Caridi	Museum Guard
Lee Garlington	Gym Instructor
Laura Leigh Hughes	Holly
Laura Tubelle	Laura's Friend
Amy Lynne	Laura's Friend
Michael Bergman	Skinhead's Friend
Megan Daniels	Skinhead's Friend
Dale L. Evans	Skinhead's Friend

Director	Howard Deutch
Producer	Michael Chinich; Ronald Colby; John Hughes
Writer	John Hughes

In Some Kind of Wonderful, John Hughes crystallises, for good and ill, much of the stock material of the modern high-school romantic comedy. There is the outsider boy Keith (Eric Stolz) with artistic talent and sexual ambitions above his lowly status in a hierarchy based on wealth and popularity. There is Watts, (Mary Stuart Masterson) the tomboy next door, whose good looks and love for him he has somehow always failed to notice. And, most interestingly, there is Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), who has parlayed her looks into running with the rich kids, but is starting to realise she has the worst of the bargain.

There are some odd ambiguities here--all three take passive-aggressive behaviour to a level that is not entirely sympathetic--as well as some slick plotting: Keith's attempt to befriend Amanda by following her into detention brings him into contact with delinquents like Duncan, a terrifying skinhead who is more than he seems. In the end, there is just enough edge and invention here to keep it from being as crass and sentimental as films which have imitated its formula.

On the DVD: Some Kind of Wonderful is presented in 1.78:1 visual aspect ratio and has Dolby 5:1 sound in English, surround sound in Italian and mono in German and Italian--it also has subtitles in those languages and Danish, Dutch, French, Norwegian, Swedish and Turkish and no other special features whatever. --Roz Kaveney