Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies [Paperback]

Jonathan Bernstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1997

Jon Bernstein, film critic for "Spin" magazine critiques his favorite teen movies from the golden age of the '80s. The Brat Pack and their contemporaries have grown up, but celluloid has them flickering forever, angst-ridden, haunted, guileless, cocky, stripped to their briefs, and all dressed up "pretty in pink". 25 photos, 8-page color insert.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The 1980s were a time, Bernstein notes, when "Hollywood gave up any pretense of engaging the emotions and challenging the intellect, concentrating solely on meeting the demands of the marketplace." He keeps that firmly in mind as he celebrates and critiques the period's teen-oriented movies, wallowing happily in the inanities of his subject, as whimsical chapter titles indicate. The golden age of teenage movies, he says, extends roughly from Porky's in 1981 ("the Pulp Fiction of its day") to Heathers in 1989 (the genre's "unanswerable Last Word"). Most of them feature middle-and upper-middle-class white kids whose biggest concerns were personal appearance, popularity, and coolness. Bernstein cheerfully rehearses plots, complete with their idiocies, inconsistencies, and interesting incidentals (e.g., Teen Wolf, made before Back to the Future, was released later, much to the consternation of the star of both, Michael J. Fox). Lacking a detailed filmography, this is really a fan's, not a film student's, book, and as such, a lot of fun. Mike Tribby

Review

"The defining Porky's set piece, the moment burned into the memory circuits of a generation: the legendary girls' shower room scene."

"It's ridiculously sentimental, utterly inconsequential and only a sharp tug on my nostril hairs can bring me quicker to tears."

"John Hughes' directional stance comes perilously close to that of the parent who wants to be your buddy. . . . The Ferris delineated in the shooting script is a malign cross between J.M. Barrie's printed-page, parent-hating Peter Pan and the young hippy-bashing Johnny Rotten."

"Spicoli is up there with Belushi's Bluto as a bad influence of heroic proportions. The character has continued to reverberate down the years, detectable in the personas of Bill and Ted, Wayne and Garth, Pauly Shore and Kato Kaelin."

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312151942
• ISBN-13: 978-0312151942
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The 80s are nostalgia already - God do I feel old..., October 27, 1997

By 

Crosstie Walker (Morgantown, WV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies (Paperback)

Mr. Bernstein is first out of the 80s nostalgia gate with a wry criticism/summary of that decade's many "teen" movies. As the title might suggest, particular attention is paid to the films of John Hughes (and rightfully so). Although many chapters are written with tongue firmly planted in cheek, the book is not without some salient points on plot, character development and/or types, and the symbiosis between 80s movies and the times they reflect. The author (and this reader) realizes that Ebert et al will never give these films more than a passing nod while writing yet another "revisitation" of The Godfather trilogy, "Chinatown," "Citizen Kane," etc., so enjoy this book for its humor but also for its insight.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun blast from the past!, July 31, 2002

By 

MrsMue "respgirl" (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies (Paperback)

I was a teenager in the 80's and I loved these movies. This book outlines all the "Teen" movies in the 1980's, from "Porky's" to "Can't Buy Me Love" It was a fun trip down memory lane and I enjoyed learning some lesser known facts about the movies and actors themselves. A must have for affecionado's of the 80's. Includes smaller versions of some of the most popular movies original movie theater posters.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And I thought Corey Feldman was an English comedian . . ., September 4, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Liverpool, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies (Paperback)

The recent late-ninties teen movie explosion has proven one thing - that what comes around - well you get idea. This book is a fabulous survey of what went before, concentrating on lesser known films which haven't had so many column inches, and others which were extremly popular but need some kind of retrospective look. Its a wonderful read, each page offering a new type of nostalgia. Plus - its incredibly funny, with Bernsteain bringing the same wit he offers in his fortnightly column in 'The Guardian Guide' to a subject he obviously loves. I've a couple of reservations. Apart from the glossy posters in the centre the illustrations are not much better than those found on a video box and often fail to illustrate the prose with much accuracy. Also, there is no bibliography or index, so finding writing about a favourite film can be a chore. And a few cast lists would be nice. But I suppose that's what The Internat Movie Database is for . . .