Customer Reviews

Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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 . . .

I can sum up my review of this book rather simply: don't buy it, but do read it; borrow it from the library instead.

A fun romp through the fabulous Brat Pack movies of the 80s, Bernstein's book is a little too short on analysis, a little too full of plot, and offers tantalizing teases of trivia and behind the scenes information but never delivers a whallop punch. It's fun, light reading, and entertaining enough, but it doesn't truly serve as a reference material to the subject, and as such, I wouldn't recommend it as something worth purchasing for your book collection. By all means, take a copy out from the library and spend a fun weekend flipping through its pages -- I wish I had done that, instead of spending money on a copy that now gathers dust on the shelves.

This book is great! It brought up all the plus' and minus' of some of the greatest movies ever. The author expresses the same thoughts taht many of us have about these movies - yes they are often cheesy, but they are FUN! If you remember the 80's fondly, you'll love this book.

Per tutti coloro che hanno la passione per le commedie anni 80, questo libro da tutte le informazione che avreste voluto sapere. Il mondo di quei giorni è descritto benissmo.

This book is about as comprehensive as reading the back of a cereal box. Obviuosly, Bernstein is going by memory and not research here. Comprehensive to a point, the book lacks any real nuggets of information and is factually incorrect in many places. For instance, the author states that Larry Monoson, star of The Last American Virgin, was never seen before or since that film. Obviusly, when he rented Friday The Thirteenth: The final chapter and Mask in doing his research, he missed him in both of these films. Huh? Where was he, in the bathroom? Stoned? If you want an interesting voyage into the world of teen cinema, I suggest you go to William Paul's book Laughing Screaming. If you want to waste your money, buy Pretty In Pink.

Rarely has this reader chanced upon a work of such light-hearted profundity. While the observations are sharper than Madonna's boustiers, the writing style remains as engaging as a Fleiss girl. Anyone with a soft spot for the dim charm of Andrew McCarthy and his ilk should find this book a delightful romp through the sunny side of the eighties.

I always like reading Jonathan Bernstein's column in "The Guide," and this potted history of teen films from the 1980s is in that league. It suffers from the odd inaccuracy, and his habit of relating the ENTIRE plots of movies is a mistake, but since books about teen movies are far thinner on the ground than books about '70s movies...what the hey. (Favourite quote: "(Charlie Sheen) provided years of laughter and entertainment. Moving on to an entirely separate subject, his movies have included...")

I've read a few books in my time. Good ones, bad ones. Some that were neither -- you know what I mean, gentle reader, both good and bad at the same time. Sometimes a book will start out good and end up bad. Sometimes, and I find this is the more rare phenomenon, the book will start out bad and then pull a "U-Turn" and end up good. That may in fact be my favorite kind of book.