Some Kind of Wonderful

Directed by Howard Deutch, Some Kind of Wonderful follows Eric Stoltz’s Keith as finds himself torn between his long-time friend (Mary Stuart Masterson’s Watts) and the popular girl (Lea Thompson’s Amanda) he’s been crushing on for years. It’s a fairly run-of-the-mill setup that’s employed to better-than-average effect by Deutch, as the filmmaker, working from John Hughes’ smart, incisive screenplay, delivers a deliberately-paced yet generally absorbing teen drama that benefits from its raft of stellar performances – with Stoltz and Masterson’s incredibly affable, ingratiating work matched by a top-flight supporting cast that includes Craig Sheffer, Elias Koteas, and John Ashton. (The latter, playing Keith’s exasperated father, does a superb job of transforming what could’ve been a rote, one-dimensional figure into a believable and thoroughly compelling presence.) And although there admittedly aren’t a whole lot of surprises to be had within its familiar narrative, Some Kind of Wonderful boasts plenty of memorable moments and sequences, and there’s little doubt, as well, that the picture ultimately stands as yet another convincing teen-oriented story from Hughes – with the satisfying conclusion only cementing the movie’s place as a solid entry within Hughes’ canon as a screenwriter.

*** out of ****