Common Sense Note
Parents should know that this film contains a fair amount of objectionable language that the characters use in dramatic moments, not casually. A tomboy character gets referred to as a lesbian in a pejorative manner. There is some mild locker room semi-nudity (girls in camisoles and underwear) that is more wistful than sexual, as a tomboy character watches her pretty, feminine rival get dressed. There are some teenagers that smoke, with consequences, and some references to drinking, although no characters become intoxicated. Part of the plot is the threat of one character planning to beat up another, but he is thwarted and no violence occurs. Parents should also be aware that there are some "types" in the movie (like "punk," "rich girl," and "tomboy"), but that the movie goes past clichés to treat them as people. There is very little diversity in the cast -- the only black characters are members of the permanent detention-room crowd.
Families might want to discuss what divides people in society, such as money, behavior, or education, and how people work to get past those divisions. Other issues might include how the protagonists develop as people. Who is brave in this film? What kinds of courage are there?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Ellen Twadell
SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL is typical of the teen movies of the 1980s like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club, an effective blend of raw emotion and familiar character types.
Keith (Eric Stoltz) is an outsider at a California high school. He and his best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) get by with their hobbies -- painting for Keith and drumming for Watts -- and with their friendship. They put up with the daily torments of punks, snobs, and family. Both are looking for something more, though. Watts wants her friendship with Keith to become a romance but Keith is interested in Amanda (Lea Thompson), a girl who is not rich, but pretty and popular.
When Amanda's callow boyfriend jilts her for another girl, Keith takes the opportunity to ask her out. As the date approaches, Watts' jealousy starts to hurt her friendship with Keith, and Amanda and Keith both start to suspect one another's motives for going out. Is he just a social climber? Is she just getting back at her cheating boyfriend? It soon becomes clear that Amanda's former boyfriend is planning to resort to anything to win her back and send Keith back to the fringes of high school society.
The familiar-seeming love triangle forces all of the protagonists to re-think what they want from each other and the world and the best ways of reaching these goals. In the end, each has to demonstrate courage and understanding to get what is best for all of them.
Teenagers might find the movie a little silly and outdated in some ways (the clothes and music are very '80s) but the dialogue is very real and funny, and the cast turns in excellent performances, especially Eric Stoltz and Mary Stuart Masterson. Parents will have a chance to relive their high school days and hopefully start some conversations about challenges and triumphs of their own.
Fans of this film may also enjoy Pretty in Pink and Drive Me Crazy.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentIntense kissing, references to a girl's virginity. |
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ViolenceAlthough there is almost no on-screen violence, the threat of a beating hovers over much of the movie. |
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LanguageSome strong language. |
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Social BehaviorPoor kids are continually put down by rich kids, a girl loses her friends for dating an unpopular boy. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne or two cigarettes, an empty bottle of liquor. |
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