Some Kind of Wonderful (I Love The 80s Edition)

DVD Review

Paramount Home Entertainment

Released: August 5, 2008

Some Kind of Wonderful marks yet another hit for John Hughes in the 80s, as the film released in 1987, as the film proved to be funny, creative, and enjoyable throughout.

Paramount Home Entertainment has teamed up with VH1 to help promote a brand new line of DVDs called "I Love The 80s." The idea behind this set-up is to help celebrate the decade of top films throughout the 80s, starting with a batch of 5, and eventually releasing 40 classic titles in 80s retro packaging. Some Kind of Wonderful (I Love The 80s Edition) is one of the first five films to release in the series.

Some Kind of Wonderful comes from the mind of producer John Hughes, best known for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The film stays in pretty familiar territory in terms or presenting some very memorable characters and such. Hughes wrote the film, white it was directed by Howard Deutch.

The film is successful not for its overall story, but for the character development, as Hughes has always been able to present some memorable faces, putting them on-screen, and making them stick in our heads and reach us.

The film stars Eric Stolz as Keith, an artist and mechanic who hangs out with a girl who is the definition of a tom-boy, played by Mary Stuart Masterson. Though he hangs out with the tom-boy, he has a crush on Amanda Jones, played by Lea Thompson.

Things evolve in a rather predictable manner, as the guy ends up going out with the girl he had the crush on, only to realize that the best friend may be the one for him.

Some Kind of Wonderful is a lot of fun, and presents a great teenage romantic comedy that you will not forget.

The video quality for Some Kind of Wonderful is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, and is actually quite impressive.

This is a very bright film, which is presented with some great colors. The only downside to it is that there are a few scenes with some grain, as well as a softness. Everything looks very natural though, which is a bonus.

The audio quality for Some Kind of Wonderful is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, as the 80s soundtrack is nicely presented, as is the dialogue, which is allowed to take precedent here.

Unfortunately , there are no extras beyond just an add-in music CD with four tracks, including Lips Like Sugar, Chains of Love, Need You Tonight, and Take On me.

Some Kind of Wonderful is a very memorable film, as it will truly creep back into your head the second you see the opening scene. Though the extras are slim, this is worth it if you do not own it already.

Film: 8.0

An enjoyable romantic comedy for teens in the 80s, with some memorable characters.

Video: 8.0

A nice transfer that is only hampered due to it being a little too soft.

Audio: 7.5

The audio mix is strong, with the dialogue taking over throughout.

Special Features: 6.0

The only extras is the included four-track CD, nothing more.

Final Score: 7.5