Back to the Prom : The Lost Dance / The Original Ending (Pretty in Pink Special Feature) 

Duckie giving her permission to go with her heart is the most beautiful part of the movie.

Annie Potts is my absolute favorite character. She knew Duckie was hot.

The one where Molly takes a perfectly cute prom dress and turns it into a hideous nightmare.

I like this ending because Duckie loved her enough to also let go.

John Hughes hated having to change the ending of this film that he ended up remaking it as Some Kind of Wonderful.

For the record: Jon Cryer is very attractive and the character of Duckie and the person he is is also, very attractive Also, I remember as a teen feeling like she didn’t deserve Duckie and always took him for granted.

I was a teenager of the 80s when this movie came out and it never occurred to me that she might end up with Duckie. Many of us back then assumed him as her friend.

The real travesty of this movie was making Molly wear that dress.

Here’s the thing though- she WOULD end up with Blane, but she’d end up divorced and would end up with Duckie in her 40’s.

"They wanted her to get the cute guy," DUCKIE IS THE CUTE GUY!!!!!!!

Molly certainly thought a lot about herself back then, saying because she didn’t fancy John in real life and so the ending should change. But funny how John went on to become very successful and always comes across as a lovely man.

I will never get over this ending. Team Duckie for life.

Annie Potts is right, I totally agree with her. When Duckie shows up at the prom, when they hold each other’s hand, you get the feeling they belong to each other, that they’ve got something the other guy will never achieve. I must admit I was really surprised by the new ending, although they managed to perform the Cinderella story in quite a gracious way. And Duckie’s look to the camera is priceless!

"She was not attracted to him" you mean you werent, Molly. Thats not how it works.

I REALLY hated her for going with Blane instead of Ducky after the way Blane had treated her & after the way Ducky adored & supported her! It ruined the whole movie, for me. I thought, "Well, she deserves all of the heartache that is going to be inevitable." She ABSOLUTELY should have ended up with Ducky in the end. It shouldn't have mattered if Molly Ringwald had natural chemistry with Jon Cryer, or not. She's an actress. She should have ACTED as if she loved him. But, that's okay. Here it is 40 years later, & we all still adore Ducky. HE'S the REAL knight in shining armour! Blane is just that spineless douchebag that allowed Steff to bully him into treating her like a doormat.

The reason the original ending didn't work wasn't due to any of the actors chemistry.. etc. It didn't work because of the scriptwriters failure to set that ending up properly. There wasn't any hint, nudge or foreshadowing of any attraction for Duckie anywhere in Andie's heart. There was no foundation for Andie to suddenly end up with Duckie out of the blue except as a consolation prize, which naturally didn't set right with the test audiences, so they had to go back to the couple they had legitly set up of Andie and Blane. The filmmakers thankfully didn't give up on their original ending idea though and they did Some Kind Of Wonderful. They reversed the sexes and this time they did a much better job in setting the main character Keith to end up with his bestie Watts. He has a knock his socks off kiss with Watts and gradually loses his amorous feelings for his dream girl Amanda as they realize they are not meant for each other during their date. Keith and Amanda both realize at the end that it's he and Watts who belong together.

He totally gaslights her when he says she didn’t believe in him. Yes she did. He ghosted her, dumped her and avoided her. She did nothing wrong.

Some Kind Of Wonderful ends the way Pink was suppose to and it works there.

I think this is a case of the times. These days the audience would boo Blaine and roote for Duckie and Andi

When Duckie looks at the camera, it reminded me of Ferris Bueller.

I understand people are upset. Andie just wasn’t attracted to Duckie, and forcing it would make Andie end up like her mother, who abandoned her husband and family…. I’m glad Duckie found someone who is excited to be with him!

The only characters that had chemistry were Steff and Andie. I loved that damaged snooty prep.

Imagine if all actresses decided which guy she wants to end up with and having the same dry attitude towards their actors as Molly had towards Jon. I’m sure this came back to bite her in her career

Let's not forget Duckie got to upgrade by ending up with Kristy Swanson.

I alway wanted her to end up with Duckie because he was so devoted to her...he was amazing. This is the problem with young women... they want the hot guy, the dangerous guy, essentially the "unavailable" guy, the untrustworthy but cute guy... rich .. popular.. ugh. When we get a little older, we see that those are the guys that don't stay, that make your lives hell. You WANT the best friend guy, the guy who loved you no matter what!

Sadly, the movie's ending is a microcosm of the way life really works: Hot/rich guy gets the hot girl; less-hot guy is rejected and "friend-zoned," even though he'd move mountains for her love. It happens ten thousand times a day. But the Hollywood part of this story is also a microcosm of that sad truth: hot female star decides she'd only end up with Duckie if Duckie were portrayed by hot Robert Downey, Jr -- not less-hot Jon Cryer. Cryer has talked about how alienated he felt on the set during filming, with both Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy constantly giving him the cold shoulder because he just wasn't cool enough for their time or taste. Interestingly, he has gone on to incredible success and wealth in his acting career -- but the other two? Not so much. This, also, reflects real life, where the prom queen and the quarterback peak early, get fat and eventually fade into obscurity but the brilliant (but less-hot) soul finds fame and fortune later in life. For all us Duckies out there, he's an inspiration.

I think Molly was just spoiled at a young age by John Hughes who valued her opinions because she was a real teenager. So normally I don’t think an actress should have the power to alter the end of a movie

Duckie deserved better. Seen from his POV this was a great ending for him. Just like Blaine probably left Andy and went off to college. Andy would have left Duckie for another prep eventually, she was never going to see him as an equal lover. Good for him for getting a girl that was like, Hell Yeah!

Ok. After watching this, Hollywood REALLY should have given Jon Cryer a Supporting Actor’s nod. The way the Studio, Molly handled that chemistry crap should have happened during the Casting. But No one would have been a better Ducky. Booooo.

Duckie looking straight at the camera was hilarious & set the stage for Ferris! 🥳

Andrew McCarthy is such a gorgeous man and so nice in person.

The movie was made for teenagers who aren't emotionally mature at that age. You like who you like and you learn a lot of lessons. This isn't a movie about 30 year olds. I would have been crushed if she didn't end up with Andrew. It was a fairy tale, not an adult drama. It's easy now as adults to critique it.

For those of us who are team Duckie/Jon Cryer, here's a bit of a "consolation." By not getting with Andie, he gets to live on in cinematic history as the romantic, tortured, unrequited love hero, free to save his devotion for someone who, let's face it, actually deserves him. We get to imagine a happy ending for him with someone else, but if he ends up with Andie, we'll all be thinking she'll just keep him around long enough until the next Blane comes along. With the re-shot ending, Duckie gets one more opportunity to be graceful, showing audiences he's more concerned with Andie's happiness than his own. If he ended up with Andie, that scene goes away, and he gets to live on in infamy as the consolation prize, a doormat for someone who mistreated him the entire movie. And then the fairy tale crowd gets to crap on him for not being prince charming, further tarnishing the Duckman's glorious legacy. Jon Cryer may have been a little disappointed for his character, but I think he won the big prize.

We need an extended cut of this movie along with the original ending. John Hughes (who wrote this film) was known for writing long scripts then cutting out a lot of the filmed scenes in the editing stage. For example, The Breakfast Club was originally over 2.5 hours long before John Hughes cut out an hour of the film to make the final product. I feel like there is some material from this movie that is on the cutting room floor and would love to see it restored (including the original ending).

Blane was NOT cuter than Duckie! I said what i said. Molly just sounded bitter that she didn't get to work with robbie downy jr. I bet she would have ended up with Duckie if Robbie played him. It doesnt matter of she herself wasnt attracted to Jon. She was actress, she should have made it work.

Re-make with a better dress and Duckie gets his girl. DO IT.

Thats why we love some kind of wonderful...that movie had this ending and its perfect ❤

Never knew how Molly Ringwald thought until now. & I'm not impressed.

I remember seeing his hair and knowing it was a wig 😂 this movie was such a classic for us Gen Xers

New Orders Shellshock playing while Duckie is ‘stalking’ her is why I love being a Gen X.

James Spader, she is Nada, brilliant

Tbh, Andie was pretty snooty herself, and because of that, she definitely belonged with Blaine. Duckie was a hopeless romantic and a diehard..... He needed someone just as devoted. That was not Andie at all.... All she wanted was the cute guy, not a real guy, not a real relationship.

what i don’t understand is that Molly says she knew that the original ending didn’t/wouldn’t work bc she didn’t have romantic chemistry with Cryer . that may be true , however , she’s an actor , it’s her job to act like she has romantic chemistry wether she has it in real life or not . there are plenty of stories where actors hated each other in real life but put that aside and made it work on screen. Now was she convincing in the original ending with Ducky and the test audience just didn’t want her with Ducky regardless if the original ending worked or not? hard to say bc the original shot ending is not shown and we can’t get feedback from the test audience on why they preferred Andrew (although its said by the director/producers it was bc he was the rich/regular guy. Also , it may be said that it would be too unbelievable that she ended up with Ducky bc she never showed any romantic interest in him before -for those , i say 4 words-Some Kind of Wonderful . Sometimes in life , a romantic interest doesn’t blossom till much later in a friendship / relationship . There are many, many times that this has occurred. As an actor myself , I understand that it helps tremendously to have that “chemistry” with another actor but when there’s none , that’s where the “acting” comes in and you have to use all your training or tricks and pull deep within yourself to do your best to make it believable . The only reason I can think of giving her a pass is because this was very early in her career and we all do things that we wish we could’ve done differently, now wether she would make the same acting choices now -who knows 🤔

Ending notwithstanding, my favorite 20 seconds in the film is when Duckie breaks the fourth wall when he looks right at the camera after exchanging glances and locking eyes with Kristy Swanson... 😊😊😊

I agree with Jon Cryer. If you are telling a story about love that crosses class boundaries you have to let love overcome the divide. I love, love, love Duckie but I think the ending was lovely.

I personally liked the ending. I think Molly said it well: just because someone’s a good friend doesn’t mean you should date them and marry them. I’ve had many guy friends in my life who remained just friends and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

an 80s kid here - a great movie. and an amazing soundtrack. there are some iconic 80s songs on that soundstrack.

Duckie ended up with Kristy Swanson! 😮. I’d take that deal any day of the week. She’s 🔥.

Aren't you an actress, though? You should be able to act like you had chemistry with the guy.

Also duckie was the cute guy too

This was my teenage years! And I was team Blane!😍 But Duckie....will always have a piece of🥰 my heart

Think about what she gave up, really think about it. Duckie went to bat for her and fought one of the strongest positioned people in the school for her honor. All while the prep (until the very end) tucked tail and cowered down to him. Despite his size, stature, and social standing, Duckie would take on the world to save her if he had to. Even in the end he loved her enough to let her go. Duckie is alpha, any other decision is sub-par. If anyone made a mistake it was Duckie for holding on for too long. His potential was wasted on her.

Your job as an actor is to sell the scene chemistry or not. Not deciding an ending based on if someone is cute. I get Andie wasn't into Duckie & you could tell, so her ending up with him romantically would be strange, but her telling off the guy who dumped her for his friends & ending the night dancing with her best friend, choosing herself instead, would've been a nice ending too.

While Andrew McCarthy is cute, Jon Cryer is way more adorable, more charisma, and personality plus.

The theatrical ending didn't age well. Watching it now, Duckie clearly has way more personality than Blaine. Other than Duckie's sometimes anxious preoccupation which was probably a major put off, he clearly had more guts than the other guys in the movie, the way he talked to her Dad and the way he fought that rich douchebag. Blaine being the supposedly cute guy doesn't seem to be enough anymore. The rich guys look dorky in their 80's casual suits.

I don't think it would've made sense for Andie to wind up with Duckie, because it would've been too predictable, and it also would've negated the movie's "love across the divide" theme. What he felt for her was unrequited love, and she only saw him as her best friend. There was obviously no chemistry between them. However, he did eventually evolve as a character, by realizing that if he really loved her, he'd let her go, so that she could be with the man she loved, Blaine. And he met someone else, so everybody wins.

Ever heard of acting Molly ? You mean to tell me you wouldn’t end the movie being with duckie because your weren’t attracted to him ? How self centered can you be ?

The problem with Pretty in Pink was Duckie kind of stealing the show. I have basically forgotten the Andie/Blane characters almost entirely. The only chemistry those two had was that she acted as spoiled as a rich kid would, but neither of them felt "real." However, I was actually in the camp of not wanting Duckie to get together with her because she really didn't deserve him, and would never be happy with him. He deserved someone who would appreciate his quirky personality, his joy, his fun fashion sense, and his devotion. I'm glad they added the bit at the end where a cute girl sees him and wants to get to know him - he deserved to be seen.

If the original ending still exists it would be a huge money maker to release the movie again with both endings starting from where they cut the original ending off.

I loved the movie and the happy ending with girl and boy who had sparks together. Duckie was always her best guy friend.

I liked the ending, I thought it was important for her to end up with Blane because Blane redeemed himself.

I love that they put Ducky looking straight at the camera. It totally fit the scene and his character. I'm glad they at least gave him a girl at the end, who was also "pretty in pink," :P Blaine wasn't as cool as Ducky, sorry, won't change my mind on that!

The stories always end differently depending on the casting of actors. Never-ending story of Hollywood casting: Robert Downy Jr got Molly Ringwald in the Pick-Up Artist. In another John Hughes film, the underdog does end up with the right girl: Some Kind of Wonderful.

I’m glad they changed the ending

So what we've learned here, is molly ringwald ruined the movie, just because her personal preference was, not jon cryer... meanwhile, every woman ive ever talked to who ever watched this movie would've picked Duckie in a heartbeat...

The arrogance of Molly Ringwald is astounding: "Robert Downey Jr. wasn't cast, and I wasn't attracted to Jon Cryer, so the written script was not going to work [for me]." lol Yikes! Isn't that what actors are supposed to do?? ACT! If the script has Duckie as the love interest, then the actor is hired to play that part, not have the entire production reshot because they can't act. She talks as if it was all about herself as a person, rather than a written character. Unbelievably unprofessional and narcissistic. No wonder she faded into obscurity as she aged out of the John Hughes teen genre. Audiences were robbed.

As a 14 yr old girl in 1986, I had a crush on James Spader, but Steff was never an option in the movie. Duckie was more my type, and I never found Andrew McCarthy attractive (sorry). I always wished that Andie had ended up with Duckie. It just seemed like the ending that made sense. However, I had a male friend that I just wasn't attracted to, no matter how much he wanted me to be. I felt bad, because he wasn't a bad looking guy, and he was nice, but I just didn't feel the same way about him. I ended up marrying a different good man, who unfortunately died when I was 36 yrs old, and at 51, he has never been replaced. I ran into my old friend after my husband died, and he would have still been there for me. You can't feel something that isn't there, as much as the other person may want you to. I do wish Andie would have realized that Duckie was the one for her all along. I guess they both got what they wanted in the end.

I was shocked when i found out there was an original ending before the actual one and duckie ended up with Andie, I was like what! I'm so glad Andie ended up with Blane. Andrew Mccarthy was my crush in the 80s.

Everyone I know would have chosen Duckie. Not one exception. NOT O N E.

My favorite part of the movie was when Duckie talks to the dog. I still love this movie.

I like the ending with Blaine. It showed that she had some solid guys in her life. The love interest, the best friend, her father. It’s a great movie as is.

I like the ending. I never thought she would marry Bland. He was the sort of guy you love in High School when you have terrible taste. It was what made it such a perfect High School movie. They all will be different ppl in the future and hopefully A and D will still be friends or more.

WIG!! I knew, I KNEW Blaine’s hair looked so so weird! Now I know!

I love that they wanted a moralistic ending where Molly winds up with Ducky. It's also amazing how much say Molly had with directors. She got Andrew McCarthy in the film. Good thing they changed the ending. They wound up making one of the most iconic movies of the 80s. I love that she wound up with Blaine though in the end. That's the dream of young girls. They made the perfect ending where Ducky tells her to go with Blaine, then he meets a beautiful girl.

My thing is they were acting. So it doesn’t matter how you feel about the other actor

The ending was perfect. Blane grew as a person and got a backbone. I love the part where he tells Steff that he just can’t stand the fact that Andy thinks he is sh*t and deep down he knows she’s right. I grew up with a guy as my best friend and it would have felt like being with my brother. Eww, no. They were friends who loved each other. Duckie was super cute and ended up with a beautiful girl. It all turned out good. I’m glad they changed the ending!

What ruined this movie was that they put Cinderella in the ugliest dress at the ball.

Duckie is the friend… always

I never even knew Andrew McCarthy had wore a wig that was an interesting tidbit. She should of ended up with Duckie, I don't care what anyone says.

When this movie came out, I was in elementary school, and loved, and still love it!❤😂 Also, I had a “celebrity crush” on Ducky’s character, back in the day.

duckie and andie, that would be the end with a perfect beginning ✨❤️

I loved the movie how it ended up

I loved me some duckie but I don’t think she could get past the friend zone with him so he deserved someone who loved him back. I understand that more as an adult then I did as a romantic thinking kid

I used to be team Duckie too until I watched the movie again as an adult. He acts like his love is so "pure" and true but at one point he implies she should give him head because he gave her a ride home. Dude was a stalker creep that was just pretending to be her friend while trying to get in her pants the whole movie. His "grand" gestures of love were performative and self serving. The only decent thing he did was give her "permission" to follow her heart at the end, as if it was up to him. Not saying Blaine was perfect, but if that's who she is attracted to, then it's her mistake to make. And I agree with Molly, if it had been RDJ, I think it MAYBE could've worked because there's a certain charm (not just looks) to him, but Jon Cryer played him like a creep that felt entitled to Andie's affection and that's why it didn't work.

I saw this in the theater when it first came out. I remember actually feeling angry that Andie ended up with Blane. Poor Duckie.

Watched PIP again last night for what seemed like the millionth time, and it still remains my favourite teen movie, despite being almost ready to celebrate its 40th birthday. To me, the nod that Duckie gave just summed up teen romance with love being lost and found once more within the blink of an eye as he moved on from Andie immediately.

Sounds like Molly didn't want the ending and made it not work. Either way both Andy and Molly got what they wanted. A guy that would tuck tail if it hurt him socially.

My favorite movie of the 80's!!! I love it... 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷.......

I think we all wanted Duckie the underdog to win. Never liked Andi's love interest but then again I didn't like Andi as a character either, she would've never been someone I could see myself being friends with in real life. Duckie is the good guy, the nice guy, and nice guys finish last in this world sadly. I would've liked to see Andi played by a better actress from that era like Ally Sheedy or Elizabeth McGovern.

So Molly is saying two actors must be attracted to each other in order to play characters that are attracted to each other? That’s ridiculous. They should have kept the original ending.

After seeing this.... I'm like saying to myself... How in the world did they give Molly all that power in the sense of saying she wasn't attracted to the guy and because of that, have the producer and director re-write the script for the ending........ Talk about a wtf moment

The ending reminds me of fanfiction where the audience gets to prevail over the writer with their wish fulfillment fantasies. In real life, writers know more than teenage girls talking on the phone in their bedrooms with their best friend. In the real world, the Molly Ringwald character and the Andrew McCarthy character wouldn't have ended up together. He wouldn't have had a girlfriend from outside his clique. That's just high school, and often adult life as well. They really didn't have a whole lot in common.

the adults still don't get it lol. It wasn't about getting the cute/rich guy, Andrew McCarthy was a good guy who was too influenced by his friends/family -- he loved Andi and wanted to change and be independent with her. It was about growth. and it was a great ending, because many people try to discourage us from our inner voice/our dreams!

Well I always thought Andie and Duckie would have made an awesome couple. He's the absolute best

I just watched this movie for the first time last week and my very first thought when it ended was... why didn't she end up with Ducky?? It was the obvious choice. This video explains a lot.

It's kinda weird when Molly Ringwald said she didn't feel the chemistry between Andie and Duckie. I mean, I saw more chemistry between those two than I saw between Andie and Blane. I definitely root for Duckie but if Andie couldn't see his potential, I'm sure many of us do. Also, Molly got her wish because she ends up in a movie with Robert Downey Jr. a year later. LOL 🤷🏻‍♀

If the ending didn’t end up the way it did it wouldn’t be my fav movie. I loved Andrew for Molly because he was different like Jon said….there was zero passion for Jon from Molly in the film, she always wanted Andrew. In the end Jon got with Kristy and I was SO HAPPY for him ❤ she’s one of my fav people. And you see Jon isn’t sad about that when he looks at the camera, he’s stoked! Thank you Molly for getting sick and voicing your opinion! 👏🏻

I think it would have been a powerful ending if Andy ended up with neither of them. Duckie shows up to the prom just to be a supportive presence as a friend and that is the love. Because I think it's more indicative of real life. More often than not your friends will always end up meaning more to you than some guy you hooked up with. It's also important to let teenagers know that you don't need to have a sexual relationship in high school for your experiences to be meaningful. I'm glad that Ladybird explored this

Should have ended up with Duckie. Instead she chose the rich handsome guy who will dump her when he gets to university. I guess that’s true to life though.

I appreciated the interpretation of the version that Jon Cryer described. Not that they ended up together “romantically”, but that their friendship was THE relationship in the movie. As a teenager I think I cheered internally when she danced with Blane, only because it was clearly what her character longed for. But as an adult the friendship between her and Duckie feels more authentic now, and the relationship between her and Blane feels more superficial.