Red Envelope Round-Up: January 16-18, 2009

Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) (***).  This movie wraps you up in a comfy nostalgic blanket, and takes you on a pleasant trip back to the '80s.  The plot is standard stuff for a high school flick: tomboy is secretly in love with her best friend who's in love with the most popular girl in school.  It's a John Hughes production, so you know the teens are well-sketched, realistic characters, and is there anybody who captures the family/sibling dynamic better than Hughes in his heyday?  Doubtful.  Elias Koteas, as a hyper, detention-bound bully, is a standout, and Lea Thompson is crush-worthy as the popular girl who's more than meets the eye.  The ending is way too rushed though, making the ultimate hook-up between Eric Stoltz and Mary Stuart Masterson's characters feel forced.

-John