Some Kind of Wonderful is a 1987 American teen romantic drama film directed by Howard Deutch and starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson.

The film is set against the strict social hierarchy of an American public high school in the San Fernando Valley.

Blue-collar mechanic and aspiring artist Keith Nelson is best friends with tomboy drummer Watts.

Keith is enamored with Amanda Jones, one of the most popular girls in school, and he spends much of his time drawing her.

However, Amanda herself is not wealthy: she lives in the same working-class district as Watts and Keith, and she borrows her fashionable clothes from her friends.

However, she talks her way out of it, and he is stuck with the school criminals, eventually making friends with troublemaker Duncan (a cool Punk Rock youth).

With Watts in tow, he uses his college money to buy a pair of diamond earrings, rent an expensive car, and take Amanda to a posh restaurant.

When Cliff discovers the college fund has been emptied, he is livid, but Keith ultimately convinces his father to respect his right to make his own decisions.

Deutch and Hughes were not happy with the ending of their previous collaboration Pretty in Pink (1986); in the script and the original cut of the film Andy (Molly Ringwald) wound up with her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer).

[2] With Some Kind of Wonderful, Hughes decided to re-tell the story, but with the genders of the main characters switched.

Original cast members Kim Delaney (Amanda Jones) and Kyle MacLachlan (Hardy Jenns) were fired shortly after.

Locations include San Pedro High School, Hancock Park, and the Hollywood Bowl.

[6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 76% based on 45 reviews, with the site's consensus: "Some Kind of Wonderful is above-average '80s teen fare for people who need as much John Hughes in their lives as possible.

"[15] Janet Maslin of The New York Times stated that Some Kind of Wonderful is the "much-improved, recycled version of the Pretty in Pink story".