Don’t You Forget About Me

Molly Ringwald is 41 and has three kids. Let that sink in for a second. The winsome waif who exploded as a teen icon in the mid-'80s — and made the cover of Time — is a full-fledged adult. Get depressed or get nostalgic: It's your choice. Film Night in the Park encourages the latter with an outdoor screening of 1986’s Pretty in Pink, the capper of John Hughes' poignant high school trilogy. From embarrassed innocence in Sixteen Candles to spoiled snottiness in The Breakfast Club to reluctant maturity in Pretty in Pink, Ringwald endearingly channeled the aspirations and insecurities of countless suburban adolescents. Playing the girl from the proverbial wrong side of the tracks in Pink, she takes a stab at romance with a too-perfect rich kid (Andrew McCarthy). Jon Cryer and James Spader etch memorable supporting characters, while the New Wave haircuts and clothes provide comic relief. Although Ringwald was never able to parlay her trio of zeitgeist roles into adult stardom, she has worked steadily in the ensuing years, and likely has fonder memories of high school than you do. On a grittier note, the next local offering in the series is On the Waterfront (featuring Karl Malden opposite Marlon Brando) in Union Square on Aug. 22. Then The Dark Knight sends a chill through Dolores Park (Sept. 19) before Slumdog Millionaire closes the season in Washington Square Park (Oct. 3). Steer clear of the Porta-Potties.
Sat., Aug. 1, 8 p.m., 2009