Blane is a major appliance. That’s what Duckie says, anyway. It's one of the most famous lines in 80s cinema, mostly because it's so weirdly specific and biting. When we talk about blane pretty in pink, we aren't just talking about a guy in a linen suit with feathered hair. We’re talking about a decade-long debate over whether Andie Walsh made the biggest mistake of her life in that parking lot.
Some people see Blane McDonnagh as the ultimate sensitive soul who broke the class barrier. Others see a spineless rich kid who folded the second his "friends" made a joke about the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Honestly, both things are kind of true. That’s why we’re still arguing about it forty years later.
The "Hunky" Role That Wasn't
If you look at the original script, Blane wasn't supposed to be Andrew McCarthy. Not the version of him we got. He was written as a "hunky" football player—the typical 80s jock archetype. Think more Emilio Estevez in The Breakfast Club and less "brooding poet."
Molly Ringwald actually changed the course of the movie’s history. When McCarthy auditioned, he wasn't the square-jawed athlete they expected. He was slight, pale, and looked like he might have a mild case of the flu. But Ringwald told John Hughes, "That’s the kind of guy I’d fall for." She saw something in his vulnerability. This choice shifted blane pretty in pink from a story about a jock and a nerd to a story about two sensitive outcasts—even if one of those outcasts happened to have a trust fund and a BMW.
It’s that sensitivity that makes his eventual "betrayal" hurt so much. If he were just a jerk, we wouldn't care. But he actually seems to get her. He likes her record collection. He’s impressed by her thrift-store style. Then, the pressure starts.
The Steff Problem and the Prom Ghosting
You can't talk about Blane without talking about Steff. James Spader played the ultimate 80s villain here, and he did it with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a level of smugness that is almost impressive. Steff is the one who whispers in Blane’s ear. He tells him he’s "slumming it."
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Blane folds. Hard.
He stops answering his phone. He avoids Andie in the hallways. When he finally confronts her at the lockers, he claims he "forgot" he already asked someone else to the prom. It is, objectively, a coward move. This is the moment where half the audience checks out on him. Why would we want Andie to end up with a guy who is embarrassed to be seen with her?
Interestingly, the movie was originally supposed to end with Andie and Duckie together. They filmed it. They had them dancing to David Bowie’s "Heroes." But when test audiences saw it, they hated it. They booed. They wanted the "Cinderella" ending. They wanted the rich guy to realize his mistake and come crawling back.
That Infamous Reshoot (and the Wig)
The ending we see today, where Blane shows up at the prom alone and tells Steff to shove it, was filmed months after the rest of the movie. You can actually tell if you look closely at Andrew McCarthy’s hair. He had already cut it for a play and lost a bunch of weight, so he’s wearing a very obvious, slightly stiff wig in the final scene.
In this version, Blane tells Andie, "I always believed in you. I just didn't believe in me." It’s a great line. It’s poetic. It’s also a total cop-out. He’s basically saying, "Sorry I treated you like garbage because my friends are jerks."
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But Duckie, in a moment of surprisingly mature self-sacrifice, tells Andie to go after him. He realizes that Andie doesn't love him—she loves Blane. So, she runs into the parking lot, they kiss in the rain, and "If You Leave" by OMD starts playing. It’s a classic cinematic moment, but it leaves a bit of a sour taste for those who think Andie deserved someone who didn't need a pep talk to treat her with respect.
Is Blane Actually the Villain?
A lot of modern re-evaluations of the film have turned the tables on Duckie. We used to think he was the "Nice Guy" who got snubbed. Now, people look at Duckie’s behavior—the stalking, the constant guilt-tripping, the refusal to take "no" for an answer—and realize he was kind of toxic.
Compared to that, blane pretty in pink looks a lot better. Blane is flawed, sure. He’s weak. He’s susceptible to peer pressure. But he isn't entitled. He doesn't think he owns Andie. When he messes up, he stays away because he’s ashamed, not because he’s plotting a way to win her back through harassment.
There's also a theory that Steff didn't actually hate Andie because she was poor. He hated her because she was the only girl who ever said "no" to him. He was jealous of Blane. In that light, Blane wasn't just fighting classism; he was fighting a toxic friendship with a guy who wanted to control him.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that Blane is just a "Richie." If you look at his home life—or the little we see of it—there’s a lot of silence. He’s lonely. He’s looking for something real, and he finds it in Andie. The tragedy of the character isn't that he’s a jerk; it’s that he’s a decent person who almost let his environment crush his soul.
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The reshot ending gives him a redemption arc, but does he earn it? That's the $10,000 question. He shows up at the prom, which takes guts, but he doesn't actually do anything to help Andie until she’s already there, standing tall in her "ugly" pink dress. She did the hard work. He just showed up for the reward.
Why Blane Still Matters in 2026
We’re still talking about this because the class divide hasn’t gone away. The feeling of being "not good enough" for a certain social circle is universal. Blane represents the part of us that wants to be brave but is scared of what people will think. He’s a mirror for our own insecurities.
If you’re watching Pretty in Pink for the first time—or the fiftieth—keep an eye on his face during the scene at the stables. You can see the exact moment he starts to crumble. It’s a great piece of acting from McCarthy, even if the character he’s playing is making a terrible choice.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs
- Watch the hair: Next time you view the prom scene, look for the "prom wig." Once you see it, you can't un-see it.
- Check the soundtrack: The song "Goddess of Love" was originally written for the Duckie ending. When the ending changed, OMD had to write "If You Leave" in less than 24 hours.
- Read the novelization: The book version of the movie actually kept the original ending where Andie and Duckie end up together. If you want a different "head-canon," that's where to find it.
- Compare to 'Some Kind of Wonderful': John Hughes was so frustrated by the changed ending of Pretty in Pink that he basically wrote the same movie again a year later (with the genders swapped) so the "outsider" could finally win.
Blane McDonnagh might be a "major appliance," but he's an essential part of why this movie works. He isn't perfect, and he isn't always likable, but he is human. And in the neon-soaked world of 1980s teen movies, sometimes that’s enough.