Passable in Pink

By: Mike Sacks

Narrated by: Gillian Jacobs, Adam Scott, Bobby Moynihan, Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Emily Woo Zeller, Laraine Newman, Sasheer Zamata, James Adomian, Julie Klausner, Joel Kim Booster, Justine Bateman, Judd Nelson, Jessica McKenna, full cast

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

When love reigns supreme in Northridge High just outside Chicago, by the lake, it happens beneath the soft, pink-infused spotlights hovering over that most special night of the year - prom night!   

And when that happens, it’s bound to be called . . . Passable in Pink

Passable in Pink is an Audible Original from New York Times best-selling author Mike Sacks (And Here's the Kicker, Poking a Dead Frog). 

Sacks has teamed up once again with director Eric Jason Martin (Heads Will Roll) to adapt a forgotten John Hughes-type 1983 movie into a fully immersive cinematic audio experience, with an epic all-star cast, including: Gillian Jacobs (Girls, Love), Adam Scott (Parks and Rec, Big Little Lies), Bobby Moynihan (SNL), Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad), Justine Bateman (Family Ties), Julie Klausner (Difficult People), Laraine Newman (SNL), and Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club). 

Passable in Pink deftly sends up the 1980s while addressing the vital question: Will Addy Stevenson go to the senior prom? 

Addy is suffering through her sophomore year at suburban Chicago’s Northridge High. She lives on the “wrong” side of the lake with her father, a struggling advertising copywriter (“Where the hell is the goddamn beef?”) and her ever-boozy mom (“Get me another drink, baby, and really make it sing.”). Addy’s younger brother, Spaz, her soon-to-marry older sister, Princess, and a visiting international transfer student add to the mix. 

Her world is turned upside down when she meets Roland McDough, the “most beautiful Richie boy” at Northridge High. Is he actually interested in Addy, or is he just playing a game? This star-studded Audible Original also features a special 11-song, 1980s-infused film soundtrack, produced by Mark Rozzo (Stinker Lets Loose!).

Are you ready to jump back into the cool, neon-glazed, high-topped reality of the 1980s? Do you miss those kick-ass tubular synth-rockin’ sounds and delicious phantasma-gaseous smells? When was the last time you put on your Members Only jacket and danced the Safety Dance? 

A loving send-up of a bygone era, this is one audio comedy where Every Breath You Take will remind you of How You Used to Be.

Full cast includes: Gillian Jacobs, Adam Scott, Bobby Moynihan, Bob Odenkirk, Emily Woo Zeller, Rhea Seehorn, Laraine Newman, Judd Nelson, James Adomian, Sasheer Zamata, Joel Kim Booster, Julie Klausner, Justine Bateman, Mark Gagliardi, Jessica McKenna, Justin Michael, Julia Whelan, Eric Jason Martin, Tara Sands, and Mike Sacks.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

A classic parody, f**ing funny as hell.

The only other audible I have actually laughed out loud at was Mike Sacks' other pitch perfect sendup; "Stinker Lets Loose".
I didn't know or expect anything from SLL ahead of it appearing in my library, but I'll be damned if i didn't listen to it in it's entirety 3 times in a row. Sometimes I actually laughed uncontrollably. Sometimes I couldn't laugh because the timing and performances just left me in awe. Occasionally I have to unpack comedy like that.

Passable In Pink is irreverent, so don't expect it to be cute and rosy like the films it targets. Imagine if Doug Kenny (National Lampoon) had made Ferris Buellers Day Off or The Breakfast Club. Those listeners expecting a loyal tribute to those films will probably be disappointed. This is a satire. And it's razor sharp. Mike Sacks has paid attention to every detail and trope that those films used. . . Again, just as he did with the "bandit" "trucker" movies of the late 70s in Stinker

This is a masterclass in comedy right here. The writing is sharp and I can tell it's meant to read well. But g*ddamit the performances are brilliant. Gillian Jacobs' delivery is amazing, understating a lot of the writing's sharp left turns. Odenkirk's nerdy borderline embarrassing dad, Rhea Seehorn's suspiciously older closest friend, and Moynihan's Grimer are all perfectly painted characters. The entire cast is really fantastic.

I hope Mike doesn't get tired of doing these. He does them extremely well. Bravo. . . .

Much More than Just Passable!

Hilarious! Not a single retrograde notion or lazy cliche in any given John Hughes movie escapes Mike Sacks. Just like "Stinker Lets Loose,” his sharp send-up of the trucker-movie genre, “Passable” mocks anything and everything about 80s teen comedies with a sense of humor that's far, far funnier than the source material. Seriously, Hughes should have paid Sacks to rework his scripts...and cast the films and score the music while he was at it, because the actors and music he’s assembled for this audio experience are tops!

A hilarious skewering of the films of John Hughes

I have seen the films of John Hughes countless times, and they are near and dear to my heart. But Passable in Pink, in the most humorous ways possible, points out the several aspects of these films that have either aged horribly or were simply glossed over at the time of their release. Great listen with countless top-tier voice talents.

LISTEN WHERE YOU CAN LAUGH OUT LOUD!

Tightly produced eighties satire bound to snap your funnybone like it were flimsier than a snap bracelet. HIGHLY recommended!

If you know your John Hughes movies you'll get it.

A fun listen. Narrators did a good job acting out the story. Very entertaining spoof of 80's teen comedies.

A thoroughly enjoyable audio experience

This Audible original is well produced and immerses the listener right back into 80’s with all if its brat pack, teen angsty glory. It pulls from a variety of those classic movies, creating a storyline that reminds us of them while also standing on its own. I loved each of the performances given by the voice actors, probably laughing the most at Addy’s father, voiced by Bob Odenkirk. The music added another layer to the audio experience and I may just have to get the soundtrack as well.

Weird, in a good way

Made me laugh quite a bit! Lots of running jokes and non-sequiturs. It reminded me of Wet Hot American Summer. Sometimes the tongue-in-cheek was annoying. Overall a good listen.

So much retro fun!

Rad! Tubular! Gnarly! This is a fun trip through time with some awesome comedic voices...and kinda love that it pokes some holes in those "high school" movies from the 80's

Over-produced

I think they tried too hard producing the "movie in your mind" and forgot the story. Hard to follow, The music is TERRIBLE. It feels like a book that is supposed to be about the 1980's but was written by a group of teenagers who weren't born yet. The vernacular and music in the book do not represent the 80's. I was really excited to listen to this one because of all the hype and it turned out to be a disappointment.

Waste of a credit

Wanted to love it. Chucked occasionally, rolled my eyes a good bit, mainly was questioning myself “why are you still listening to this”. Again, some observations were funny but most were over the top middle schoolish. Overall I didn’t feel like it was a great mish mash of these classic 80’s movies. It was like a “C- version” of a Leslie Neilson spoof (and I loved His movies)

Funny if you grew up with John Hughes

You'd need to get the references to get this book. it's very funny in places and really entertaining with a full cast. Some jokes get a bit overused but otherwise a fun listen.

Short read

I loved the full cast and sound with this book but I couldn't not finish after hear slur used.