Sixteen Candles (1984)

Directed by John Hughes

Released May 4th, 1984

Written by John Hughes

Movie Synopsis Courtesy of IMDB

"A girl's 'sweet' sixteenth birthday becomes anything but special, as she suffers from every embarrassment possible."

Since this is the first movie on my list by John Hughes, we have to talk about this man's genius for a second. John Hughes's films are the definition of 80s movies. Chances are you have seen at least one of his movies in your life if not more. He has directed movies such as Uncle Buck, all of the Home Alone movies, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Breakfast Club, Flubber and these are just his most well-known films. You can check him out at the link below, because he is worth reading about.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000455/

Most of the classic 80s movies, and my favorites, are from the genius that is John Hughes. He just has a way of portraying the high school experience in such a real way that lacks a lot of clichés that often come with high school films now-a-days. Not to say there isn't some clichés, but it is more believable. I also think that he has a nack for picking actors that portray the characters perfectly. Of course, most of his movies he is picking from the "brat pack" of the 80s (in this movie Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall) so you can't go wrong with these actors. But I think that is something that a great director does. He knows how to pull the character out of the actors and how to pick the right people to portray these characters to their full extent. It is not easy to have to pick the actors that are going to help bring your vision to life.

Now let's talk about sixteenth birthdays. First of all, who actually had a magical sixteenth birthday? Raise of hands? I know I didn't. I am pretty sure I went to school and then over the weekend I had a bonfire in my backyard. Nothing exciting. I didn't even get my license! The only "exciting" part is that my boyfriend, at the time, got me one of those crazy big and crazy obnoxious teddy bears. Which I didn't want in the first place...awkward. Sixteenth birthdays are something that people build up into kids' minds that is going to be a life changing event and it normally isn't. But to think about your parents and family forgetting your birthday, especially your extended family is still really upsetting. 

        "They fucking forgot my birthday!" - Samantha Baker

It's funny to think about this though, because in today's technological era it is really hard to forget someone's birthday. You can set reminders in your phone and have Facebook remind you that it is someone's birthday. There is so much technology to help you that it would be even worse if you forgot someone's birthday now-a-days because of all the reminders.

Okay, enough about random stuff. It is funny to think that while filming this movie, both Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall were 15. They don't look it! In the movie Molly looks like she could be at least 18 or 19, while Anthony looks to be about 13. It is also interesting to see Hughes using people that are actually the age of the characters in the movies. Now the actor who plays Jake Ryan was 23 when he shot the movie, but that isn't too far off. Most of the time, in the movie industry, they are using 20-some year-olds to play high schoolers. So the fact they were pretty true to their ages is actually surprising to me.

As I typically like to do, I have to point out my favorite character in each movie. In this movie there is no contest on who it is. Long Duk Dong! Some of my favorite quotes from this movie come from him. While his character and many of the jokes are a bit stereotypical, it is hard not to laugh because of the actor's delivery. He went all out playing this character, which only makes him more lovable and laughable.

Let's not forget, though, that the way the grandparents treat him, they are basically treating him like a slave. Making him mow the lawn and clean the house. Needless to say, in the 80s, being racists was more accepted in movies than it is now. If this movie came out today, some of these jokes would not have worked out well for modern audiences.

Speaking of the family, this family is messed up! The grandparents (both sets), Ginny, the little brother (but that's pretty typical), the fiancée, and all of his family. I feel bad for Samantha because this family is crazy. In most of the movie, whenever she is around them, she looks miserable. It is not that they are bad people, but they are embarrassing and clueless to Samantha and her life. It is like Samantha is invisible to the rest of her family.

This clip in itself shows how messed up Ginny is. The girl takes 4 painkillers and is high during her wedding. I am always mortified by this scene because image what she is going to think years from now when she thinks back to her wedding day. She will barely be able to remember it! Good thing Social Media wasn't around back then because otherwise she would be all over it and on her way to America's Funniest Home Videos. Now, I know, I know it is just a movie, but still if she was a real person just think about how horrible this would have been.

Last thing I want to talk about in terms of this movie is the premise of Jake Ryan! I am sorry, but if I found a random note about someone who wants to be with me even though I have never talked to them I would be creeped out. I would not want to start following them and asking people about them. I would try and keep my distance. I love this movie, but honestly the plot line is pretty creepy when you think about it. Also, this guy is a senior about to go to college and he is trying to find out about a Sophomore who has a crush on him? Come on! He must be pretty stupid, but I guess the weird and crazy from the Baker family is in Samantha's blood too. So both of them are weird and crazy, which I guess makes them a perfect match?

Samantha: "Donger's here for five hours, and he's got somebody. I live here my whole life, and I'm like a disease."