nostalgicSixteen Candles (1984)
Written & Directed by: John Hughes
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Gedde Watanabe, John Cusack, and lots more
Poor Samantha Baker (Ringwald). It's her sixteenth birthday, and everyone in her family has forgotten. She has a crush on the cutest boy in school (Schoeffling, who, by the way, no longer acts), but he doesn't know she exists. Her sister is about to get married, so of course everyone's attention is on the upcoming wedding. Her grandparents are hosting a foreign exchange student (Watanabe), who may or may not be completely insane. Oh, and to top it all off, the biggest geek in school (Anthony Michael Hall) has cooked up a plan to make everyone think he slept with Samantha at the school dance. So, yeah, she's having a rough day. Hilarity ensues.
Classic teen movie. Classic 80s movie. Classic John Hughes. What more can I say, really? This is probably my second favorite John Hughes film (The Breakfast Club is number one). He was truly a genius when it came to capturing on screen what it feels like to be a teenager. If you've never watched any of his films, you absolutely must.
Molly Ringwald is adorable, and Anthony Michael Hall steals every scene he's in. It's nice to see how many of these then-kids went on to be successful actors as adults. You've heard of this guy named John Cusack, right? I think he might have done a couple of movies since the 1980s. You know, one or two. ;-)
Speaking of Cusack, is it wrong that I want to see Hot Tub Time Machine? It looks completely stupid in a totally awesome way. It's actually gotten some decent reviews (a 62% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
