Sixteen Candles
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling
Second movie of the project that I had previously seen before. I have seen brat pack movies because my fiance, Kaylen Hoffman, loves them (are these considered chick flicks? do they transcend that label?). Pretty in Pink is one of her favorite movies of all time. As a teen, Kay really identified with Molly Ringwald's character in that movie and in this one. I can see why. I'm sure that the younger Kaylen taht I never got to meet was just as unique, artsy, and angsty as this redheaded stepchild of the 80's (except it was Rooney instead of New Order).
This is a much goofier, fluffier movie than Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink. This is sort of the steryotypical teen movie (including a wild party while the parents are away! On no!). Ringwald plays a teen whose parents forget her 16th birthday. Duing her unspecial day, she is pestered by a geek and pines for a hunky jock. This is very similar to Pretty in Pink and, like that movie, she ends up with the pretty boy.
This sort of bothers me. Why would this rebellious, individualistic girl go for the hadsome, dense rich boy? Does Joh Hughes think that that's what all girls want? Maybe he thinks that all quarterbacks with nice cars are secretly sick of vapid cheerleaders and really just want to hang out with a weird girl. Who knows?
This movie is good for a laugh, but is mostly empty of deeper meaning. There are a lot of cheap laughs at a Chinese exchange student named Long Duk Dong (sometimes referred to as "the donger"). This movie is the godfather to the American Pie series and modern movies like Superbad (though a less raunchy version of both). Though this movie fails to get to any deeper truths about being a teen, it acts as a great antiquated relic of the olden days of the 80's.
PS- this is worth watching for a bit part from a very young John Cusak as a total dweeb.
Lesson learned: Don't let Kaylen near any popular rich pretty boys.
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