Sixteen Candles
John Hughes is an '80s icon, especially with young people. The multi-talented director/producer/screenwriter has made numerous films that address teen issues. For example, he glorified playing hooky in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but took a more serious look at living in a dysfunctional family in The Breakfast Club, a switch from the comedies he usually brought to the screen. Hughes's directorial debut, Sixteen Candles, is a comedic look at general teen awkwardness. This is arguably his best movie.
Brat Packer Molly Ringwald stars as Samantha Baker, who is the only one in her family to remember her 16th birthday that day. She expresses her annoyance gracefully; "I can't believe it. They fucking forgot my birthday." The reason that the Bakers forgot Sam's birthday is because the oldest daughter Ginny is getting married the next day. Ironically, Sam's mom chastises her for trying to divert attention away from the wedding.
The rest of Sam's less-than-Sweet Sixteen includes, but is not limited to, brushing off obnoxious geeks, lusting over an upperclassman, getting felt up by her grandmother, and lending out her panties. That's one hell of a birthday!
John Hughes' characters directly account for most of the humor. Mike Baker is the spokesman for bratty younger brothers; he addresses Sam as "birth defect." Co-Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall plays the worst kind of geek, the one who thinks he's cool. Don't miss The Geek's dance moves; he'll make you feel like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. The Chinese foreign-exchange student, comically named Long Duk Dong, crashes his host's car and gets frisky with a tall female student-athlete. Ginny's fiance & his parents are low-class in a humorous way. Ginny has the misfortune of enduring "that time of the month" the day before her wedding. Before the actual ceremony, she takes four muscle relaxers. The result is too hilarious to describe in words.
Clever directing on Hughes' part also results in constant laughter. Music from The Godfather plays when Ginny's future father-in-law talks about his business enterprises. Long Duk Dong hits another car, while two people making out in the backseat of the other car show no reaction at all. Speaking of "The Donger," a gong sound is heard when his name is mentioned.
The casting for Candles is top-notch. Ringwald is moderately pretty, allowing Sam's feelings of distress to appear believable without making the audience feel sorry for her. Weird Science's Hall was born to play geeks. The rest of the cast members are excellent in their roles, despite their lack of personal fame.
Sixteen Candles is a great way to revisit your teen years. After watching this movie, you'll appreciate being a little older and a lot wiser.
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An excellent party scene always calls for getting drunk out of your gourd.
Samantha's infatuation with the most popular guy in school will likely interest the ladies. Meanwhile, the men continue to drool over the brief bare-boobs scene.
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