There is a devoted contingent of people around my age (30) for
whom Sixteen Candles is and always will be the greatest movie of
all time. I am one of them.
I cop to the fact that it could be due to the "teenager effect": the
movies you saw around 13 will always be your favorites. But I think
it's more than that. Clearly John Hughes was, in 1982, an insanely
talented writer at the top of his game. He went on to write teen
classics The Breakfast Club and Ferris Beuhler in quick
succession after this. Sixteen Candles was not his first script
(Vacation, another comedy classic, preceded this) but it was his
directorial debut, and he's firing on all cylinders.
I love the way that Hughes gives such respect to his teen subjects.
He realizes that things DO matter more when you're a teenager,
because you're experiencing it all for the first time.
The second incredible thing about this movie is Anthony Michael
Hall's performance as the geek. I challenge you to find another
performance by a teenager that is funnier, anytime, anywhere. He
is simply incredible. I think he deserved an oscar nomination for it
and people think it's crazy but I stick by that.
Hughes' sense of humor is appropriately juvenile at times, and his
use of sound effects can seem a little bush-league. Of course, the
racist caricature of Long Duck Dong is a blight on the movie (then
again, most of the characters are drawn in broad strokes, but
when it comes to race there are different rules of conduct).
I've seen this movie about 50 times. And it still cracks me up. I
could list my favorite quotes... but there isn't room.
Happy viewing.
whom Sixteen Candles is and always will be the greatest movie of
all time. I am one of them.
I cop to the fact that it could be due to the "teenager effect": the
movies you saw around 13 will always be your favorites. But I think
it's more than that. Clearly John Hughes was, in 1982, an insanely
talented writer at the top of his game. He went on to write teen
classics The Breakfast Club and Ferris Beuhler in quick
succession after this. Sixteen Candles was not his first script
(Vacation, another comedy classic, preceded this) but it was his
directorial debut, and he's firing on all cylinders.
I love the way that Hughes gives such respect to his teen subjects.
He realizes that things DO matter more when you're a teenager,
because you're experiencing it all for the first time.
The second incredible thing about this movie is Anthony Michael
Hall's performance as the geek. I challenge you to find another
performance by a teenager that is funnier, anytime, anywhere. He
is simply incredible. I think he deserved an oscar nomination for it
and people think it's crazy but I stick by that.
Hughes' sense of humor is appropriately juvenile at times, and his
use of sound effects can seem a little bush-league. Of course, the
racist caricature of Long Duck Dong is a blight on the movie (then
again, most of the characters are drawn in broad strokes, but
when it comes to race there are different rules of conduct).
I've seen this movie about 50 times. And it still cracks me up. I
could list my favorite quotes... but there isn't room.
Happy viewing.