Sixteen Candles

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Sixteen Candles

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Sixteen Candles

Anthony Michael Hall, Billie Bird, Blanche Baker, Carole Cook, Gedde Watanabe

A lonely girl turns sweet sixteen but no one in her entire family remembers the momentous occasion.

Id: 10902498

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Sixteen Candles Recent Reviews
  • SirPant
    September 22, 2009
    SirPant
    Easily my favourite John Hughes movie. Anthony Michael Hall is brilliant but Gedde Watanabe really steals the show.
  • her69eyes
    August 22, 2009
    her69eyes
    "Sixteen Candles" is the film that launched the prolific directorial career of the late John Hughes, who would go onto direct such films as "The Breakfast Club", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", and "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles". It's a beloved classic, a time capsule that represe...( read more)nts the fashionable nostalgia of the 1980's as well as Madonna, the Atari 2600, and Transformers.

    Before there was Judd Apatow, there was John Hughes - a genius with a keen eye on the way teenagers talked, dressed, and loved. While other movies from the period, like "Porky's", weren't much more than softcore porn for hormonal teenagers, the Hughes films shed light on both the high-points and the miseries of typical high school life.

    Watching it in 2009, it's clear that it's dated - not just the outfits and the slang, but some of the broad comedy that isn't nearly as satisfying as it once was. Children of the 80's and 90's probably look back fondly on the stereotypical foreign exchange student, Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe), but today it's clear that it's shamelessly offensive and everything but funny. The hateful comedy also stretches to cameo performances, like a young Joan Cusack who exists only to struggle with a neck brace. While "The Breakfast Club" utilized it's archetypes successfully, "Sixteen Candles" is a bit unmemorable due to some of it's tired gags that poke fun at, not embrace, the many faces of high school students.

    It's Samantha Baker's (Molly Ringwald) sixteenth birthday, and nothing is going right. Her older sister (Blanche Baker) is marrying a dull Italian boy, and in the chaos of the week leading up to the wedding her parents have forgotten her birthday. She continues to lust after the dreamy senior, Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), who doesn't know she exists, and meanwhile is forced to fend off the advances of the obnoxious and completely oblivious "geek" (Anthony Michael Hall).

    The film has a bit of an identity crisis. There's a beautiful scene that's become quite a classic in which the geek and Samantha have a tender conversation in an auto shop. Later on, however, after revealing much of his inner turmoils - the geek goes back to molesting the prom queen (Haviland Morris) for pictures. The film has a lot of the wonderful drama of "The Breakfast Club", but the raunchy comedy sets everything off balance. At times these kids act like fully imagined three-dimension figures, and at other times they're simply pawns to set up the next joke.

    We've seen many knock-offs of "Sixteen Candles" since it's release in 1984, and therefore it's hard to grasp it's innovation on a genre. Though it hasn't aged remarkably well, "Sixteen Candles" should be remembered as the pioneer of teen comedies for adults.
  • stopitgoaway
    August 8, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    Samantha Baker's opening line bemoaning her breast size. And that one dry observation is just the beginning of Samantha's hellish 16th birthday in Sixteen Candles, the debut feature from that king of the teen movies John Hughes.

    Sixteen Candles is very special for the simple rea...( read more)son that John Hughes showed other filmmakers of the day what a teen movie could be all about. Instead of an orgy of sex, booze and all night partying, films starring teenagers could be about real people. Young people with problems of their own. Fears. Insecurities. And a healthy dollop of angst.

    Sixteen Candles takes all of those qualities and makes a surprisingly fun film out of it. Even at the start of his career, John Hughes has made a film that's buoyant, brimming with confidence and delightfully dotty. Its everything a teen film should be.

    The film that put Molly Ringwald on the map shows off her budding talent (if not her breasts!). She really is quite wonderful in the role of Samantha because she must encapsulate a lot of emotions. Especially when the emotions of those around her are particularly running high.

    Even though its Samantha's birthday, her family are much more preoccupied with her elder sister Ginny's wedding. They completely forget that its her birthday. If that weren't bad enough, Samantha's high school crush Jake doesn't even know she exists. She's being hounded by "The Geek" (a sex-starved Anthony Michael Hall), and she's been lumbered with a Chinese foreign exchange student. And there's a party to go to.

    Sixteen Candles is quite a breezy film. Its a very confident debut for John Hughes. There are touches that would become hallmarks for Hughes. Carefully etched characters. His ear for teenspeak. And quirkiness. Hughes is known for having a certain quirky touch but in Sixteen Candles it really goes into overdrive. And that may be the film's only fault.

    Yes its a very funny film to be sure. But sometimes it feels like Hughes is more interested in springing the next oddball quirk on us than getting on and telling the story. The film is downright crazy at times. TV themes on the soundtrack (if well employed). Surreal images. There were times when these little curiosities quite wore me out.

    Every scene has something odd about it. Except one. The scene where Samantha's father Jim (Paul Dooley) sits her down and apologises for missing out on what may have been the most important birthday in Samantha's life. Its the one scene in the whole film where Hughes forgets about being nutty and concentrates on the characters themselves. Hughes is always at his best when he directs his own scripts, and this scene in particular really shines.

    Jim and Samantha actually feel like a real father and daughter. He doesn't quite connect on her level, but he senses her problems and offers to be a sympathetic ear, if not a solution to them. A wonderful scene brilliantly written and performed to perfection by Dooley and Ringwald.

    There is an actual plot going on throughout all the wackiness Hughes has let loose. And Ringwald is at the centre of it. This may in fact be her best performance. Not only because it feels like her truest film character, but she is exactly the same age as Samantha. 16. And that's why Ringwald so completely identifies with Samantha so perfectly.

    The film also has a very appealing list of co-stars around the edges of the story. At the head of the line is Anthony Michael Hall, suitably geekish without actually looking like a geek. At least he doesn't wear the thick glasses and lots of zits that crop up in many a teen movie's list of stereotypes.

    Hall wants to nail Samantha, the girl of his dreams so he can score points with all his geek pals. But in a surprisingly sweet scene, the two open up to each other instead. Its a moment where Hughes changes tack, and their relationship rotates from testy to understanding. Samantha confides in Hall her problems and being unlucky in love, and "The Geek" quite surprisingly offers to help out in a way that doesn't feel contrived at all.

    There are lots of neat little cameos from a few early risers. Look out for brother and sister John & Joan Cusack. John forms a part of the "Geek Trio", and although Joan walks through the film sporting an unsightly neck brace, she shows her considerable talent for physical comedy without having to do much of anything. Just the sight of her in that thing is worth the price of admission alone!

    Kramer vs Kramer star Justin Henry is perfectly horrid as Samantha's brattish brother Mike. Haviland Morris is perfectly bitchy as Jake's Prom Queen girlfriend Caroline, and Gedde Watanabe perfectly wacky as Long Duk Dong, the Chinese exchange student. His antics may seem offensive to some nitpickers, but since he looks like he's having so much fun, who cares?

    Michael Schoeffling is a bit on the bland side as Jake, but the way he and Samantha come together is still quite nice. John Hughes would continue to improve in the teen genre with greater and greater hits. But the sight gags, witty performances and sharp dialogue ensure Sixteen Candles will always remain a classic.
  • QueenCityFilms
    May 12, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    Predictable 80's romp. Goofy as usual with 80's movies. Had a couple funny moments...overall just your typical BAD 80's comedy.
  • kiriyamakazou
    January 23, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Hilariously dated. This means you are mostly laughing AT it and not with it. From a racist Asian character that is accompanied my a Gong sound effect every time his name is mentioned, to a bet made where the winner gets floppy disks. It's kind of sweet and harmless but certainly ...( read more)not of the high quality of Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The most interesting character is surprisingly the high school jock. He actually wants a proper relationship and doesn't turn out to be a scuzz bucket. "Donger needs food" is a classic line though and John Cusack's small roll shows his future brilliance.
  • ddyannat
    December 1, 2009
    ddyannat
    Typical 80s movie with everyone getting what they deserve in the end..
  • sgreen57
    November 27, 2009
    sgreen57
    once again another great 80's movie you seem to like alot of the same 80's movies i do
  • snapesdesire
    November 22, 2009
    snapesdesire
    I love this movie. One of the original teen flicks, this movie explores the many common dilemmas of high school students in a witty and memorable story. Molly Ringwald is awesome in her role as Sam and portrays a character that almost every teen girl can relate to. A huge success...( read more) for John Hughes and classic film that should be a right of passage for all teens.
  • reetzbrian
    November 19, 2009
    reetzbrian
    I love 80's movies like this
  • bronzlox1
    November 18, 2009
    bronzlox1
    "I loathe the bus..." such an excellent 80s movie. I love it! And Jake Ryan is dreamy.
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