Last night, as I arrived home from watching a baseball game, I flipped on my computer and saw these words: John Hughes, Dead, 59. It took a minute for it to register and then a wave of emotion poured over me. I was truly upset. For me, John Hughes was that surrogate parent who understood where I was in my life. His teen classics coincided with my teenage years and I felt like I had lost someone very near and dear to me. I was surprised at how much it affected me.
As I entered my 13th year in the summer of 1983, my hormones were racing and John Hughes had his first really big hit, Vacation. Everyone that has seen Vacation knows it's a funny movie, but for many boys, Christie Brinkley was that first crush (my apologies to Phoebe Cates). I guess it says something about growing older, that when I watch it now, while Brinkley is still dazzling, I have a larger spot in my heart for the buxom Beverly D'Angelo. Soon after, Hughes career took off from here with numerous movies about teen angst and in many ways he made my life easier. He obviously understood me more than my parents.
A year later, a little comedy about a bunch of dorky kids and one dreamboat guy came out called Sixteen Candles. For the most part, the characters all looked like you and I, the movie fixating on teenagers awkwardness and not Hollywood's glamorous ideals. This movie showed us that there is someone out there for everyone and often, who it is, might surprise you. This movie also did for girls what Phoebe and Christie did for boys, giving them the perfect guy, Jake Ryan. I won't wax poetic about him, because I devoted a previous blog and my sexuality has already been questioned by many. Girls, you know what I mean.
The Breakfast Club followed and showcased the talents of a group of young actors, all of whom went on to make many more films as adults. It basically took every high school stereotype and wrapped it into five characters. Everyone could relate to at least one and many of us saw ourselves in one of these wonderful character. In the end, the movie showed us that everyone shares the same struggles, trying to find who they are, while also trying to please their parents; an impossible task for a teenager.
Hughes then went to silly comedy with a sequel, European Vacation. A very silly move that was in no way as good or funny as the original. Weird Science was pretty dopey too, but it did feature Kelly Lebrock, who made everyone say "Christie who?" Pretty in Pink followed and for the life of me I can't remember this film, although I do remember Jon Cryer's ridiculous faux hawk. Which by the way, is making a return. That in itself is an enigma.
In what is probably Hughes' biggest hit, Ferris Bueller's Day Off came out in 1986 and had every kid singing Twist and Shout and saying "danke shoen." I've always thought this was an overrated movie, but the lovely Mia Sara co-starred, so I have a soft spot for it. Mia and I went to the same school in Brooklyn, although she was a few years older than me. Has anyone ever watched this and counted how many recognizable faces are in this movie? It's insane.
One of his most underrated films was Some Kind of Wonderful. Basically the story of a guy who gets advice from his best female friend on how to get the hot chick, but then ends up with his friend when he realizes the hot chick is superficial. A modern day telling of Cyrano, but suffers from taking itself too seriously. It's a bit of a stretch that he used Lea Thompson as the hot chick, because I thought the tomboyish Mary Stuart Masterson was much prettier anyway. Plus, this movie has Elias Koteas as Duncan the tough guy. Unintentional comedy, but it kinda works.
John Candy then entered the Hughes circle with the road trip Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, with co-star Steve Martin. It's the story of a guy trying to get back to his family for the holidays and a man who really doesn't have anything to get back to. The movie is laugh out loud funny, but very poignant at the same time, showing us that if you take time to look around, you realize that there are others less fortunate than you and sometime a kind gesture makes both feel better. Candy followed these up with The Great Outdoors and Uncle Buck. Uncle Buck was one of my brother's favorite movies growing up and is still one of mine.
Another Vacation sequel later and then Hughes introduced us to MacCauley Culkin. Many think Home Alone ruined his career, but at the time, the cute little kid, left at home, foiling a robbery was top notch humor. What's so great about Hughes was that he took the most preposterous plot and made it believable. I mean seriously, parents leaving their kid at home while on a long trip? The house is about to be robbed and the little boy becomes MacGyver and saves the day? Silly, but somehow this worked. Culkin became a huge star and unfortunately it spawned some awful sequels, somewhat killing off the original's mystique.
I was twenty-one when Career Opportunities came out. So the angst was gone. I remember renting this and seeing that Jennifer Connolly was in it. The little girl who was in Once Upon A Time In America was all grown up. Connolly and I also went to the same school. She was a grade below me and is the subject of my claim to fame. Well one of them. At a good friend's party, we started to play spin the bottle. I believe I was 12 or 13 and she was the same age (I skipped 3rd grade, thus being a grade ahead). Well I spun and the bottle pointed at her. Not sure if this kiss was a peck or deeper, but I do know that she has probably told this story many less times than I have. While the memory was a fond one it didn't quite match up to the vision of her riding the shopping market electric horse in this movie.
The next movie, sadly in my opinion, was his last good film. Dutch starred Married with Children's Ed O'Neill. I thought this was an excellent. A buddy movie with and guy and his girlfriend's kid. The movie manages to take a situation that could be classified as delicate and handle it with such care, that the humor and the seriousness mesh into something unexpected. People wanting Al Bundy will not be pleased, but in my opinion, it's a hidden gem.
Hughes went on to make some movies about a shaggy dog, some more Home Alone movies and some other flops. Maybe he had outgrown the teen genre and was trying to grow himself. Who knows? I do know that from the time I turned thirteen until twenty-one, there was nobody who quite understood me like John Hughes. I have watched many of these movies as an adult and I still love and appreciate them. Growing up is very hard to do. Hughes didn't drive me to school or help me with my homework, but he made movies that let me know that the thoughts, the questions, and the feelings I had were completely normal. For that, I thank him.
R.I.P.
As I entered my 13th year in the summer of 1983, my hormones were racing and John Hughes had his first really big hit, Vacation. Everyone that has seen Vacation knows it's a funny movie, but for many boys, Christie Brinkley was that first crush (my apologies to Phoebe Cates). I guess it says something about growing older, that when I watch it now, while Brinkley is still dazzling, I have a larger spot in my heart for the buxom Beverly D'Angelo. Soon after, Hughes career took off from here with numerous movies about teen angst and in many ways he made my life easier. He obviously understood me more than my parents.
A year later, a little comedy about a bunch of dorky kids and one dreamboat guy came out called Sixteen Candles. For the most part, the characters all looked like you and I, the movie fixating on teenagers awkwardness and not Hollywood's glamorous ideals. This movie showed us that there is someone out there for everyone and often, who it is, might surprise you. This movie also did for girls what Phoebe and Christie did for boys, giving them the perfect guy, Jake Ryan. I won't wax poetic about him, because I devoted a previous blog and my sexuality has already been questioned by many. Girls, you know what I mean.
The Breakfast Club followed and showcased the talents of a group of young actors, all of whom went on to make many more films as adults. It basically took every high school stereotype and wrapped it into five characters. Everyone could relate to at least one and many of us saw ourselves in one of these wonderful character. In the end, the movie showed us that everyone shares the same struggles, trying to find who they are, while also trying to please their parents; an impossible task for a teenager.
Hughes then went to silly comedy with a sequel, European Vacation. A very silly move that was in no way as good or funny as the original. Weird Science was pretty dopey too, but it did feature Kelly Lebrock, who made everyone say "Christie who?" Pretty in Pink followed and for the life of me I can't remember this film, although I do remember Jon Cryer's ridiculous faux hawk. Which by the way, is making a return. That in itself is an enigma.
In what is probably Hughes' biggest hit, Ferris Bueller's Day Off came out in 1986 and had every kid singing Twist and Shout and saying "danke shoen." I've always thought this was an overrated movie, but the lovely Mia Sara co-starred, so I have a soft spot for it. Mia and I went to the same school in Brooklyn, although she was a few years older than me. Has anyone ever watched this and counted how many recognizable faces are in this movie? It's insane.
One of his most underrated films was Some Kind of Wonderful. Basically the story of a guy who gets advice from his best female friend on how to get the hot chick, but then ends up with his friend when he realizes the hot chick is superficial. A modern day telling of Cyrano, but suffers from taking itself too seriously. It's a bit of a stretch that he used Lea Thompson as the hot chick, because I thought the tomboyish Mary Stuart Masterson was much prettier anyway. Plus, this movie has Elias Koteas as Duncan the tough guy. Unintentional comedy, but it kinda works.
John Candy then entered the Hughes circle with the road trip Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, with co-star Steve Martin. It's the story of a guy trying to get back to his family for the holidays and a man who really doesn't have anything to get back to. The movie is laugh out loud funny, but very poignant at the same time, showing us that if you take time to look around, you realize that there are others less fortunate than you and sometime a kind gesture makes both feel better. Candy followed these up with The Great Outdoors and Uncle Buck. Uncle Buck was one of my brother's favorite movies growing up and is still one of mine.
Another Vacation sequel later and then Hughes introduced us to MacCauley Culkin. Many think Home Alone ruined his career, but at the time, the cute little kid, left at home, foiling a robbery was top notch humor. What's so great about Hughes was that he took the most preposterous plot and made it believable. I mean seriously, parents leaving their kid at home while on a long trip? The house is about to be robbed and the little boy becomes MacGyver and saves the day? Silly, but somehow this worked. Culkin became a huge star and unfortunately it spawned some awful sequels, somewhat killing off the original's mystique.
I was twenty-one when Career Opportunities came out. So the angst was gone. I remember renting this and seeing that Jennifer Connolly was in it. The little girl who was in Once Upon A Time In America was all grown up. Connolly and I also went to the same school. She was a grade below me and is the subject of my claim to fame. Well one of them. At a good friend's party, we started to play spin the bottle. I believe I was 12 or 13 and she was the same age (I skipped 3rd grade, thus being a grade ahead). Well I spun and the bottle pointed at her. Not sure if this kiss was a peck or deeper, but I do know that she has probably told this story many less times than I have. While the memory was a fond one it didn't quite match up to the vision of her riding the shopping market electric horse in this movie.
The next movie, sadly in my opinion, was his last good film. Dutch starred Married with Children's Ed O'Neill. I thought this was an excellent. A buddy movie with and guy and his girlfriend's kid. The movie manages to take a situation that could be classified as delicate and handle it with such care, that the humor and the seriousness mesh into something unexpected. People wanting Al Bundy will not be pleased, but in my opinion, it's a hidden gem.
Hughes went on to make some movies about a shaggy dog, some more Home Alone movies and some other flops. Maybe he had outgrown the teen genre and was trying to grow himself. Who knows? I do know that from the time I turned thirteen until twenty-one, there was nobody who quite understood me like John Hughes. I have watched many of these movies as an adult and I still love and appreciate them. Growing up is very hard to do. Hughes didn't drive me to school or help me with my homework, but he made movies that let me know that the thoughts, the questions, and the feelings I had were completely normal. For that, I thank him.
R.I.P.
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