Sixteen Candles (1984)

Director:

John Hughes

Writer:

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

4 May 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

This is Samantha Baker and today is her 16th birthday. The problem is, nobody remembers.

Plot:

A young girl's "sweet sixteenth" birthday becomes anything but special as she suffers from every embarrassment possible.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday | Crush | Exchange Student | Mother Daughter Relationship | Loss Of Virginity

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Molly Ringwald	...	Samantha Baker
Justin Henry	...	Mike Baker
Michael Schoeffling	...	Jake Ryan
Haviland Morris	...	Caroline Mulford
Gedde Watanabe	...	Long Duk Dong
Anthony Michael Hall	...	The Geek
Paul Dooley	...	Jim Baker
Carlin Glynn	...	Brenda Baker
Blanche Baker	...	Ginny Baker
Edward Andrews	...	Howard Baker
Billie Bird	...	Dorothy Baker
Carole Cook	...	Grandma Helen
Max Showalter	...	Grandpa Fred
Liane Alexandra Curtis	...	Randy (as Liane Curtis)
John Cusack	...	Bryce

Also Known As:

16 Candles (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:15 (original rating) (1984-2005) | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M (TV rating) | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:PA (Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

Central Avenue, Highland Park, Illinois, USA

Company:

Channel Productions

Trivia:

When Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall first met, they did not get along at all. Director John Hughes took them shopping at a music store and they discovered they had similar musical tastes and eventually got along.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the school auto shop when Farmer Ted tries to get into the car with Sam, he can't open the door because it is locked and Sam had to reach over to unlock the door for him. There is no door post for the lock to engage, so even if the door was locked, it would still swing freely.

Quotes:

The Geek: Can I borrow your underpants for 10 minutes?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in James K. Polk Was @#?!ing Awesome (2009)

Soundtrack:

Farmer John

A difficult kiss.

The final shot of this film can in some ways mirror the difficulties of adolescence. We see Molly Ringwald finally getting to kiss the boy she's been after since the film's outset. However this kiss doesn't look like it would have been particularly easy for the actors to pull off. Both Ringwald and Shoeffling are sitting "Indian-style" on a tabletop facing one another. They both have to lean forward presumably using their wrists for leverage while their lips meet over the flaming candles on her birthday cake. A difficult kiss, indeed.

Sixteen Candles is one of the best films John Hughes gave us in the 1980s. The young cast full of so many extraordinary talents gives us one memorable scene after another. Anthony Michael Hall is particularly effective as the leader of the nerdiest students on campus. Listen to his voice crack as he reads many of his lines, and try not to laugh. Good luck! The plot, as many of us know, centers around a young girl (Ringwald) whose parents forget about her sixteenth birthday in the midst of the chaos surrounding her older sister's wedding. At the same time she tries to win the affection of the most popular guy in school who happens to be dating the most beautiful girl in school. Ah, the trials and tribulations of high school.

The film is well-paced, never drags, and has its characters pegged pretty well. The obnoxious grandparents are particularly well-drawn. Of course things are eventually resolved in a manner that could never possibly happen in real life, but that's why we go to the movies.

I miss those destructive house parties!!! 9 of 10 stars.

The Hound.