The voice of teenage-angst films was silenced on August 6, 2009 as director, writer and producer John Hughes passed away after a fatal heart-attack during a morning walk in Manhattan, New York.
Born on February 18, 1950 in Lansing Michigan, Hughes would eventually go on to single-handedly revolutionize the teenage film genre. Creating honest portraits of what it was like to be at the age where the world makes no sense, Hughes also magically seemed to be able to capture the teenage perspective. Teenage films prior to that often felt like an adult awkwardly depicting something they no longer understood.
His films thrived on the fact that teenagers identified with these characters and he infused them in a Frank Capra- type suburbia that was flawed upon closer inspection. The good were rewarded, the bad were punished and everyone else attended a tubular party.
Along the way, he also made house-hold names of Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.
It is hard to imagine growing-up without the voice of Hughes, who provided tons of entertainment for several generations. If you stripped his pictures of the dated-fashions, the idea that stands the most is of people looking for their right to be treated equally and have their voices heard –something we all seek.
Hughes started writing movies with the disastrous “National Lampoon’s Class Reunion,” which tried to spoof the slasher genre. Anyone who saw this film would have never been able to foresee what his career would become.
In 1983, his talent as a screenwriter became evident with “Mr. Mom.” It featured Michael Keaton as a down on his luck father that is forced to take care of the kids when his wife went to work. The comedy throughout is based on the truthfulness of the situation and none of it ever feels far-fetched. His second hit that year was the blockbuster, “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” which is a hysterical, off-the-wall spoof of family vacations. Chevy Chase gave one of his best performances as the head of family trying to keep his sanity. The jokes in the film are consistently funny and spawn from the unexpected.  He later wrote both sequels to “Vacation.”
The following year, he stepped behind the camera to direct “Sixteen Candles.” This was the vehicle that launched Ringwald into the elite world of the Brat Pack. She plays Samantha Baker, whose family manages to forget her birthday. That isn’t her only problem; she is in love with Jake Ryan, who doesn’t seem to know she exists and she can’t escape the affections of Farmer Ted (Hall). Hall manages to magnificently and realistically capture the dilemma of being a high-school nerd in this winning picture.
The hits kept on coming with his greatest film to date in 1985, “The Breakfast Club.” Five students: the jock, bully, nerd, basket-case and princess are all stuck in a day-long dentition. They learn over the period of the day that they aren’t so different from each other and deep down, their emotions are basically the same. Ringwald and Hall return and strengthen their Brat Pack status, but the real breakaway performance comes from Judd Nelson. He is simply brilliant as the bully John Bender that lashes out. Through his performance, we begin to understand that Bender is a decent guy and someone that even ends up with the princess.
That was followed by the silly, yet in some ways charming, “Weird Science.”
But it was 1986’s “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” that is and always will be a fan favorite. It is the quirky story of Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) and his escapades when he decides to play hooky from school. While at times a little too melodramatic, that doesn’t hinder its appeal as a whole.
He then directed two of John Candy’s best movies: “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and “Uncle Buck.” They showed the wide range of talent that Candy had, which allowed us to laugh one moment and cry the next. Hughes was one of the few directors that utilized the best from Candy.
Even while directing, he managed to find time to pen two more classic ‘80s movies: “Pretty in Pink” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
“Pretty in Pink” features Ringwald yet again as a poor girl that is in love with a rich guy. Meanwhile, her best friend, Ducky, is deeply in love with her. Jon Cryer is great as the love sick bud. Then, came “Some Kind of Wonderful,” which features Eric Stolz and is basically a role-reversal of “Pretty in Pink” with the proper ending.
After “Curly Sue,” Hughes wisely decided to step away from the camera but continued to write and produce.
Hughes spent the last two decades writing some of the most famous family comedies, including “Home Alone,” “Beethoven,” “Baby’s Day Out” and “Flubber.”
Sadly, his last credit is for the story of the abysmal “Drillbit Taylor,” but his impact on the film world is far superior to that.
“The Breakfast Club” closes to a catchy tune by the Simple Minds, called “Don’t You Forget about Me.â€
We won’t. We can’t.
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