Written by contributor Simoun Marsada
John Hughes is the man who gave us a string of teen films that are more than just raunchy portrayals of youth but a precise reflection of who teenagers actually are. From Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, John Hughes helped define an entire genre and paved the way for storytelling with teens at the forefront that isn’t hammy and is affecting.
Here is a look back at the teen movies John both wrote and directed and we’ll see why they should be appreciated and dissected by generations of past and present.
Sixteen Candles
After that banging opener, you wouldn’t think Sixteen Candles is a complex story about an outcast who is only looking forward to being appreciated, like what most teens are. Despite her obvious beauty, Sam Baker struggles to fit in with the crowd and find someone who likes the real her.
Then comes in Ted, a geek who is pretty confident about himself, and Jake Ryan, a handsome enigmatic guy who wants to be taken seriously beyond his looks. This is a continued trend throughout the film; subverting expectations and pulling stereotypes out of their boxes.
The film is also an exercise on how to write an unpredictable romantic story. Sixteen Candles has many things happening at once: the wedding, the family forgetting Sam’s birthday, and the entire foreign exchange student storyline, but it still manages to plant seeds for a heart-tugging conclusion.
While it doesn’t translate well enough today because of some of its problematic themes, Sixteen Candles is still a deviant teen film because of its rough edges and characters that seem to jump out of their labels.
The Breakfast Club
Perhaps the most famous John Hughes film, The Breakfast Club condenses high school cliques into four individuals. While the characters represent different sectors of Shermer High, they aren’t stereotypes, but on a spectrum and harbours backstories that are relatable to most teenagers. Claire, while popular, struggles with reputation. Andrew, while a strong jock, is fed up with his overachieving father. Brian loves studying, but he doesn’t love it as much as his friends and family. Allison is mostly by herself, but she manages to be the strongest emotionally. Bender is hiding behind a rebellious façade when he’s verbally and physically abused at home.
What’s good about Hughes’ film, which is perfectly depicted The Breakfast Club, is that teenage struggles are made valid and not discounted just because they are being experienced by an inexperienced person. John Hughes doesn’t look down on his target audience and doesn’t diminish them into brainless buffoons but actual humans. We hear their stories. And that’s important to teenagers, to make them feel heard.
Weird Science
This film proved that if John Hughes wants to be zany, he could be. It follows two nerds who went to create the perfect woman who will like them despite their shortcomings. And while there are a lot of icky elements of objectification in the film, Weird Science is still a vibrant riot, a proof that John Hughes has a talent with unforced humour. There also is an element of strong female empowerment built around Lisa because she is, indeed, a strong perfect woman who is aware of her strengths.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The final teen film Hughes both wrote and directed, Ferris Bueller is the most meta out of the four as its main character breaks the fourth wall. This is a perfect way of addressing its audience as the film handles a topic that needs to be told personally. It’s that there’s more to life than high school. This is greatly highlighted by the film’s most famous quote: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Ferris (fantastically played by Matthew Broderick), the confident hero, coaxes his friends, Cameron and Sloane, to skip school and do things they might not be able to do once they enter adulthood. It’s a simple thing, really, but it makes you realise that there are things you are missing out on because of responsibilities. In hindsight, Ferris is a fantasy film but it is such a nice escape that we wouldn’t mind revising it all the time. I mean, the charming fourth wall breaks? The energising Twist and Shout scene? And the running to home sequence? Ferris is an archetype of what most of us aspire to be and what other teens are. Sometimes, the cool kids need their film too. We don’t recommend what Ferris had done all the time, though. Stay at school, kids.
Iconic is the term to describe all of John Hughes films, but they seemed to be showing their age with the problems of objectification and slurs. Despite this, his first four films are already the most essential teen films that anyone should watch as it will make them feel seen. We have grown up and there’s no way of knowing that Hughes wouldn’t too if he’s still around doing films.
Don’t you forget about me. Don’t, don’t, don’t. Alas, Mr. Hughes, we never did.
