Other Titles • Sixteen Candles • Das darf man nur als Erwachsener (1984)
Synopses for Sixteen Candles (1984)
1.
Molly Ringwald established herself as the teen queen of the '80s in this fresh comedy. The movie is a day in the life of Samantha, whose 16th birthday is turning out to be anything but sweet. All the traumas of teendom come down on one long day, which sees Samantha surrounded by dithery relatives, mooning over a high school hunk, and pursued by a sawed-off Lothario. Sixteen Candles marked the directing debut of John Hughes, and its goofy energy displayed a promising talent with a great ear for high school lingo ... a promise neglected since Hughes became, after Home Alone, a one-man entertainment industry. There are some pretty crass moments (Why the stereotype of the foreign-exchange student from Asia?), but Ringwald's steady appeal smoothes over the rough spots. As the pubescent, self-styled lady-killer, Anthony Michael Hall turns in a hilarious portrait of a young swinger; he and Ringwald would reteam with Hughes for The Breakfast Club, another key teen picture of the decade. --Robert Horton
(5 votes)
2.
Teen angst abounds in this classic comedy written and directed by John Hughes. Samantha Baker’s (Molly Ringwald) 16th birthday should be perfect and memorable. Unfortunately, her whole family is preoccupied with her sister’s impending wedding and completely forgets Samantha’s big day. To add insult to injury, the school geek (Anthony Michael Hall) won’t stop hitting on her, she has to bring a foreign exchange student (Gedde Watanabe) with her to the school dance, her visiting grandparents have taken over her bedroom, and she’s sure that the boy of her dreams (Michael Schoeffling) doesn’t know that she exists. Hughes’s script captures the range of teenage emotions, from embarrassment to peer pressure to the pangs of puppy love, with humor and honesty. Hall is memorable as the Geek, and Schoeffling is perfect as the boy of Sam’s dreams. A young John Cusack makes his second feature-film appearance as the geek’s friend, Bryce, while sister Joan Cusack appears as Geek Girl #1. Ringwald’s reign as the queen of 1980s teen flicks began with this film, which was Hughes’s directorial debut and the first in his stream of successful teen films (THE BREAKFAST CLUB, FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF).
(5 votes)
3.
It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime.
It's Samantha Baker's Sweet Sixteen and no one in her entire family remembers the important occasion. John Hughes, the writer of National Lampoon's Vacation show how coming-of-age can be full of surprises in this warm-hearted and histerically funny teenage comedy starring 16-year-old Molly Ringwald.
She's your average teen, enduring creepy freshmen, a spoiled older sister who's getting married tomorrow (and hogging all the attention), confused parents, unfeeling grandparents who make jokes about her flat chest, and the Big Blonde on Campus who's standing in the way of romantic bliss with the boy of her dreams. But wait...there's still the school dance, and the day isn't over yet. Can she hang in without a corsage and still get a goodnight kiss? This on-target look at the sometimes humorous trials of growing up as an American adolescent features outstanding performances from Paul Dooley, Emmy winner Blanche Baker, and Academy Award® nominee Justin Henry.
(5 votes)
4.
Samantha's life is going downhill fast. The fifteen-year-old has a crush on the most popular boy in school, and the geekiest boy in school has a crush on her. Her sister's getting married, and with all the excitement the rest of her family forgets her birthday! Add all this to a pair of horrendously embarrassing grandparents, a foreign exchange student named Long Duc Dong, and we have the makings of a hilarious journey into young womanhood.
(5 votes)
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