Sixteen Candles (1984)

Synopsis: 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... 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). [More]

Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Gedde Watanabe

Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Gedde Watanabe, Justin Henry, Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, John Cusack, Haviland Morris, Blanche Baker, Edward Andrews, Billie Bird, Carole Cook, Max Showalter, Liane Curtis, Darren Harris, Deborah Pollack, Jonathan Chapin, Joan Cusack, Brian Doyle Murray, Jami Gertz, Elaine Wilkes, Zelda Rubinstein, Tony Longo

Director: John Hughes

Director: John Hughes
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Producer: Hilton A. Green
Composer: Ira Newborn

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