Tuesday 1 December 2009

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Photobucket






















Tagline: It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime.
Cusack plays: Bryce, geek friend of "the geek/Ted" Anthony Michael Hall. Spends much of the film with a flashlight on his head.
Family Connections: Joan steals several scenes as Geek Girl with her funky jumpers and neck/back brace.
Did you know? : The cake used at the end of the film was made of Cardboard.

Sixteen Candles is one of those classic John Hughes 198os movies. Everyone forgets Samantha Baker's (Molly Ringwald) 16th birthday due to her sisters impending (and hilarious) wedding the following day. She's in love with the good looking (but bit wooden) Jake Ryan, while fending off the attentions of endearing geek Anthony Michael Hall.

This isn't one of my absolute favourite 1980s teen flicks but its good fun and has an awesome soundtrack (Wham, Altered Images, Kajagoogoo, Paul Young, Spandau Ballet, Billy Idol). Not too much happens but there is a big party where silly things happen. In that respect it reminds me a little of 1998's Can't Hardly Wait, and silliness at parties are a general staple of teen flicks.

Cusack is only in a few scenes as a geek sidekick, but he's likeable and awfully cute. Overall an enjoyable watch which left me wondering just what happened to Michael Schoeffling who played Jake, as he gave up acting in 1991. (After playing the object of Winona Ryder's affections in Mermaids.) IMDb claims he now makes furniture for a living.



Trailer below with all the highlights (1980s trailers are kind of strange...)


No comments:

Post a Comment