Sixteen Candles

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Movie Details

• Genre: Comedy
• Release Date: 1984-01-01 n/a
• Running Time: 93 min.
• Director: John Hughes
• Cast: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, John Cusack
• Producer:
• Writer: John Hughes
• Distributor:
• Official Site: Sixteen Candles Official Site

After all these years, it still seems like Molly Ringwald's character gets way too bent out of shape when her family forgets her stupid birthday. Shit happens, babe. Come to think of it, almost nothing about this iconic '80s teen movie seems plausible. Yet it's still an endlessly watchable, surprisingly human little fantasy of whitebread American teen life, almost as charming as Pretty in Pink and almost as moving as The Breakfast Club. And its implausibility is also its m.o.: In the feel-good world of Sixteen Candles, geeks can also be outrageously sexy; awkward girls can bag the hottie; prom queens can get dumped; and kids can make drunk driving look incredibly cool and safe. What grounds the fantasy is the genuine vulnerability of Ringwald, the charisma and intelligence of Anthony Michael Hall, and surprisingly solid supporting performances. A friend recently told me she thinks Jake (the stud) is secretly gay; the problem with that theory is that, in real life, he probably would be gay. That's not what this movie is going for. Sixteen Candles wants satisfaction and pathos--and achieves them. If you shed a tear at the end, don't feel like a sucker: It probably just means you're still young at heart. (Kate Sullivan)