Aug/091
Thanks for the Memories John Hughes
John Hughes died today and the world is a little less funny and a little more poignant without him. For people who grew up in the eighties, he was our guy, speaking for us and to us. His movies are timeless. When you watch the BREAKFAST CLUB or SIXTEEN CANDLES those kids sound contemporary. John Hughes had a gift too see the world from a kid’s point of view, whether it was an eight year-old in HOME ALONE or the teenagers in his high school movies. He understood how hard it was to grow up. That parents, even when they love you, just don’t understand. And most of all, that high school was a difficult and dangerous place. He made us care about the science geek and the prom queen, the jock and the ordinary girl. His teenagers were real people not clichés. The stories were full of honest emotion, which is why they still resonate today. Between 1984 – 87 he wrote what are still the best high school movies of all time – SIXTEEN CANDLES, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, PRETTY IN PINK, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, WEIRD SCIENCE, & FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF. Many have tried to recreate his success in the high school movie genre. In my opinion the only two to come close since are CLUELESS & AMERICAN PIE. He left his mark on TV as well. The high school kids in DAWSON’S CREEK, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, THE O.C. and even GOSSIP GIRL all are decedents of Hughes’ high school canon. DAWSON’S CREEK even had a BREAKFAST CLUB episode with the friends in detention. It’s when Joey first kissed Dawson on a dare.
Hughes’ legacy is greater than his high school movies. He wrote many funny, fun movies. Too many to list here. But when we think of John Hughes, we think of the geeks, the jocks, and the girls with a hopeless crush. He made high school a little easier for us by showing that everyone struggled to fit in. And on those days when life still feels like high school, there is nothing to do, but take a big breath and know that the DVD of SIXTEEN CANDLES is waiting at home.