Sixteen Candles (1984)

A young girl's "sweet sixteenth" birthday becomes anything but special as she suffers from every embarrassment possible.

Director:

John Hughes

Writer:

John Hughes

Stars:

Molly Ringwald, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Molly Ringwald	...	Samantha Baker
Justin Henry	...	Mike Baker
Michael Schoeffling	...	Jake Ryan
Haviland Morris	...	Caroline Mulford
Gedde Watanabe	...	Long Duk Dong
Anthony Michael Hall	...	The Geek
Paul Dooley	...	Jim Baker
Carlin Glynn	...	Brenda Baker
Blanche Baker	...	Ginny Baker
Edward Andrews	...	Howard Baker
Billie Bird	...	Dorothy Baker
Carole Cook	...	Grandma Helen
Max Showalter	...	Grandpa Fred
Liane Curtis	...	Randy
John Cusack	...	Bryce

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

crush | birthday | exchange student | drive in restaurant | jock | 

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Taglines:

This is Samantha Baker and today is her 16th birthday. The problem is, nobody remembers.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Se busca novio

Filming Locations:

1407 Waverly Road, Highland Park, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$20,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the VHS version, Anthony Michael Hall is credited as "The Geek". In the TV movie and film versions, he is credited as "Farmer Ted."

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Goofs

When Caroline steps out of the Rolls-Royce, you can tell that she stepped onto a box or platform before walking off.

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Quotes

The Geek: I know I came on kinda like a poozer on the bus tonight and everything. But... that's just so my friends won't think, you know, I'm a jerk.
Samantha: But they're all pretty much jerks, though, aren't they?
The Geek: Yeah, but, the thing is, I'm kinda like the leader, you know? Kinda like the king of the dipshits.
Samantha: Well, that's pretty cool. Hey, but a lot can happen over a year. I mean, you could come back next Fall as a completely normal person.

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Connections

Featured in Family Guy: Mother Tucker (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Lenny"
Performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan
Courtesy of Epic Records

User Reviews

You own a church?

This movie is one of the most quotable I've ever seen. Everyone who has ever seen it knows this is true. Along with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Breakfast Club", this is the best of the John Hughes 1980's movies. The acting is perfection, down to the smallest parts, too. Standouts are Blanche Baker as the bride-to-be on too many painkillers, Justin Henry as the pain-in-the-neck little brother, Michael Schoeffling as hunk-deluxe Jake Ryan and last but never least, Anthony Michael Hall as Farmer Fred....I mean Ted.