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:

It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime.

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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

During the dance scene, John Cusack is wearing a WLS t-shirt. Although it changed to a talk-radio format in the 1989, WLS was a top-40 station in Chicago at the time this movie was filmed.

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Goofs

When the family is leaving for the wedding, the grandparents all pile into the car, but it was not large enough to accommodate the group. Grandma Baker squats near the passenger door to create the impression that she is sitting in the car. However, when the car is backing out of the driveway, you briefly see her curved back remain stationary while the car moves away from her.

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Quotes

Samantha: Then where am I sleeping?
Mike Baker: Sofa City, Sweetheart.

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Connections

Referenced in It Takes Two: '80s Gold Night (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Snowballed"
Performed by AC/DC
Courtesy of Leidseplein Presse B.V. / J. Albert Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

A difficult kiss.

The final shot of this film can in some ways mirror the difficulties of adolescence. We see Molly Ringwald finally getting to kiss the boy she's been after since the film's outset. However this kiss doesn't look like it would have been particularly easy for the actors to pull off. Both Ringwald and Shoeffling are sitting "Indian-style" on a tabletop facing one another. They both have to lean forward presumably using their wrists for leverage while their lips meet over the flaming candles on her birthday cake. A difficult kiss, indeed.

Sixteen Candles is one of the best films John Hughes gave us in the 1980s. The young cast full of so many extraordinary talents gives us one memorable scene after another. Anthony Michael Hall is particularly effective as the leader of the nerdiest students on campus. Listen to his voice crack as he reads many of his lines, and try not to laugh. Good luck! The plot, as many of us know, centers around a young girl (Ringwald) whose parents forget about her sixteenth birthday in the midst of the chaos surrounding her older sister's wedding. At the same time she tries to win the affection of the most popular guy in school who happens to be dating the most beautiful girl in school. Ah, the trials and tribulations of high school.

The film is well-paced, never drags, and has its characters pegged pretty well. The obnoxious grandparents are particularly well-drawn. Of course things are eventually resolved in a manner that could never possibly happen in real life, but that's why we go to the movies.

I miss those destructive house parties!!! 9 of 10 stars.

The Hound.