Much has been written since Michael Jackson’s death about his huge influence on pop culture. Don’t get me wrong, I listened to Thriller on the cheap little turntable in my bedroom nonstop, but I think John Hughes got overshadowed because he had a heart attack while everyone was still fixated on the King of Pop.
John Hughes transformed my teenage years through movies that celebrated geeks and outsiders in a way that gave me hope that I, like Molly Ringwald, would one day triumph.
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Entertainment Weekly’s Josh Rottenberg wrote:
Before Generation X even had a name, John Hughes gave it a voice. For these kids of the Reagan era, the movies he wrote and directed in his ’80s heyday — Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off — captured how it felt to be a teenager with an accuracy and sensitivity so uncanny, it often felt as though he’d jimmied the lock on your private diary. He directed only eight films, yet Hughes’ additional string of hits as a writer and producer, culminating in the juggernaut Home Alone franchise, established him as a dominant force in comedy — and then, at the height of his power, he dropped out of sight, becoming Hollywood’s answer to J.D. Salinger. Even in his absence, Hughes’ knack for translating the humor and heartache of adolescence to the screen would continue to resonate with teens — and leave a lasting mark on the movie business, influencing the likes of Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow.
I remember going to see Pretty In Pink at the Court Theater and dancing with friends to the Psychedelic Furs theme song on the stage in front of the movie screen. I remember a whole row of us standing up to dance to Twist and Shout at Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Something about those movies felt like they weren’t just to be watched — they were speaking directly to me, and I wanted to join in. One Hughes tribute described him as taking a “life as music video” approach to his movies, and that’s probably just the right way to reach the MTV generation.
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When I watch the Breakfast Club trailer, I see teen archetypes reminding us we all have more in common on the inside than outward appearances might indicate. Maybe it’s cliche, but as a teenager, I found it deeply reassuring that I wasn’t the only one who ever felt like an outsider, and that maybe the cool kids weren’t so different from me.
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What movies changed your life? Was there one filmmaker who seemed to speak directly to you?