Directed and written by John Hughes, Sixteen Candles was a staple movie for the 80s. The brat pack is back with Molly Ringwald being the leader of the lot as Samantha Baker. This movie depicts a newly turned sixteen year old girl named Samantha whose parents forgot her birthday. Samantha is a gangly redhead, awkward and mortally embarrassed by anything that can be considered uncool. Her family, although very loving, don’t seem to notice her for she is easily outshined, in her case by her older sister who is about to get married. At school Samantha’s popularity is no different. Samantha is “nothing special” as one jock declared to her heart throb crush Jake Ryan. While Samantha is having a horrible birthday, she meets a geek who is nicknamed Farmer Ted and at the school dance she bonds with him. Ted then becomes friendly with Jake Ryan who has a girlfriend but is interested in Samantha. Because Samantha helped Ted out with his “cool status” Ted put in a good word for Samantha. After a long drunken night, Ted ends up having sex with Jake’s girlfriend, but that doesn’t matter because Samantha is what Jake wants. Jake picks up Samantha from her sisters wedding. He asked her if she had to go to the reception, and she said defiantly that she did not have to go to the reception, symbolically standing up for herself and going after what she wanted most. The end scene is her and Jake standing over a birthday cake and her telling Jake that her birthday wish already came true. They then lean in and kiss.
Directed and written by John Hughes, Sixteen Candles was a staple movie for the 80s. The brat pack is back with Molly Ringwald being the leader of the lot as Samantha Baker. This movie depicts a newly turned sixteen year old girl named Samantha whose parents forgot her birthday. Samantha is a gangly redhead, awkward and mortally embarrassed by anything that can be considered uncool. Her family, although very loving, don’t seem to notice her for she is easily outshined, in her case by her older sister who is about to get married. At school Samantha’s popularity is no different. Samantha is “nothing special” as one jock declared to her heart throb crush Jake Ryan. While Samantha is having a horrible birthday, she meets a geek who is nicknamed Farmer Ted and at the school dance she bonds with him. Ted then becomes friendly with Jake Ryan who has a girlfriend but is interested in Samantha. Because Samantha helped Ted out with his “cool status” Ted put in a good word for Samantha. After a long drunken night, Ted ends up having sex with Jake’s girlfriend, but that doesn’t matter because Samantha is what Jake wants. Jake picks up Samantha from her sisters wedding. He asked her if she had to go to the reception, and she said defiantly that she did not have to go to the reception, symbolically standing up for herself and going after what she wanted most. The end scene is her and Jake standing over a birthday cake and her telling Jake that her birthday wish already came true. They then lean in and kiss.
I liked this movie because it was about the imperfect teen that is not gorgeous, doesn’t have an amazing personality---nothing special. It gave hope to us mere mortals who don’t stand out in a crowd. Everyone has a Jake Ryan in their lives at one point or another, and this movie, although unrealistic, makes a fantasy real for all of us Joe Schmos out there. Never saw the movie? Here is my favorite clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJMIDuD9RGw
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