#TBT Sixteen Candles

 

In the early 90’s, my childhood dream came true when I was cast in the Broadway revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying starring Matthew Broderick.  It was also around this time he was being touted for his performance in Glory with Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, however, for me he would always be Ferris Bueller.  And that is due to the genius of one man – John Hughes.

Hughes singlehandedly gave the 80’s it’s brightest stars including Molly Ringwald of Sixteen Candles, which opened this past weekend 30 years ago on March 5th in 1984.  Unfortunately, in the summer of 2009, John Hughes, 59,  passed away from a sudden heart attach, but his film legacy lives on.

Ringwald is now infamous for her portrayal Samantha Baker, who is about to celebrate her ‘sweet 16 bday’, however, not only does no one notice, but she manages to suffer every embarrassment humanly possible.  Like all teenage girls, she has a crush on the hottest guy, but the geekiest guy thinks she’s hot.  Her sister is getting married and with all the excitement, the family totally forgets that Samantha is turning 16.

It’s hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming and permanently etched in anyone’s mind who happen to be a teenager in the 80’s or 90’s.  Do yourself a favor and watch it one more time along with other Hughes classics, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club. I mean who can forget ‘the brat pack’…