When I think of the 1980s, it is impossible not to recall some film you would have seen by John Hughes.
From National Lampoon’s 1983 comedy Vacation to his later works such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, to Uncle Buck, there seems there is a comedy in there for everyone.
But the most represented in his films were of course teenagers, notably in the film The Breakfast Club, as well as my personal favorite of his: Pretty In Pink (1986).
I recently rewatched Pretty In Pink after having purchased the DVD at a Circuit City that was going out of business. The film stars Molly Ringwald as she is preparing to go to prom.
Although the story sounds trite, Hughes tackled deeper issues that you won’t find in the Hollywood stuff of today. For one thing, Molly Ringwald’s character (Andie) comes from the poor side of town, and amid her standard high school issues, she is also battling an alcoholic father and the stigma of being poor as a contrast to the rich kids in school.
Hughes handled the topic well in the film, and he never managed to get too didactic or condescending. He also wrote believable dialogue, and kids were actually discussing deeper issues of their day, rather than the films being one lame joke after another.
James Spader also makes an excellent appearance in Pretty In Pink, as well as Andrew McCarthy as Andie’s love interest and Annie Potts as Andie’s friend. But John Cryer as Duckie is probably the most memorable performance.
More information about Hughes’ work can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000455/
