Wow, I just wrap up my Top 50 movies list, and a generation-defining director dies. John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club appeared at #41 on my list, by the way. But I could have also seriously considered Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science or Planes, Trains & Automobiles, all of which he both wrote and directed. He also wrote National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pretty In Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, Mr. Mom and Home Alone. I mean, just look at that list. What would have 80’s youth cinema been without John Hughes? He practically defined teenage life in popular culture in the 80’s. The phrase “John Hughes movie” has come to define an entire genre of moviemaking.
Now, none of these pictures was Citizen Kane, but Hughes struck a true chord with moviegoers in the 80’s that is rare. His films were full of life, humor and emotion. In John Hughes-world, the kids were always smarter than the adults, and they were also more sensitive and understanding. As opposed to being exasperated with “kids these days,” the coming-of-age drama/comedies of John Hughes seemed to say that as screwed-up as these kids are, the world is in far better hands with this new generation than in the hands of the old.
It is true that Hughes lost his touch after the 80’s, writing and directing mostly crap, and in the last decade he pretty much disappeared from the scene altogether. But no matter, Hughes’ legacy is secure. “Bueller…Bueller…Bueller…”
1 comment:
I was never a big fan of most of his movies. In fact, I hated many of his movies, but The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller were great.
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