John Hughes, the onetime advertising copywriter turned filmmaker beloved for family-friendly movies such as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Home Alone, died of a heart attack this morning in Manhattan, reports Variety. The genial Midwesterner (he was a Michigan-born Chicago transplant who brought moviemaking to his adoptive city) was Hollywood's High School Activities director. He made many movies set in secondary schools and the signal event in them was Who Would Take Molly Ringwald to the prom.
His movies with Ringwald defined the hair-band 1980s and his Matthew Broderick truancy comedy Ferris Bueller likewise defined the decade's ethos: Playing hard rather than working hard was the goal. I think of these movies very fondly even as I muse that as Hughes got older, the age of his protagonists got younger. He began with the teenagers of Sixteen Candles (1984) and proceeded, like Benjamin Button, to Baby's Day Out (1994). I have to ring off to write his obit, but I'm very very sad. Favorite Hughes movie? I'm going for Some Kind of Wonderful (1987).
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A sad day. His movies defined by childhood/adoescence. Here's my tribute: Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while... you could miss it. Never had one lesson! He'll keep calling me... he'll keep calling me... he'll make me feel guilty... this is ridiculous, I'll go! It is his love, it is his passion, it is his fault he did not lock the garage. If you had access to a car like this would you take it back right away? Neither would I. And I must admit, I love driving it- it is so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend picking one up. The key to faking out the parents is the clamy hands. It's a good non-specific symtom. A lot of people will tell you that a phony fever is a dead lock but you could get a nervous mother and end up in the doctor's office, and that's worse than school. I do have a test today. That wasn't bulls***. It's on European socialism. I mean really, what's the point? I'm not European. I don't plan on being European. So who care's if they're socialists? Drugs? No, thank you I'm straight. I meant, are you in here for drugs? I think I see my dad. I'll give you two good reasons. You're not dying. You just can't think of anything good to do. RIP John Hughes.— Bud Fox- RIP, Mr. Hughes. Thank you for some great entertainment...80's style.— brian
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- Good movies - every one of them. He will be missed!— david wayne
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Weird Science... one of my all time favs- He is under-appreciated. I guess because teen movies aren't taken as seriously. Vacation, Ferris Bueller, Home Alone, and Breakfast Club, alone are all iconic.— Jim C.
- Carrie- I think "Plane, Trains and Automobiles" is Hughes' most accomplished movie, although not my favorite (however, I do love it). No, I'm a sucker for "Sixteen Candles," followed by "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." On the other end of the scale, I absolutely loathe "Home Alone." Meanwhile, "Curly Sue" is terribly underrated. Re "Some Kind of Wonderful," according to Hollywood legend, that film is a sex-reversed remake of Hughes' "Pretty in Pink" - with red-headed Eric Stoltz standing for red-headed Molly Ringwald; Lea Thompson in for Andrew McCarthy, and Mary Stuart Masterson in the John Cryer/Ducky role as Watts. This remake is so craftily done that it and "Pretty in Pink" seem like two different films altogether. ("Wonderful" seems a tad darker.) But if you look closely, you can see that one was traced on top of the other. Speaking of Masterson, she should have had the career that Julia Roberts has enjoyed. I'm just saying...— Pash
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- How is Christmas Vacation not on the above list?! Come on, Carrie!— Ni Boo
- Train don't run out of Wichita...lessin' you're a hog or cattle....people train runs out of Sssssstubville. Her first baby, come out sideways...she didn't scream or nothin.— Ramon
- Best line from the breakfast club: Allison Reynolds: When you grow up, your heart dies.John: So, who cares?Allison Reynolds: I loved this man's movies they were such wonderful escapes— vrb1955
- Carrie: Where is my "too much eye-makeup" quote? It's not dirty.— Jim C.
- Jim: I'm not the comment enabler. I have no idea. Can you try it again? C— carrierickey
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