No John Hughes, No 1980s
by Daniel J. Flynn
Without John Hughes, would there have been a 1980s? The filmmaker and screenwriter died of a heart attack while walking Thursday in Manhattan. For the uninitiated, he wrote National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off–directing several of those films as well.
Memories of Hughes’s films are as likely to be audio as visual: The Psychedelic Furs, The Smiths, and Simple Minds were among the acts introduced to a wider audience through Hughes’s sonically-savvy films.
No John Hughes, no Molly Ringwald; no Molly Ringwald, no 1980s–it’s pretty simple. But when the 1980s ended, so did John Hughes. He hadn’t directed a movie since 1991, and his work as a screenwriter since his golden age had been spotty. Proof that John Hughes will be missed in death comes from the fact that John Hughes was so missed for the last two decades of his life. The void in high school movies that transcend the high school audience is so enormous in part because John Hughes stopped directing movies. From Justin to Kelly? She’s All That? Dude, Where’s My Car? They don’t make teen films like they used to–at least how John Hughes used to.
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39 Comments
I love love love John Hughes. This makes me so sad……this is a far bigger loss for many of us than Michael Jackson ever was. MJ was the worst of the times, John Hughes was the best of the times.
Wow, its so nice to see all of this conservative appreciation for John Hughes.
I'm curious then, what some of you might say about this: John Hughes… class warrior?
That may sound a bit overstated, but there's this from an NPR article:
"Another theme underpinning Hughes' comedies was the issue of class. In Pretty in Pink, Ringwald's character pines for a rich boy, though she lives on the wrong side of the tracks and sews her own prom dress. Hughes wrote the Chevy Chase film Vacation partly out of long-held simmering resentment over never having visited Disneyland as a child."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?stor...
No disrespect to John Hughes, but I got through the 80's as a teenager just fine without Molly Ringwald.
Indeed, he had been missed these last two decades and will be even more sorely missed.
There was a sincerity in his work. Uncle Buck? and whenever you're at an airport, doesn't Planes, Trains and Automobiles come to mind.
". . . no Molly Ringwald . . ." That's fine with me.
The Smiths song in Ferris Buehler always stops me cold. It's such a beautiful song and so well placed in the movie that it stands out as its own work of art.
Classism is an issue liberals are obsessed with, not conservatives. And this article doesn't say that he's a "class warrior." What it says is that he dealt mainly with the middle class. In fact, the article concludes with:
"But his loving depictions of middle-class suburban white-bread youth found a following with younger filmmakers such as Kevin Smith."
It's the middle class in this country that represent the largest portion of the conservative base. So I don't see how this could in any way be anti-conservative.
You gotta be kidding….
Dude that's a really lame attempt at picking a fight.
Another YAAAAWN…..for you….
I think Hughes used class as a device in his films to accurately portray the different backgrounds of the kids who are then packed into one school. After all, consider Molly Ringwold's roles in Breakfast Club (rich girl), Sixteen Candles (middle class), and Pretty in Pink as you mentioned. No matter her character' class she has her strengths, weaknesses, insecurities and remains the protagonist. Hughes didn't suggest she was better or worse due to her social class, only that her wants and needs may be different.
I wouldn't describe that as class warfare.
Hey check this out:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/20...
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
I blame John Hughes for all of these damned 80's songs I wasn't particularly fond of when they come out now becoming songs I must have because of the inevitable nostalgia that accompanies aging. Talented bastard.
the sinner,
Patrick
I'm not trying to "pick a fight" as you say, merely start a conversation. And I obviously succeeded.
in any case, in my original post, I said that calling Hughes a "class warrior" was an overstatement.
Maybe Hughes was a Republican. Good for him. But if so, then he was a better Republican for making a movie like Vacation with some virtuous working class (joe sixpack?!) sympathies!!
I always liked the fact that Hughes was so restrained in his teen movies. There was not a lot of profanity, nor the wall to wall T&A that was found in everything from "Porky's" to "American Pie."
I can only recall one scene of bare breasts in any one of his movies, a shot of the hot girl in Sixteen Candles, showering while Molly Ringwald and her also less-endowed friend gazed on in envy.
And his characters were sweet as well.
"I wouldn't describe that as class warfare."
mmm, maybe not. But it sure does seem predicated on the existence of classes. It emphasizes the significance of classes.
Riiiiiiight……
You say it's overstated and then attempt to prove it with a snippet from an NPR interview…..I'm curious, are you a lawyer??
Anyway, Hughes' movies were funny, moving, and relevant to the period. Some hold up better than others over time, but IMHO they were all well done.
Isn't anybody going to make a post about Budd Schulberg's death? Jeez.
"But it sure does seem predicated on the existence of classes. It emphasizes the significance of classes."____This is how he builds his stories by including the real social constructs that surround us, especially as adolescents. He also includes nerds, jocks, hot chicks, ugly chicks etc. but there is a depth to their charaters is real and not just a caricature. The interaction between characters because of/despite those differences is how he connected with his audience.
all true. but you left out: he included people from both "sides of the tracks".
Republicans love people who WORK, regardless of class – just don't love people who make a lifestyle out of free-loading, a "class" which includes, regrettably, many union members, as well as the Madoffs and other corrupt individuals who cheat the system to get an unfair benefit.
The notion that only Democrats (and the rare Republican) believe there are "virtuous working class" members is absurd.
no, I'm not a lawyer. But I'm also not a simpleton who likes to see things in pure black and white.
Thankfully, neither was John Hughes. Anyone who is an artist knows something about shading.
"Ever heard of a tune up? hee hee hee…"
"'Hee hee hee.' Ever heard of a ritual killing?"
"I don't get it."
"Gnaw on her face in public like that again and you'll be one."
Yeah, because Republicans hate the working class. I´ll be gracious and say that your youth excuses your ignorance. But watch it. You won´t be twelve forever!
All due respect to Mr. Hughes, he made a great contribution, but the truth is "No President Reagan, No 80's"
Me, too, but Johnny BeGood excepted, the 80s without Anthony Michael Hall would have been a lot more boring.
Are you going to post this comment in every John Hughes thread?
A blog by the name of We'll Know When We Get There has a wonderful story of a John Hughes we would never otherwise hear about. I have no link but found it at Boortz.com and many others have linked it as well (nearing 800 comments – she must be amazed). It really shows more of his character than anything else I've read.
Big Hollywood would do well to see if they could get permission to post the whole thing at a later time.
Ermmm, yeah I'm an idiot, so never mind. Next time I'll give em the benefit of being smart and aware.
You gotta be kidding me. Hey CD…did you watch Ben Stein's interview? Because man your teeny tiny link doesn't jibe with what Stein who was his friend said now does it, Tool? Hughes being a Republican must really upset you.
Hughes attended HS in an economically diverse neighborhood, with classmates dirt poor and platinum wealthy. He was very conscientious about mixed-feelings undercurrents of confusion and resentments percolating amid personal friendships. We're all human beings and John treated his characters that way. One of his least-seen works was 1998's "Reach the Rock," which was a modern companion to Breakfast Club dealing with many of these themes.
When you are a hammer, everything is a nail. Because you are a lefty, and were therefore weaned on "Class Warfare" and "Race Warfare", this is all you see.
I think what you see in all of his films is that class doesn't make you good or bad. Character has a lot more to do with it than not. So, as others have said, there are no caricatures really.
While it is true and very obvious that Porky's has quite a bit of T & A, there is also the part where they get revenge on the slimy politician in the first Porky's, and revenge on the racist idiots in the second one. There is nothing better than portraying hateful racists as the morons they are. Especially when they get a comeuppance.
Not movies I would show my children, but they oddly enough, still had a plot and something to teach.
Weird, I know.'
And of course, nothing compared with Hughes.
Don't forget Home Alone!! You'll all say it sucks now but I know you saw it multiple times back then. haha
The older I get, 59 seems so young.
If interested I did a tribute cartoon http://beartoons.com/2009/08/07/bearman-cartoons-...
5555!!!!
LOL. You hit the nail on the head.
Here's the link to the blog DoXs is talking about. Apparently it got aint-it-cool-alanched.
It is a moving tribute.
http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/0...
Well he left a pretty good body of work. Lets face it, when to talk about the 1980's movie wise Its National Lampoon's Vacation and Ferris Buller's Day Off. I still bust a gut watching Mr Rooney getting on the bus in defeat. Times change and the kind of work he did was not in demand. Well you can say that about a whole list of things, 59 is not very old, its not old at all these days. This just goes to show you life is very short.
No movie could ever compare to Ferris Buller's Day Off. Me being from Chicago, I love the way the movie shows off my hometown. But the movie is genius from the talkign to the audience and the zaniness of Ferris and the wackiness of everyone around him. It was so much fun.
I really liked Some Kind of Wonderful too.
They just don't make movies anymore like John Hughes made them. I saw "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" again just a few weeks back. Somehow, my husband had never seen it before. We both laughed our butts off. Classic physical comedy, great lines and takes, and finally, great heart. The scene where John Candy explains himself to Steve Martin is always a 3-hanky moment for me.
Given the trash that H'wood is foisting on us these days, it is a double tragedy to have lost someone so talented as a writer and director. Too young to be gone – God bless him and give comfort to his family.
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