Sixteen Candles

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'Sixteen Candles'

A film poster for Sixteen Candles
Directed by John Hughes
Produced by Hilton A. Green
Written by John Hughes
Starring Molly Ringwald
Anthony Michael Hall
Michael Schoeffling
Paul Dooley
Justin Henry
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) May 4, 1984 (USA)
Running time 93 min.
Language English
Budget $6,500,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Sixteen Candles is a popular 1984 coming-of-age film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. The film was written and directed by John Hughes and is often credited with the beginning of the Brat Pack film movement.

Taglines:

  • It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime.
  • When you're just sixteen, anything can happen!

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Samantha aka 'Sam' Baker (Molly Ringwald), a high school sophomore, has a big crush on school star Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), whom she believes does not know that she exists. In fact, he does know about her, and despite dating the future prom-queen Caroline, he has an increasing interest finding out who Samantha is.

On the eve of Samantha's older sister Ginny's wedding, her entire family forgets her sixteenth birthday. Further complicating the day, an awkward foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe) has come to visit the Bakers' home as the guest of his hosts Grandma and Grandpa Baker; Jake is still dating the prom-queen Caroline; and a freshman geek "Farmer Ted" (Anthony Michael Hall in a career performance) is hounding her.

Ringwald and Hall in Sixteen Candles
Enlarge
Ringwald and Hall in Sixteen Candles

To win a set of floppy disks, "Farmer Ted" bets his friends that he will sleep with Samantha ("By night's end, I predict me and her will interface.") and bring back her underwear as proof. Following Samantha into the shop room, Ted makes a couple of unsuccessful attempts to accomplish his goal. Their ensuing conversation includes Ted's admission that he has "never bagged a babe" and Samantha exposing her crush on Jake. Ted's confrontation with Jake in the gym just prior revealed Jake's apparent interest in Samantha, and Ted recounts what was said. After talking and getting to know each other, Ted confesses the wager and suggests an alternative. Samantha gives the geek her underwear to help him out.

Later (after a peep show of Samantha's underpants for $1 admission), the geek and his equally unwelcome friends Bryce and Cliff (John Cusack in his first film appearance) attend a senior after-party at Jake's ("party hardy dude-person") which ends up into a complete disaster that almost destroys the house. At night's end, Jake finds Ted trapped under a table, and they too chat. Ted explains to Jake the situation with Samantha and gives him her underwear. In return, Jake lends Ted a car as well as his fully inebriated girlfriend Caroline.

Meanwhile, Samantha's parents apologize about forgetting her birthday, and Samantha confides to her father about her crush who "doesn't know she exists." He tells her to go and talk to Jake, and to not let him overpower her.

After a wild night with the drunken Caroline, during which he attempts to record his unbelievable fortune in a botched photo, Ted and Caroline wake up in a church parking lot in the back seat of a Rolls Royce. Jake finds them, he speaks to Caroline and they decide to break-up in friendly terms.

Ginny's wedding proceeds despite her menstrual cramps and a mild overdose of muscle relaxants, which result in a comedic ceremony. Upon exiting the church, the wedding party slowly dissipates, and Samantha is left standing alone. Jake is seen leaning against his Porsche across the street and gestures to Samantha, which, at first, bewilders her.

In the subsequent and final scene, to the archetypal 1980s pop-ballad "If You Were Here" by the Thompson Twins, the profiles of Jake and Samantha can be seen lit by the candles of a birthday cake between them. Jake asks her to make a wish which she says has already come true. They kiss.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Alternate Endings

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

There are two versions of the ending that people have reported viewing on television broadcasts:

  • The movie ends with the kiss on the dining table with the birthday cake between Jake and Samantha.
  • The last scene is the following morning at school -- Jake opening his Porsche 944's door for Samantha and walking with his arm around her into the school, Caroline waking up in The Geek's arms in Jake's father's car.

[edit] Influence

Sixteen Candles launched the film careers of Molly Ringwald, John Cusack, and Joan Cusack, as well as that of director Hughes. Several of these young actors became core members of the so-called "Brat Pack" and went on to star in other films, many which were directed by Hughes.

In 2005, Ringwald said that she was considering starring in a sequel to the film. On the VH1 special "The Fabulous life of the Brat Pack," it was said that the title was rumored to be "Thirty Two Candles".

[edit] Filming Locations

Sixteen Candles was filmed primarily in and around the Chicago north shore suburban community of Evanston, Illinois. Most of the exterior scenes and some of the interior scenes were filmed at Niles East High School. Some exteriors were also shot at New Trier East High School. A cafeteria scene, gym scene, and auto shop scene were filmed at Niles North High School. Still other filming took place in the gymnasium at New Trier West High School. The Baker house location is on the 3000 block of Payne St. in Evanston.

[edit] Long Duk Dong

Long Duk Dong
Enlarge
Long Duk Dong

Long Duk Dong was portrayed by Gedde Watanabe. The character is a visiting Asian foreign exchange student with a heavy accent and, at best, a moderate grasp of Western culture and standards. Most of his appearances in the film and most mentions of him by other characters are simultaneous with or succeeded by the sound of a gong. There are complaints that the character is a preposterous racist Asian stereotype.

Tim Hibbs has claimed that Long Duk Dong is similar to the character Xgung Wo in John Hughes' short story for National Lampoon magazine "Christmas '59."[1]

[edit] Popular Culture

[edit] Trivia

  • Sixteen Candles is the first of several John Hughes' movies to use a preexisting song title as the movie title. Others include "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs and "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad.
  • The song "Sixteen Candles" was a 1958 billboard chart hit for The Crests. In 1984, the song was rerecorded by The Stray Cats for the movie soundtrack.
  • The movie is set in the same fictional town Shermer, Illinois as are several other John Hughes films, based on Hughes' hometown Northbrook, Illinois.
  • The high schools shown in the movie are Niles East High School and Niles North High School in Skokie, Illinois. Some of the students in the big party scene can be seen wearing Niles East Trojans jackets and shirts.
  • Molly Ringwald almost lost the part of "Samantha" to Ally Sheedy. Both actresses would eventually co-star in The Breakfast Club, which was also directed by John Hughes.
  • When Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall first met, they did not get along at all. Director John Hughes took them shopping at a music store, and they discovered that they had similar musical tastes and eventually got along.
  • The license plate on Jake's car reads "21850," which is director John Hughes' birthday (2/18/50).
  • The license plate on Mr. Baker's car reads "V58," which stands for "Vacation '58," a short story written by John Hughes for National Lampoon.
  • This film is number 44 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
  • This movie ranked number 49 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies.
  • There is a deleted scene shown on television, but not on the DVD. In the scene, Jake is seen getting food in the school cafeteria.

[edit] External links

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