Sixteen Candles

I was well past the age of 16 the first time I watched Sixteen Candles, but I still rank it in the top ten (or even five) of my favorite movies. We (my daughters and I) have seen this movie so many times, we know it line by line. I haven't watched it recently. I don't have it on DVD, but it tops the list to get next month when it will be (re)released. I chose it today because we were playing the movie game of Scene It, and one of our favorite scenes came up as a question. "Married?" "Married."

Average girl gets THE guy. Not just the guy she has a thing for, but THE guy. And what a guy! Jake is a dream. Not only is he a hunk and a half, but, except for his choice of "current" squeeze in the movie, he has some sense. He's growing up and seeing that a pretty face and a cute body do not a relationship make. It's clear that he has at least a slight interest in Samantha.

What's a girl to do when her parents forget her sixteenth birthday? Samantha's older sister is getting married, and the family has blown off, not only her birthday, but her very existence. And all she really wants is a little recognition of her day and Jake. But Jake is a senior and Sam only a mere Sophomore. It's an "in your dreams" kinda thing.

The dialogue is not only snappy, but priceless. The ultimate teen movie. And for romance lovers, it has that HEA (Happily Ever After) we all look for.

If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. It will take you back to the time of crushes and broken hearts. There's an underlying poignancy in each of the characters, not just Sam and Jake, but even the minor characters, The Geek, Long Duk Dong, and all the rest. John Hughes knows TEENS. Or at least he did with this and his other teen hits, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. (And, yes, Molly Ringwald was in each...one of the Brat Pack.) All are worth viewing more than once.