John Hughes' SIXTEEN CANDLES, WEIRD SCIENCE, and FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (Contemporary American Revivals)

Music Box — Showtimes noted below
On a hot streak after penning the screen gems that were NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION and MR. MOM, John Hughes started a three year directorial run that would redefine the Teen Movie, and made a splash with his 1984 debut, SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984, 93 min, DVD Projection; Thursday, 7pm). A romantic comedy with a heavy dose of slapstick, it is best remembered for two things: making the 15 year old stars of the film, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, into overnight sensations, and featuring Gedde Wantanabe as Japanese foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong. As far as Ringwald and Hall are concerned, this was their first major step in becoming teen idols of the 80s. Both turned in great performances in what would turn out to be the first of a multi-movie partnership with Hughes, and made this teen oriented movie funnier, if not smarter, than it deserved to be. Ringwald is the awkward sophomore who is madly in love with a popular senior, and Hall is "the Geek." Despite having lengthy, and still active, careers, the characters they played here have cast a long shadow over the two, pigeonholing them for years to come. Wantanabe has carved out a living through bit and supporting parts (most notably on the TV series ER), but he too is irrevocably tied to his role here—he is still being accosted by strangers for his over-the-top portrayal of "the Donger." There is a thin line between funny and offensive when depicting a racial stereotype and, almost 30 years later, it's still not clear where his portrayal lands. Despite this ongoing controversy (NPR did a 2008 story on the cultural reaction to the character), Hughes' knack for crafting memorable comic sidebars was on full display here, as it would be in his 1985 effort, WEIRD SCIENCE (1985, 94 min, DVD Projection; Thursday, 9:30pm). Again casting Hall as the geek, this lighthearted tale is to computer pornography as TRON was to computer gaming. Taking creative license from the Frankenstein films (which the boys watch in the movie), Hall and his nerdy cohort use a computer to create the perfect woman. Through the power of a military mainframe and the perfect timing of a lightning bolt, these two uptight virgins accidentally spawn Kelly LeBrock, and comedy ensues. Though not featuring the most sophisticated of storylines (basically, nerds use virtual woman to gain popularity and meet girls), the film is noteworthy as the further development of Hughes' career and commercial success. Beyond that, its focus on two insecure high-school outcasts who learn to be comfortable in their own skin is a theme that Hughes would return to time and again. The appeal of both these films lies in their relatable teenage heroes, at once shy and smart, just waiting to grow up. In contrast, there is the picaresque tale of FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986, 103 min, 35mm; Friday and Saturday, Midnight), about a confident young man doing what he can to postpone adulthood. In a performance that made him a bonafide leading man at the age of 23, Matthew Broderick creates a character so clever and charming that you can't help but root for him. Beginning with a little white lie about a serious illness to get a final day off before going to college, Ferris schemes to cheer up his best friend Cameron with a VIP tour of the city. Wrigley Field, the Art Institute, Michigan Avenue, and the Sears Tower ("I think I see my dad") are the backdrop for the greatest senior ditch day ever put on film. Its enduring appeal lies in the subplot, however, in which the evil dean of students, Edward Rooney (Jeffery Jones), vows to catch Ferris in the act and force him to repeat his senior year. In the film that not only taught countless youngsters how to properly play sick, but also showcased our city as the playground for Broderick's under stimulated Northshore slacker, there are moments of cinematic greatness. Along with 1985's THE BREAKFAST CLUB, these films mark the high point of Hughes' career as a director, and the popularity of the teen movie. SIXTEEN CANDLES and WEIRD SCIENCE show as part of the Chicago United Film Festival. JH - Cine-File.info

John Hughes' THE BREAKFAST CLUB (American Revival)

Music Box — Friday and Saturday, Midnight
For people of a certain age, Anthony Michael Hall's voiceover that bookends this film will forever define the only roles everyone at their high school had to play: a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. And for the brat packers who formed our ensemble cast, these labels would stick with them for the rest of their careers. Watching this film makes you recall a time when Molly Ringwald (the princess) was the Emma Stone of her day, and Emilio Estevez (the athlete) was the Zach Ephron. Both were young and cute, with girl/boy-next-door good looks, and it seemed that their careers could last forever. Hall was so good as the pressure-cooked nerd who couldn't get an A in shop class that he would spend then next decade-plus trying to show his range. Ally Sheedy (the basket case) is the exception that proves the rule, as she was able to lose that label as soon as the credits rolled. Our criminal, played by the now shaggy Judd Nelson, defined cool rebellion for the better part of a decade and is surely the highlight of the film. As John Bender, he insulted the school principal right to his face (Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?), hid dope in his locker (and in AMH's underwear), saw through everyone's bullshit and called them out on it, and got to make out with the prom queen. John Bender was also full of some real malice, and had the cigarette burns on his arm to show us why. Ultimately, he forced a bonding ritual on his fellow high school students, and seemed to be the life of the party. He was the hero of the film, but what is left out of the diegesis may be Hughes' most important comment of all. We know that Bender's triumphant fist pump to close the movie (“Don't you...forget about me!”) is the high point of his life. At best he is destined for a crappy job in a bleak suburb, stuck in a loveless marriage with kids he can't stand. At worst he's drunk and alone, recounting how he blew his last best chance with that pretty little rich girl. Easily John Hughes' most mature effort up to that point, the film encapsulated the social structure of the white, middle-class, suburban high school experience of the 1980s. It celebrated the characters and the institutional halls they roamed, but also paid respect to their anxieties and problems, and never implied that these weren't the best years of their lives. (1985, 97 min, 35mm) Cine-File.info

Nicholas Ray's REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (American Revival) & John Hughes' THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Contemporary American Revival)

Nicholas Ray's REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (American Revival)
Doc Films (University of Chicago) - Monday, 7pm
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John Hughes' THE BREAKFAST CLUB (Contemporary American Revival)
Doc Films (University of Chicago) - Wednesday, 7 and 9pm
American in the '50s vs. America in the '80s. Eisenhower and hula-hoops vs. Reagan and the Rubik's Cube. Conformity reigns: go to school, get a job, get married, and move to the suburbs. Makes you want to drop out right now doesn't it? Cinematically, the two decades were also high points of the Teen Movie genre, and you can't have a stellar film about teens without a good looking rebel that makes the girls swoon. Is it careful planning that allows Doc Films to bring us the most iconic rebels of each decade in one week, or just serendipity? It really doesn't matter, because at the very least we get a chance to use them as the lens through which the two decades are contrasted. Let's get one thing straight; when REBEL was released in 1955 (one month after James Dean's death) it was daring, fresh, and hard-hitting. A critique of morally corrupt youth, lackadaisical parenting, and the decay of the American family, it still commands praise of the highest degree for its quality of acting and ability to capture teenage angst in an honest, believable, and frank manner. Hughes' skill as a movie maker cannot be compared to Ray's, but his young cast was every bit the equal of Sal Mineo, Natalie Wood, and Dean in their collective ability to connect with a teenage audience. For people of a certain age, Anthony Michael Hall's voiceover which bookends the film will forever define who everyone at their high school was: a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. And our criminal, played by a now shaggy Judd Nelson, defined cool rebellion for the better part of a decade. As John Bender he insults the principal to his face ("Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?"), hides dope in his locker, sees through everyone's bullshit and calls them out on it, and gets to make out with the prom queen. But since we're comparing the two films, what does each anti-hero tell us about each director's vision, and about the decades they inhabit? In the 50's, Jim Stark is misunderstood, a young man who feels out of place in society, too sensitive to relate to his peers, and set up by society to fail. But his parents are simply misguided: they love Jim; they just don't know how to take care of him. We know that if he just gets a chance he can be somebody good, he just needs a few years. He lives in an optimistic America, where tomorrow is a bright new day. In the '80's though, John Bender has some real malice, and the cigarette burns on his arm to show us why. He forces a bonding ritual on his fellow high school students, but we know that his triumphant fist in the air to close the movie will be the high point of his life. At best he is destined for a crappy job in a bleak suburb, stuck in a loveless marriage with kids he can't stand. At worst he's drunk and alone, recounting how he blew his last best chance with that pretty little rich girl. The American dream is on the ropes, the rich are gonna get richer, and human connection is a fleeting illusion. You've got two choices, get with the program, or suffer the consequences. (1955, 111 min, 16mm/1985, 97 min, 35mm) JH - Cine-File.info