Turning sixteen isn't easy, when you've fallen in love... for the first time.
With the occasion all but overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding, angst-ridden Samantha faces her 16th birthday with typical adolescent dread. Samantha pines for studly older boy Jake, but worries that her chastity will be a turnoff for the popular senior. Meanwhile, she must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted, who is unfortunately the only boy in school who seems to take an interest in her.
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Character
Classical in form, effortless, resolved and comic.
- classical in formformally daring
- effortlessdemanding
- resolvedopen-ended
- gravecomic
- warmbleak
Who loves it, who doesn't
49 profiled raters. Loved most by The Sinceres; disliked most by The Sinceres.
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“Is this John Hughes's best work?”
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“Is Molly Ringwald the best thing in Sixteen Candles?”
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“Is Sixteen Candles too gentle for its own good?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Apr 20157/10
I've never bagged a babe. I'm not a stud. It's Samantha Baker's 16th birthday and her family are so wrapped up in her sisters impending wedding, they have completely forgotten Sam's big day. Not only that but she has the hots for school hunk Jake Ryan who, apparently doesn't know she even exists. Her existence, however, is noted by freshman Ted "The Geek" who lusts after her at every opportunity. Being 16 really isn't all it's cracked up to be, maybe? John Hughes directs his first feature film and sets out his marker for the career that was to come for the astute observer of teen angst and coming of age drama. Featuring Hughes faves Molly Ringwald (Sam0 & Anthony Michael Hall (Ted), Sixteen Candles is frothy on the outside but not without cunning substance on the inside. It's the sort of film that is easy to forgive its obviousness on account of its understanding of its characters, something that Hughes was a master of. Even as we run through the staple requirements of the teen comedy movie (dance, party, making out etc ) Hughes manages to avoid the cliché pitfalls of such sequences by fuelling them with believable patois. His cast, with the exception of the dull Michael Schoefflin
Read the whole review on TMDB - JPV852on TMDB · Jun 20208/10
Really fun, and funny, romantic-comedy that is to me akin to Ferris Bueller's Day Off style of humor from John Hughes (vs. something like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink with a more serious tone or themes). Anyway, this was my first time seeing this and while I still place TBC and FBDO over this, still another great film from Hughes to come out of the 80s and, like those, still works so well today. **4.0/5**
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Cast
- Molly RingwaldSamantha Baker
- Michael SchoefflingJake Ryan
- Haviland MorrisCaroline Mulford
- Gedde WatanabeLong Duk Dong
- Anthony Michael HallGeek (Ted)
- Justin HenryMike Baker
- Paul DooleyJim Baker
- Carlin GlynnBrenda Baker
- Blanche BakerGinny Baker
- Edward AndrewsHoward Baker
Crew
- John HughesDirector
- John HughesWriter
- Bobby ByrneDirector of Photography
- Ira NewbornOriginal Music Composer
- Edward WarschilkaEditor
- Hilton A. GreenProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
13 Going on 30 200485% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless, resolved.
Woman of the Year 194285% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless, warm.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith 194182% alikeBoth classical in form, comic, warm.
Clueless 199581% alikeBoth classical in form, resolved, effortless.
Big 198881% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless, warm.
Never Been Kissed 199980% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless, resolved.
Mr. Mom 198380% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless, comic.
The Barkleys of Broadway 194980% alikeBoth classical in form, effortless, resolved.
Sanford and Son 197281% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, comic, effortless.
The Jeffersons 197581% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, comic, effortless.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
