I’ve been doing something I don’t often do: I’ve been going back and watching some ‘80s comedies that I haven’t seen in years, like She’s Having a Baby, from writer and director John Hughes. The movie, which is available with a library card and a Kanopy subscription, stars Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern as a young couple expecting their first baby (as the name of the movie implies). One thing I totally forgot about was all the cameos at the end, including the late, great John Candy.

He’s Even Playing A Famous Character

At the end of the film, there is a cavalcade of stars throwing out baby name ideas for the couple. Of the stars (and there many), only three are in character. Two of those are Candy and Dan Akyroyd, playing their characters from another film, The Great Outdoors, which Hughes wrote and was filming around the same time as She’s Having a Baby. The third is another classic Hughes character, Ferris Bueller, played by Mathew Broderick. All three are, predictably, funny, but Candy is especially charming.

Candy is great in lead performances, like Chet Ripley in The Great Outdoors, but he’s also really, really good as a supporting character. It’s that ability to be both that makes his cameo so great. His wide smile, and subtle silliness is classic John Candy. You have to believe his lines during the quick cuts from star to star were improvised. It really feels like the kind of humor he was known for early in his career on SCTV, much of which was improvised.

Among A Huge Parade Of Stars, Candy Stands Out

Of all the stars, his two quick lines stand out the most. It really says something about how big his presence was, and remains to this day. As I said, I didn’t remember that detail in the movie, but I’ll bet his appearance stood out at the time, too. It’s not like the star power wasn’t off the charts, though. Magic Johnson, Kirstie Alley, Ted Danson, Woody Guthrie, Michael Keaton, the drummer from The Police - Stewart Copeland, lead singer of The Go-Gos - Belinda Carlisle, Olivia Newton-John, singers Roy Orbison and Warren Zevon, Wil Wheaton, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, and many more appear in the final bit of the movie.

It’s hard to stand out with comedic stars like Bill Murray, Penny Marshall, Harry Anderson, and Bronson Pinchot, but Candy does. He completely lights up the screen, just as he did in all his best roles over the years before he died at age 43. It’s little reminders like this one in She’s Having a Baby that keep him in the cultural zeitgeist, 30 years after his tragic death. I didn’t expect it, and yet, this cameo is what made me smile as wide as Candy did when it happened.

We all miss Candy, but it’s also comforting to know that we can still be surprised by him, even in roles he's less remembered for.

Molly Ringwald is arguably still best known for her roles in a few of John Hughes’ films. She was part of the cast of The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. Even today each of these movies and others from Hughes are still well loved for their depictions of the struggles of the high school experience and adolescence in general. Considering how popular the teen flicks still are, it's hard not to wonder if any of Hughes' movies could be remade. Well, Ringwald has some strong thoughts on that subject.

Anyone who needs an idea of how ubiquitous remakes have become should look no further than the 2026 movie schedule. Revamps The Bride!, The Mummy and Moana are headed to theaters before the end of the year. Could a John Hughes movie ever get the remake treatment next? At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Molly Ringwald spoke with People, and it seems she's not exactly for the idea of rebooting Hughes' movies:

Honestly, I agree. John Hughes’ movies are renowned for portraying teen issues as serious as those of adults. He showed in The Breakfast Club (streamable with a Prime Video subscription) that a teenager is more than a label. Through Pretty in Pink (which Paramount+ subscription holders can stream), Hughes explored the importance of staying true to one's self even when faced with peer pressure. As for Sixteen Candles, it captures the relatable pain of feeling unimportant.

Hughes' movies also birthed the “Brat Pack,” included the likes of Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe and more. And who could forget all the memorable music moments that came from these ‘80s flicks like “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” “If You Leave,” and “Twist and Shout.” All in all, these films are linked to a very specific period in time, and it would be hard to recreate such movie magic now.

Many have tried and failed to recreate a John Hughes-birthed property, though. Ferris Bueller nearly received a spinoff about the two valets who stole Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari, but the merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global caused it to be scrapped. Will Smith and Kevin Hart planned to team up for a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles remake until the project “fell apart.” On that note, Molly Ringwald weighed in what she'd rather see instead of flat-out remakes of Hughes' films:

In other words, if a coming-of-age film were to be made today in a similar style to John Hughes, it would have to be more about social media pressure, race/LGBT+ inclusion, mental health awareness, and more contemporary matters. There have been many modern movies that have given Hughes vibes, like Mean Girls, Superbad and Saved! Still, I'd argue that they’ll never hit audiences the same way a Hughes film hit Generation X.

Remakes can be interesting, but I'd argue that some movies (and TV shows) just need to be left alone. It's hard to improve on something that's already strong, and I'd say that's definitely the case when it comes to John Hughes' movies.

It’s clear from all the work that went into the new documentary, John Candy: I Like Me, currently available with a Prime Video subscription, that the iconic comedian was a major influence on producer Ryan Reynolds. He and director Colin Hanks have received a great deal of praise for the film, which has revealed a lot of interesting information about the late actor. However, there’s something else Ryan Reynolds recently received that may mean even more. A business card.

Reynolds took to Instagram to reveal that during a recent Q&A appearance to promote the movie, he met James Hughes, the son of director John Hughes. Hughes wrote three of John Candy’s best movies, including The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, and the great Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Reynolds revealed a gift he was handed from the latter film, one of he last original business cards of Candy’s character, Del Griffith. Check It Out.

Every movie needs the right props, and some of them become iconic. John Candy’s character, a salesman who specializes in shower curtain rings, would certainly need business cards, so some were made for the film. However many were actually created for the film, there can’t be that many still in existence, but Ryan Reynolds has one, which has to be cool for the guy who is such a big fan that he put John Candy references in the Deadpool movies.

While there were likely more than a few business cards made for the film, with the movie being nearly 40 years old it’s unlikely that most of them are still around. A lot of people who are fans likely also have some. Even if there was a full box of them to start, one imagines James Hughes can’t have that many left.

Considering that, being a business card, the prop has to be fairly fragile, I have to imagine Ryan Reynolds is going to find a place of honor for this card where it will also remain protected. Reynolds has some young kids who will not understand the value of this for years, and as somebody with small children of own, I can only imagine the damage that could be done to this piece of film history. Maybe don’t even keep it at home, Ryan.

While John Candy played some great characters in his career, his role in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles has to be his most famous. It’s the film where Candy has the iconic line that became the subtitle for the documentary film. It will likely be watched by a lot of people next month, as its Thanksgiving setting makes it a seasonal watch for many. For the record, the movie will be available with a Paramount+ subscription starting November 1.

It goes without saying that almost any conversation about the best '80s movies should involve the Brat Pack, The Breakfast Club and filmmaker John Hughes. That movie has become a seminal piece of work and is still highly regarded today. The legendary director had a long streak of hits up his sleeve post-TBC and, in turn, the stars of those films became highly recognizable talents. Interestingly, a producer on the aforementioned 1985 film, Andrew Meyer, revealed how Hughes was very intentional in orchestrating the Brat Pack's rise to stardom.

Andrew Meyer recently chatted with People about his new book, Walking in the Fast Lane: Stories of a Lifetime, and discussed John Hughes’ legacy. The author sang Hughes' praises for the way in which he worked. Upon discussing the Saturday detention dramedy film (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription), Meyer revealed how Hughes effectively sought to plot out his follow-up films:

I'm equally as impressed with how shrewd the Weird Science director was in terms of putting everything together. To have three (eventually beloved) films already in various stages of production is impressive. Of course, there was no way of telling that the films would be bonafide hits off the back. However, John Hughes' movies would eventually be lauded for their storylines, humor (involving funny minor characters), exploration of the teenage experience and more. Considering how strong his work proved to be, we really do owe the director for the emergences of stars like Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson and Demi Moore.

Andrew Meyer went on to say the Sixteen Candles helmer also deserves credit for setting a new standard in regard to work schedules. Based on the way that Meyer puts it, Hughes was quite meticulous when it came to plotting out his next professional moves:

This certainly is cool and eye-opening insight into John Hughes' mindset. I already had respect for much of his work, but I now have even more, considering the efforts he made to produce films and make stars of his actors. Like Meyer, many continue to praise the late iconic director, who died at 59 in 2009. Just earlier this year, Anthony Michael Hall discussed Hughes' legacy and reflected on the "gifts" he picked up while working with him.

A person could certainly say that John Hughes’ plan worked out the way he envisioned it. Although there were some bumps for some members of the Brat Pack (of whom they are misconceptions), many found their way eventually and remain famous for their work.

For a number of cinephiles, the name Anthony Michael Hall might bring to mind the face of a high school nerd in detention with a bunch of other misfits. Or maybe you see the image of another nerdy kid and his buddy using science to create the perfect woman. Yet Hall -- a member of the famous Brat Pack -- has played a number of varied roles over the years. Just recently, though, the veteran actor got candid about the challenges of moving past the roles he played in John Hughes' films.

The now 56-year-old actor entered the industry at a young age and made waves early on. Before he was 17, he had already acted in three of the best ‘80s films ever– Weird Science, 16 Candles, and The Breakfast Club. In all of these John Hughes-directed movies, Anthony Michael Hall plays the funny, yet awkward nerd and, as he explained explained to Variety, he didn’t realize was a typecast at the time:

Those films ultimately did wonders for the National Lampoon’s Vacation alum's career at the time, and he certainly was in no place to turn them down. He even parlayed that success into a one-season stint as a cast member on SNL for a year with his longtime buddy Robert Downey Jr, As a result, he became the youngest cast member to be hired in the show's history. The movies also had him working with some of the biggest young actors in Hollywood at the time and, to this day, he remains synonymous the infamous Brat Pack.

That name was bestowed upon a group of young popular actors in the 1980s ,who had appeared together in a number of coming-of-age films, all within a short period of time. However, along with the title came a number of misconceptions about the Pack's members, which included Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, and Andrew McCarthy.

More recently, members of the group have shared mixed feelings on the title and the impact it had on their careers. It was even the subject of a 2024 documentary directed by Andrew McCarthy called Brats. Despite any of that, Anthony Michael Hall does look back on that time in his life with fondness, for a few reasons:

The Edward Scissorhands actor turned down Andrew McCarthy’s invitation to be in the doc (as did a few others), but for the reason of simply moving forward in his career, while still wishing everybody all the best. It’s an attitude (alongside puberty) that helped him eventually escape typecasting and land more serious roles in The Dark Knight, Halloween Kills and most recently, Reacher.

Despite his decision not to participate in the documentary, the now-56-year-old actor has been embracing the early days of his career lately, appearing in Peacock’s Beyond Saturday Night, a docuseries about the history of the late night sketch show. He even recently reunited with some of his Breakfast Club co-stars for the film’s 40th Anniversary panel at MegaCon, via People. So there's always the chance that he might potentially be up for a Brat Pack reunion, which I'd love to see.

My nostalgic wishes aside, though, Anthony Michael Hall seems to be in a good place career-wise, and I couldn’t be happier for him. The classic John Hughes films he starred in can be streamed, bought or rented on various platforms, and be sure to check Hall out on Reacher Season 3 using a Prime subscription.

John Hughes owned the 1980s when it came to teen comedies and his influence is still felt in modern comedy. Not only did he direct some of the most beloved movies of the era, like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but he also wrote many more. In fact, it's not crazy to say he wrote some the most quotable lines of the entire decade when you include Home Alone, National Lampoon's Vacation, Mr. Mom, and so many others. 

Here are just a few of the hilarious and iconic lines John Hughes wrote in his heyday. 

"Sorry folks, park's closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya." - National Lampoon's Vacation

Is there a more quotable line from any movie than this one? John Candy sure makes the most of his limited screen time as the security guard at Wally World in National Lampoon's Vacation. He almost steals the whole movie with this one line. Almost.

"220, 221. Whatever it takes." - Mr. Mom

Jack Butler is one of Michael Keaton's best roles, but he isn't the most handy guy around the house. That doesn't stop him from trying to impress his wife's boss (Martin Mull) with his home renovation plans, including rewiring the whole thing. He doesn't seem to have a grasp on how electrical work is done, however. 

"Buzz! Your girlfriend! Woof!" - Home Alone

Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) really doesn't get along with his brother. Buzz is mean to Kevin, and Kevin is mean right back, like when he first finds himself alone in Home Alone and is rummaging through Buzz's room and comes across a photo of Buzz's girlfriend. Woof. 

"And why is the carpet all wet, Todd?" - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Margot Chester (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her husband Todd have some of the best lines in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The yuppie neighbors hate living next to the Griswolds, and honestly, who can blame them? Like the time Clark (Chevy Chase) sent a spear of ice through their window, leaving the stereo mysteriously broken and the carpet wet. 

"Well, Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch. All the food groups are represented. Did your mom marry Mr. Rogers?" - The Breakfast Club

Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) takes a lot of guff from Bender (Judd Nelson), and one of the funniest moments is when Bender asks him about his bagged lunch. No, his dad is not Mr. Rogers, it's Mr. Johnson. 

"Yeah, you!" - Sixteen Candles

Sam (Molly Ringwald) doesn't have a very good birthday, and it even makes her question everything the next day, like when Jake meets her at the church after her sister's wedding. She's confused when he's trying to get her attention, and he has to repeat himself. It's such a great underappreciated line. 

"Was that seat hot or what? I feel like a Whopper. Turn me over, I'm done on this side." - Planes, Trains And Automobiles

John Hughes was great at writing for John Candy. In Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Gus (Candy) has some gems, like this one after their car catches on fire. 

"I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great... and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt." - Mr. Mom

Jack's son Kenny really loves his blanket in Mr. Mom, his "woobie," but he's getting older, and Jack thinks it's time to move on. He doesn't want to see Kenny stung out, jonesing to score something bigger, and more expensive. Kenny's not quite ready ready yet. 

"My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Kristy Swanson's delivery of one of the most iconic lines from Ferris Bueller's Day Off is just so perfect. Thank you, Simone. 

"If that thing had nine lives, he just spent 'em all." - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Cousin Eddy (Randy Quaid) is crazy. He's rude, he's inappropriate, and he's obnoxious. He's also really funny, like the time the poor cat gets electrocuted after chewing on the wires for the Christmas tree. Poor cat. 

"Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?" - The Breakfast Club

John Bender really does have most of the great lines in The Breakfast Club and one of those earns him his first additional detention when he asks Principal Vernon (Paul Gleason) if his wardrobe was provided by the legendary Barry Manilow. 

"O God, ease our suffering in this, our moment of great dispair. Yea, admit this good and decent woman into thine arms in the flock in thine heavenly area, up there. And Moab, he laid its down by the band of the Canaanites, and yea, though the Hindus speak of karma, I implore you: give her... give her a break." - National Lampoon's Vacation

Clark (Chevy Chase) doesn't treat Aunt Edna very well, even in death. Still, it's comedic gold for the audience. 

"His name is Blane? Oh! That's a major appliance, that's not a name!" - Pretty In Pink

Duckie (Jon Cryer) really likes Andie (Molly Ringwald) and really doesn't Blaine (Andrew McCarthy). He doesn't even think "Blaine" is a real name, and, no offense to the Blaines out there, it's perfect for the character McCarthy plays.

"Are you crazy? You don't feed a baby chili!" - Mr. Mom

Poor Jack, he's really trying his best in Mr. Mom, but sometimes even the best parents find themselves doing things that wouldn't be advised, like giving a baby a can of chili to eat. Any parent can relate to the notion, and the regret when the chili is... digested. 

"I don't know why they call this stuff hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself, huh? I like it better than tuna helper myself, don't you, Clark?" - National Lampoon's Vacation

Ah, Cousin Eddy. He and his family live a humble life on a farm in Kansas. That includes eating Hamburger Helper without that pesky ingredient, the hamburger. At least he's got real tomato ketchup to cover up the taste! 

"Gummi bear? It's been in my pocket; they're real warm and soft." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

One of the sneaky great lines in Ferris Bueller's Day Off comes at the end of the movie when Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) is forced to ride the bus home. A student sitting next to him offers him a warm piece of candy and it sounds terrible, but does Rooney eat it? We'll never know.

"Oh, he's drunk. How would he know where we're going?" - Planes, Trains And Automobiles

A lot of things go wrong for Neal (Steve Martin) and Del (John Candy) in Planes, Trains and Automobiles but going the wrong way on the interstate has to be the scariest thing that happens. A clueless Del is blaming the wrong person here. 

"Very big in Sheboygan." - Home Alone

John Candy steals the show in his brief time to shine in Home Alone. Gus, who is one of the funniest characters in any John Hughes movie, along with his Polka band, not only save the day for Kate McCallister (Catherine O'Hara) but they do it with some great tunes, tunes that made them famous in Wisconsin. 

"Why do Chet's kids look at him like he's Zeus and my kids look at me like I'm a rack of lawn tools at Sears?" - The Great Outdoors

Dan Aykroyd's character Roman, in The Great Outdoors, is one of those guys that doesn't seem to want to be awful, he just can't help himself. John Candy's character, Chet, couldn't be awful if he tried. It's something that is weighing on Roman's mind, as this quote reveals. 

"Hey, how come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up, we'll all get up, it'll be anarchy." - The Breakfast Club

John Bender is one of the best troublemakers of '80s cinema, and he just loves to question authority. Take, for example, getting upset when Andrew (Emilio Estevez) gets up to help Vernon prop the door open. Bender is worried for all the kids, surely. 

"I can't believe you're standing here in my living room, Eddie." - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

We all have that relative that we'd really prefer didn't visit for the holidays, and Cousin Eddy is like that times 100. Clark sure doesn't want him around, and in fact, is a little shocked that Eddy even knew how to find him, as this was obviously his first visit to the Griswald's house in Chicago. 

"I loathe the bus. There has to be a more dignified mode of transportation." - Sixteen Candles

Plenty of people rightly believe Sixteen Candles is an outdated nightmare. The movie has lines that are racist, homophobic, and generally in poor taste, especially in more enlightened times. There are still some gems in there that aren't offensive, like Sam (Molly Ringwald) pontificating about riding the bus to school. Anyone who has ever ridden one will certainly agree. 

"Stand me up today and tomorrow I'll drive you to school in my robe and pajamas and walk you to your first class. Four o'clock okay?" - Uncle Buck

Uncle Buck isn't quite the classic of some other Hughes movies, but it still delivers some gems from John Candy playing the titular uncle. Like this one, when Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly) really doesn't want her uncle to pick her up from school, fearing the embarrassment he would bring. Buck, however, insists. 

"Lisa could have a good time at an insurance seminar, Wyatt."

The girl that Gary and Wyatt create in Weird Science has it all figured out and feels comfortable everywhere she goes. Including, possibly, an insurance seminar. 

"Oh, he's very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, bloods, wastoids, dweebies - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Edie McClurg, who plays the secretary in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is always a delight, especially when she's delivering great John Hughes dialog, like the time she explains to Rooney just how popular Ferris is with everyone in school. He's a righteous dude. 

"That's very clever, sir. But what if there's a fire? I think violating fire codes and endangering the lives of children would be unwise at this juncture in your career, sir." - The Breakfast Club

There goes John Bender, dispensing sage advice to anyone who will listen, especially Principal Vernon. Sticking a magazine rack between students and safety is, indeed, unwise. 

"This is not the car I ordered. I distinctly ordered the Antartic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the C.B. and optional rally fun pack." - National Lampoon's Vacation

Eugene Levy is great as the greaseball car salesman in National Lampoon's Vacation, but it's this underrated line, about the car that Clark thought he was buying that flies under the radar but completely delivers all need to know about Clark's plans for the upcoming road trip. It's a wonder bit of dialog. 

"Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, 'I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me.' Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is full of helpful advice, but he thinks his life isn't perfect without a car like his sister has. His insights are great, but his transportation issues are not. 

"We don't have none of this stuff in the boy's room! Wait a minute! We don't got none of this... we don't got doors on the stalls in the boy's room, we don't have, what is this? What's this? We don't have a candy machine in the boy's room!" - Pretty In Pink

When Duckie gets himself tossed into the girl's bathroom at school, he's shocked by how much nicer it is than the boy's room. Here's some advice for Duckie though, that's not actually a candy machine. Just a heads up. 

"My brain is like oatmeal. I yelled at Kenny today for coloring outside the lines! Megan and I are starting to watch the same TV shows, and I'm liking them! I'm losing it." - Mr. Mom

Jack just can't catch a break in Mr. Mom. He took for granted just how hard it is to raise kids, but he's learning, it's just turning his brain to mush. Or oatmeal, as he describes it. 

"How 'bout a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?" - Weird Science

The late, great Bill Paxton played a lot of great characters in his career, and one of the best had to be the big brother, Chet, in Weird Science. When Wyatt and Gary return from a night of partying, Chet isn't impressed and tries to completely gross them out. It might not have worked on his little brother, but it worked for audiences. 

"Funny enough, I was just talking to my friend about that. Our speedometer has melted and as a result it's very hard to see with any degree of accuracy exactly how fast we were going." - Planes, Trains And Automobiles

You have to give Del credit, even through the worst, he keeps pushing with a smile on his face. It's got to be hard driving a car with no speedometer though, and the cop he's explaining that to agrees. 

Bridesmaids is one of the best modern comedies, and it even ranked 25th on CinemaBlend’s list of the best rom-coms of all-time. Even though it’s over a decade old now, the movie still works and manages to make me laugh until I cry every time I watch it. But even though I can quote Bridesmaids word for word, I think I discovered two new easter eggs during my latest rewatch, and they’re both John Hughes-related. 

John Hughes was one of the most iconic director/writer/producers of the ‘80s and ‘90s, making a name for himself by revolutionizing the coming-of-age genre with films like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink. He’s also in part responsible for some of the best Christmas movies of all time, including Home Alone and Christmas Vacation. Given Hughes’ affinity for teenage angst and growing pains, it seems odd that a movie like Bridesmaids – which centers on women in their thirties – would find a way to shout out two of the iconic movies he created, and yet, I’m pretty convinced that’s exactly what happens in the latter half of the movie. 

There’s A Clever Bit Of Familiar-Sounding Dialogue Exchanged During The Plane Scene 

One of the most hilarious moments in Bridesmaids unfolds when the bridal party boards a plane to Las Vegas for Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) bachelorette party. Already an anxious flyer, Annie finds herself further exasperated when she is the only one stuck in coach because she can’t afford a first class ticket. While loopy on some medication and alcohol to try and ease her tension, she tries to make her way into the exclusive section of the plane, but she is confronted by a flight attendant who repeatedly asks her to return to her assigned seat. Out of sorts because she’s under the influence, Annie mistakenly reads the flight attendant’s name tag and refers to the man as ‘Stove’ instead of ‘Steve.” This prompts Annie to say,

On the surface, it sounds like a hilarious bit of dialogue that shows how the medication and the alcohol are affecting Annie. But the John Hughes lover in me noticed that it sounded oddly familiar to a quote from Pretty in Pink. In that movie, Duckie (Jon Cryer) is making fun of Andie’s (Molly Ringwald) crush on the wealthy, it boy of their high school, Blane (Andrew McCarthy), who never pays them any attention. Irritated and trying to be funny, he says: 

Annie’s line might not be a total copy of Duckies, but the similarities are definitely there. I would love to know if Wiig and her writing partner Annie Mumalo did this on purpose or if it was purely accidental.

Bridesmaids Has An Ending Reminiscent Of The One In Sixteen Candles 

While the romance between Annie and Nathan (Chris O’Dowd) is not the main focus of the movie, that doesn’t stop them from getting a happily ever after moment amid the chaos of the wedding. After Lillian and her new husband exit the party, Annie finds herself in the parking lot where Nathan and his State Patrol car are unexpectedly waiting to drive her home. 

It’s a heartwarming moment that usually has me swooning, but this time I was swooning for an entirely different reason when I realized how similar it is to the ending of Sixteen Candles. In fact, it’s nearly shot for shot, with Annie and Samantha (Molly Ringwald) wearing similar shocked expressions in their gaudy dresses while their love interests, Nathan and Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), causally lean against their cars with their hands in their pockets. 

I don’t know how I never noticed the similarities before, but now that I have, there’s no way that is purely coincidental. Honestly, it’s made me love the movie even more than I already did. 

If you’ve never watched Bridesmaids before, or are like me and have a habit of missing subtle jokes and easter eggs because you’re laughing so hard, you should definitely check it out. The movie is available to stream with a Prime Video subscription. After, checking out what other movies you can stream on Amazon. 

The directors on this list are among the greatest in the history of cinema, with films that are considered the best of all time; films that will never be forgotten. What about those movies they brought all their tremendous talents to, but which aren’t remembered as well? Here is our list of great movies, by great directors, that don’t get talked about enough these days. 

The Frighteners - Peter Jackson

The Frighteners is such a great movie, and it’s criminally underrated. No, it's not as sprawling or overwhelming as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, but it has all the heart and more. Michael J. Fox leads as a con man/exorcist who can see and interact with ghosts. The Frightners is really funny, well-paced, and delightful. 

The King Of Comedy - Martin Scorsese 

When you think of Martin Scorsese, “comedy” is not usually the first word that pops into your head, but The King Of Comedy is really a pretty great movie, and while it’s technically a comedy, it’s really dark. Goodfellas has some comedy in it, like Joe Pesci acting like a clown… but a true (dark) comedy? This Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis-led film stands alone in Scorsese’s canon. 

Peggy Sue Got Married - Francis Ford Coppola

Peggy Sue Got Married is a deceptively simple film. Unlike Francis Ford Coppola’s more-talked-about epics like The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, this film, starring Nicolas Cage and Kathleen Turner, is smaller, but that doesn’t mean it’s lesser. It’s a weird time-travel tale, but at its heart, it’s really a love story, and while it's not Coppola’s best work, it’s well worth a watch and should be talked about more often. 

Jackie Brown - Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Taratino has famously said that his next movie, his 10th, could be his last. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet Jackie Brown will still be his least talked about.

Strange Days - Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow’s won Oscars (for The Hurt Locker) and she’s directed cult classics (Point Break). Strange Days is certainly closer to the latter. In it, Bigelow dabbles in science fiction, a rarity for her, but it’s unsurprising, as Strange Days was written by her then-husband James Cameron. It doesn’t have the iconic quotes that Point Break has, nor is it as white-knuckle as The Hurt Locker, but it is a great time capsule to filmmaking in the mid-90s and well worth remembering. 

Amistad - Steven Spielberg

Wedged between The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, is Amistad. It’s easy to understand why this powerful historical drama revolving around a landmark court case regarding the slave trade is overlooked, but it shouldn’t be. It’s a moving story, told expertly as only Spielberg can, with a monster cast including Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, and Djimon Hounsou, among many others. 

Clockers - Spike Lee

Let’s be clear here, Clockers is not Spike Lee’s finest work. It doesn’t reach the heights of movies like Do The Right Thing or Malcolm X, but it's still a really good movie. It gets lost in Lee’s stellar filmography, which is understandable. It’s also a testament to just how good Lee’s career has been. 

Talk Radio - Oliver Stone

Talk Radio has everything you expect from an Oliver Stone movie. Its pacing and storytelling are perfect, it’s a fascinating and terrifying story that pulls from the real-world events of a murdered radio show host. It also has a healthy dose of conspiracy, as any great Stone film does. 

The Bling Ring - Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring is a meta-tastic heist film that is not only a ton of fun to watch with celebrity cameos and great acting performances, but it also touches on some of the emerging trends that exploded in the years after the movie came out, notably influencer culture. It’s too often overlooked in Coppola’s stellar filmography. 

The Game - David Fincher

David Fincher is a master, and his filmography is full of great movies, like Se7en and Fight Club. The movie he made between those two classic is The Game with Sean Penn and Michael Douglas. Understandably, it’s overshadowed, but it’s an amazing film that is every bit as good as those two more talked-about movies. Even when people watch Fincher’s whole body of work, The Game gets overlooked and it shouldn’t. 

Casualties Of War - Brian De Palma

Casualties of War was released in 1989, which was the tail end of a slew of excellent Vietnam War movies released in the late ‘80s, like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Hamburger Hill. Despite earning well-deserved praise from critics, the Brian De Palma film bombed, and as such, it's unfortunately one of the director’s least talked about movies when it should be one of the most. 

Matchstick Men - Ridley Scott

Usually, when movie fans talk about Ridley Scott, it’s his sprawling historical epics like Gladiator or Napoleon that dominate the conversation, along with sci-fi classics like Alien and Blade Runner. Matchstick Men is a smaller movie, a dark comedy about a con man with a myriad of personal problems played by Nicolas Cage. It’s a wonderful performance by Cage, and despite not performing well at the box office, it’s been well-reviewed over the years.

Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson

Inherent Vice from Paul Thomas Anderson is a complicated movie, based on a complicated book by Thomas Pinchon. It’s easy to understand why it’s not as talked about as some of Anderson’s other movies, like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights, but it’s every bit as good as those, featuring great acting performances and wonderful cinematography. 

Out Of Sight - Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderberg is known for stylish filming techniques with snappy dialog and interesting plot twists. It’s all right there in Out Of Sight, but the movie still gets overlooked. It was Soderbergh’s first big-budget film, and maybe that’s why it doesn’t get talked about enough. It was also his first collaboration with George Clooney, which makes it even more confounding that it’s not more popular. 

Barry Lyndon - Stanley Kubrick

It’s hard to really argue that any of Stanley Kubrick’s films are not talked about enough, but Barry Lyndon comes the closest here. It’s most revered for its cinematography, but it’s also a wonderful story. While it doesn’t have the panache of A Clockwork Orange or the scope of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it’s still a Kubrick film and it’s one of the best ever made. 

Stardust - Matthew Vaughn

Matthew Vaughn has quietly put together one of the finest resumes in Hollywood. The Kingsman movies are a hot franchise, he’s dabbled in Marvel, and may have inspired the choice of Daniel Craig as James Bond after directing him in Layer Cake. Stardust seems to get lost in the shuffle, but it’s maybe, low key, his best film. 

Ryan's Daughter - David Lean

David Lean is rightfully most remembered for three films, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago. Lost in the discussion of those films is Ryan’s Daughter, a retelling of Madame Bovary set at the end of World War I. It was the last film Lean directed for 14 years and we can only wonder what he might have done had he not semi-retired. 

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson has developed one of the most distinct styles in film history, which translates brilliantly to animation, as well. Anderson’s first foray into the genre was Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray, among others. While it may never outshine his live-action classics, it should be discussed more as one of his best works. 

Bound - The Wachowskis

The DNA of the Wachowskis is very evident in Bound, their first movie. It was made on a shoestring budget, so it doesn’t have the over-the-top effects of The Matrix series, but you can see where they were headed in their filmmaking. 

Intolerable Cruelty - Coen Brothers

When you have a filmography like the Coen Brothers, inevitably, some of the movies won’t get talked about as much as others. Intolerable Cruelty is one of those that gets lost in the mix, behind movies like The Big Lebowski and others that are among the best movies of the ‘90s and beyond. 

Insomnia - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is among the most beloved directors of the 21st century, creating what feels like independent films, but with monster budgets. That DNA was on display early in his career with Insomnia, which has everything you’d expect from a Nolan movie, but with less than half the budget of Oppenheimer. 

The Fan - Tony Scott

There are few better action directors in Hollywood history than Tony Scott. Most remembered today for classics like Top Gun, and Days of Thunder, The Fan should be talked about more. It’s not a perfect movie, but De Niro’s performance is terrifying (in a great way) as a baseball fan obsessed with Wesley Snipes' character. It’s action horror, and it’s great. 

Vincent And Theo - Robert Altman

Robert Altman had one of the most up-and-down careers in Hollywood history. After a string of successes in the ‘80s, his career was almost sunk by Popeye. It took years for him to rebound, but he did with Vincent & Theo. That led to a career revival, but it’s hardly remembered anymore, overshadowed by his early and later films. 

She's Having A Baby - John Hughes

One of the biggest reasons John Hughes is so loved by people who came of age in the ‘80s and ‘90s was his ability to write and direct genuine teenage characters. That extended to a young married couple starting their lives together in She’s Having A Baby. It’s not as quotable as some of Hughes’ other movies, but it’s still sharply written and a fun watch. 

Only The Lonely - Chris Columbus

Chris Columbus has some directed some huge films in his career, most notably Home Alone and Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. He's also got movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Adventures in Babysitting on his resume. One film that is not talked about enough is Only The Lonely starring John Candy as a man looking for a wife, but dealing with a controlling mother. 

Beowulf - Robert Zemeckis

Generations of high schoolers have been confounded and frustrated by Beowulf. Some love the old English classic, but many hate it. It takes a bold director to take it on as a movie. Robert Zemeckis makes it work, and work well. Still, given the material, it’s not a surprise it’s not talked about as much as Zemeckis’ more popular movies like Back to the Future. 

Great Expectations - Alfonso Cuaron

Director Alfonso Cuaron has made some of the best movies of the last 20 years, including Roma, Gravity, and Y tu mamá también. One of his films that doesn’t get talked about much anymore is 1998’s Great Expectations starring Gwenyth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. It’s a bold modernization of the classic Dickens novel that can be polarizing, but still worth talking about more.

Ed Wood - Tim Burton

Of all the movies Tim Burton has made, it’s unsurprising that Ed Wood is one of his least discussed. It’s a love letter to legendary B-Movie director Ed Wood, and despite being filled to the brim with great performances, it's not as popular as many of Burton’s other works. 

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil - Clint Eastwood

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is not exactly the kind of film you might expect from Clint Eastwood, but you should. Some of his best work is when he strays away from the tough guy movies he’s so well known for and this is a great one, starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. 

Away We Go - Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes is best known for movies that cover heavy topics, movies like American Beauty, 1917, and Road to Perdition. That's probably the reason 2009's Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph isn't talked about as much, but it's a sweet movie about a couple dealing with major changes in their life and how to handle them. 

Sleepers - Barry Levinson

Sleepers is a dark, dark film. It's also really, really good. With an all-star cast that includes Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, and many more, it's surprising it doesn't get talked about as much as some of director Barry Levinson's other work, but given the subject matter, it can be a very hard watch.  

High Anxiety - Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks is a living legend and his filmography is filled with some of the most quotable movies of all time. One that doesn't get quoted much, or even talked about much, is High Anxiety. It was, believe it or not, the first time Mel Brooks also played the lead in one of his movies, so that alone should garner more attention. 

Great directors usually have long filmographies, so it's only natural that some of their finest work would be talked about less than their most groundbreaking or biggest films. That said, many movies should be talked about as much as those classics, but aren't. Here's to that changing now! 

John Candy had a legendary career, and was one of the best comedic performers of the '80s and '90s. After rising to prominence as a supporting character actor, he captured the hearts of many, and he became a lovable leading man in beloved films like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Uncle Buck. By the time Home Alone rolled around, Candy was already a major star and his appearance was a welcome surprise. However, it turns out he was only paid $414 for his role in the film, despite being one of the most famous names in the credits.

John Candy’s Role In Home Alone

In Home Alone, Catherine O’Hara’s Kate McAllister does everything she can to try and get back home to her son Kevin on Christmas after accidentally leaving him behind. Unfortunately, the busy holidays make it impossible for her to book a trip back to Chicago, so she has to take desperate measures. 

She meets Gus Polinski, played by Candy, who is in a traveling polka band, and he offers to let her tag along in a van with his band back to Chicago. His character is essential to the film, as he helps Kate get back to her son for Christmas. The scene also acts as a throwback for John Hughes fans, who previously witnessed Candy helping another disgruntled traveler get home in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

According to director Chris Columbus, John Candy was an absolute pro on set, and he spent hours making the crew laugh while shooting Home Alone. The filmmaker told Business Insider that many of the stories the character told were improvisations by Candy, showing his strength as a comedic performer. However, even if the crew was happy to be working with the Cool Runnings actor, he held a bit of resentment for agreeing to appear in the film.

John Candy’s Low Pay On Home Alone

Even though Candy was a massive star, and he kept the crew in good spirits on Home Alone, he had a bit of vitriol towards the experience. The behind-the-scenes documentary series The Movies That Made Us, which is available with a Netflix subscription, revealed that the Spaceballs star was only paid $414 for the role, and he was not happy about it. Columbus confirmed this resentment towards his pay, saying:

Hopefully, he got some kind of compensation from the studio, especially considering Home Alone won a ton of weekends at the box office. A payment of $414 is insultingly low, especially considering Candy was a major audience draw. He must’ve owed John Hughes, who wrote the Christmas classic, big time to agree to pay that low. Apparently, the pay didn’t go over well even in the years following. Columbus worked with Candy again on 1991’s Only The Lonely, and the comic actor was still holding his grudge. Columbus revealed:

His discontentment is understandable, but hopefully, he still received some joy from the experience. It is such a well-remembered role, and it likely introduced Candy to a new audience. Gus is one of the funniest John Hughes characters, and Candy does wonders with limited screen time. The film also acted as a sweet reunion with Catherine O’Hara, who he began his comedy career with on SCTV. The comic actor passed away only a few years after Home Alone, and families who revisit the film every year can feel Candy’s jovial spirit live on. 

You can revisit John Candy’s performance in Home Alone, which is available to stream now with a Disney+ subscription. Fans of the actor should also check out our feature on the best Candy movies for other great films from the Stripes star, which he was likely paid a lot more for. 

Making movies might seem like it’s all fun and games, but at the end of the day, it can actually be a stressful job for the cast and crew. There are budgets to stick to, scenes to shoot, and nervous or entitled egos to manage. Even the most skilled directors and actors sometimes butt heads when it comes to creating a movie. The latest actor to break his silence on an incident with a director is Matthew Broderick, who opened up about his time filming Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with the late director John Hughes.

Appearing on THR's It Happened in Hollywood podcast, Broderick opened up about his time with legendary teen movie director while filming Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He recalled a costume test in the early days of production that left John Hughes feeling less than impressed; he allegedly went so far as to call some of the cast boring, with the actor noting, "He said none of us were ‘fun to watch.'" While there’s no denying Hughes' genius when it came to teen movies, it appears he sometimes acted just like the callous adults in his movies. Per the star: 

As a big fan of Hughes’ films and of Broderick's performance as Ferris Bueller, this is a bit surprising to me. While it’s no secret that Hollywood directors sometimes create a less-than-ideal work environment for their actors, it’s hard to imagine someone like the director, whose filmography largely had him dealing with teen and young adult actors, doing that same thing. 

Thankfully, Broderick was quick to defend the famous director in the same interview, saying: 

It seems like Matthew Broderick and John Hughes's disagreements stemmed from their desires to make the best movie they could. Thankfully, their hard work paid off, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became the 10th highest-grossing movie of 1986 and one of the best 80s movies of all time.  

Fans can revisit Broderick’s iconic role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which is available now with a Netflix or Paramount+ subscription. And don’t forget to keep checking our new and recent movie streaming feature for news about when Broderick’s latest role as Laird Becker in No Hard Feelings will be available to watch. If you're a fan of the movie, you might also want to keep an eye out for the Ferris Bueller spin-off that is in development, as well. 

Now, to quote Ferris Bueller: “You’re Still here? It’s over. Go home.” 

Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink are essential viewing for all teen movie fans. They’re classics, and some of the best '80s movies for fans of romantic angst — especially involving unrequited love. They’re also two of John Hughes' best movies and best high school movies, and both were also directed by Howard Deutch.

Having the same writer and director are where the similarities begin but not where they end. The premises of each are very similar. They’re both movies about class status, having a crush on your best friend, and high school drama. They also both feature some of John Hughes’ biggest jerk characters. Of all his movies, though, these feel the most like pairs.

They also feel like movies that stand in total opposition to one another, as they have a lot of similarities, but their differences are almost opposites of each other.

Let me explain.

The Genders Are Swapped 

The first obvious difference between Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink is that all the main characters’ genders are swapped. The main character of the latter, Andie (Molly Ringwald) is a girl, her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) is a guy, and her love interest, Blaine (Andrew McCarthy), is also a guy. In the former, the main character Keith (Eric Stoltz) is a guy, his best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) is a girl, and his love interest, Amanda (Lea Thompson), is a girl.

It’s also slightly interesting that both leads have red hair, so in some way — despite their different personalities — they could be swapped gender versions of each other. Also, Duckie and Watts are both the kind of characters who don’t follow gender standards and norms. Watts is a tomboy and Duckie is kind of metrosexual. So these characters also feel like they have completely opposite personalities but they have a similar romantic dilemma. 

Who Gets The Object Of Their Affection 

In PIP, Andie picks Blaine by the end of the movie. In SKOW, Keith realizes his feelings for Watts and picks her. Many of us know by now that the original Pretty in Pink ending had a similar outcome to Some Kind of Wonderful. Andie picked Duckie until test audiences hated it. 

Because Hughes was forced to change his original ending, it’s been long speculated that SKOW was created in opposition to the PIP ending.

In a Screen Rant interview, Howard Deutch disputed that rumor, and said that Hughes had already written Some Kind of Wonderful before Pretty in Pink was completed. However, he does say that the ending of the later movie matched “the spirit” of the original PIP ending.

How Vocal The Friend Is About Their Love 

Watts’ love for Keith is secret, but Duckie has shouted from the rooftops that he loves Andie for most of their friendship. Well, he hasn’t told her that he loves her yet, but he makes his crush and affection for her pretty obvious.

This kind of fits with the whole gender film standards. Guys in films are often bold with their declarations of love, whereas girls are more prone to hiding their true feelings. For better or worse, it’s standard in some of the best romantic comedies. 

How The Main Characters Start Dating Their Crush 

Amanda has no true interest in Keith until their actual first date. She sort of uses him to make her ex-boyfriend, Hardy (Craig Sheffer), jealous. But she starts to develop real feelings for him after their elaborate date, where they open up to each other. They discover they’re more compatible than they thought.

In Pretty in Pink, Blaine and Andie are both attracted to each other. Blaine makes the move and they begin dating. It’s while dating that they learn they’re not that compatible, but choose to be together despite the obstacles.

The initial couples have a different journey to starting a possible romance but opposite outcomes. Andie and Blaine stay together though their worlds are very different. Amanda encourages Keith to go after Watts despite liking him now and their lives being more similar than different.

The Main Characters’ Families 

Andie only has her father in her life. They have a good relationship, but her family feels a bit broken because of her mother's absence. Her father is also not really going anywhere with his life and career. He’s jobless and can’t let go of his ex-wife. He’s a loving father to Andie but he’s not the most stable parental figure.

Keith has the opposite family life. His parents are together and he has two younger sisters. It’s the picture of an ideal family. They are also not rich, but Keith’s father is a hard worker and really involved in his children’s lives — maybe too involved. He wants a better future for them than his life.

Both films show loving parents but one shows a single-parent household versus one with both parents. It’s kind of a picturesque family life versus a family that's a little more unstable, but just as loving and devoted. Also, both leads are from working-class families. I don’t think these movies are great movies for families to watch together (because of the mature subjects), but they are definitely movies where family plays an important role in the characters' identities.  

How The Broken Hearted Deal With Their Broken Hearts 

Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink answer the age-old question about whether it’s better to nurse a broken heart by finding someone new, or to cop with the pain alone. Both options are seen as solid choices. Immediately, after Andie leaves to find Blaine, Duckie captures the attention of a pretty girl. It’s assumed that he’ll get over Andie because he has someone new.

Amanda maturely realizes that she needs to conquer one of her biggest fears and just be alone. I always preferred Amanda’s choice, because it feels right for her character and is a very strong way to approach her situation.

Duckie’s outcome didn’t seem that realistic, but it’s nice that he got a somewhat happy ending.

Some Kind of Wonderful and Pretty in Pink are just two of the many great movies to watch on HBO Max right now. They’re also two of the best coming-of-age stories, even more so to watch as companion movies. These films have similar stories with a few critical differences, which show that small changes can lead to different outcomes.  

Stream Pretty in Pink on HBO Max.

Stream Some Kind of Wonderful on HBO Max. 

Life moves pretty fast for a movie like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. If it doesn’t stop to look around every once in a while, it’ll have a Super Bowl ad, and a ton of internet commenters reappraising just how much of a “hero” its story has before it knows it. Or, in the case of the latest development for John Hughes’ landmark comedy hit, an upcoming movie spinoff finds its way into the picture. And believe it or not, the concept is as killer as the crew behind it.

It’s been revealed by Deadline that Paramount Pictures is developing a Ferris Bueller spinoff that dives into another day off in that very same universe we first visited in 1986. Only this time, we’re being treated to Sam and Victor’s Day Off; which is being developed by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald; the creators behind Netflix’s Cobra Kai. 

Writer Bill Posley is on script duty, and all we know about the movie is that it’ll focus on the two valets who went joy riding with the Ferrari that belonged to Cameron’s dad, and the day that resulted from that fateful ride. So rather than play the legacy-quel card of following these valets into the present day, this story will explore what the newly named Sam and Victor were doing with the Ferrari while Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane were galavanting around Chicago. 

This is opens the door wide for '80s style antics that, ideally, will slot into the narrative that already exists. Which means we might finally get to see the situation that lead to this legendary cutaway gag in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:

Exploring the depths of a classic comedy is something you’d pretty much expect from a project that has the crew from Cobra Kai involved. As Season 5 is promising another major Karate Kid character’s entrance, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald have already entrenched themselves in one ‘80s classic’s canon. Now with Sam and Victor’s Day Off, they’ll try to do it again in some much stricter circumstances, thanks to the period appropriate setting. 

One question that will probably need to be answered is whether or not this Ferris Bueller spinoff will be a theatrical release, or if this is more of a Paramount+ exclusive. Again, Cobra Kai has been a huge hit for Netflix upon its acquisition. That could lead to the notion that Sam and Victor’s Day Off is a project that could absolutely crush among the best movies on Paramount+. 

That could have been a safe bet until this past memorial day, when Tom Cruise’s Top Gun Maverick proved just how weaponized nostalgia can create a dominating box office hit. Emboldened by that success, and the right concept/cast, Paramount could roll the dice and send Sam and Victor’s Day Off to the big screen. 

Time is clearly on the side of this project, Sam and Victor's Day Off is currently in the early stages of development. As such, we don't have a concrete timeline as to when, or if, we should expect it up and running. In the meantime, you can revisit Ferris Bueller's Day Off on streaming, as both Netflix and Paramount+ subscribers currently have access to the film. 

“KEVINNNN!” It’s the loud and obnoxious, yet soothing words that come out of many of our TV screens year after year as we continue the tradition of watching 1990’s Home Alone each holiday season. But this year, Disney+ is welcoming a new mischievous kid onto our Christmas list with a reboot called Home Sweet Home Alone, and we finally have some more details.

It’s been announced that 20th Century Studios' upcoming holiday family film is set to premiere on the two-year anniversary of Disney+, i.e. November 12. Home Sweet Home Alone stars 12-year-old Archie Yates, who memorably starred in Oscar-winning film Jojo Rabbit as a new character named Max Mercer, who will deal with a situation during the Christmas season Kevin McCallister can relate to.

Except instead of two bumbling thieves, the antagonists that Max Mercer will come in crosshairs with is a married couple who has their eyes on a priceless heirloom that is located in Max’s house. When Max accidentally ends up home alone while his family are in Japan for the holidays, he uses his cleverness to keep them away.

While 20th Century Studios' official announcement doesn’t specify who plays who, the Home Sweet Home Alone cast includes Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Ellie Kemper, Catastrophe’s Rob Delaney, Veep’s Timothy Simons, Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson and Ally Maki. The movie was written by Saturday Night Live cast member Mikey Day, along with one of the show’s staff writers, Streeter Seidell. Disney+ also made the announcement via its Instagram:

The studio behind Home Alone has tried to recapture the magic of the original two movies from John Hughes and Chris Columbus a few times over the years with Home Alone 3 in 1997, Home Alone 4 in 2002 and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist in 2012, each starring different kids. None of them have come close to living up to the original starring Macaulay Culkin.

There’s a lot to love about the original. John Williams’ score, the many quotable lines and sweet message of Christmas Culkin displays through his journey. I wouldn’t necessarily go into Home Sweet Home Alone expecting it to reach these heights, but the movie does look to be armed with some talented writers and actors.

Disney+ has already produced a few of holiday films in its two years as a streaming service, including Noelle starring Anna Kendrick and last year’s The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. And next year, Disney+ will release the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special from James Gunn and starring the live-action Marvel crew in time for the 2022 holidays. While we wait for Home Sweet Home Alone, check out what’s new to Disney+ this August here on CinemaBlend.

Sequels and remakes are ruling the box office, as many studios have been putting new spins on established classics, especially those from the ‘80s. From Fright Night to The Karate Kid, it appears that no film is off the table when it comes to a potential remake. Now, it appears that classic John Hughes film is getting a revamp, and Kevin Hart and Will Smith have been recruited to play a couple of fan-favorite roles.

Paramount Pictures is currently developing a remake of John Hughes 1987 comedy Planes, Trains & Automobiles, per Deadline. And the trade also reports that Kevin Hart and Will Smith have been tapped to play the lead roles in the road trip comedy.

The film is set to be co-produced by Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Hart’s Hartbeat Productions. The script is being penned by Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum Ayesha Carr, and the project will mark her feature film debut.

The original Planes, Trains & Automobiles was a staple of the 1980s. The film starred Steve Martin and John Candy as a pair of mismatched travelers who cross paths as they attempt to get home to loved ones for Thanksgiving. But in the process, plenty of obstacles hamper their efforts, and comedic shenanigans ensue. As of right now, it’s unclear as to which roles Smith and Hart will take on. If you need a refresher on the film, check out the trailer below:

The 1987 film saw Steve Martin play Neal Page, a stuffy marketing executive who’s only trying to get home to his wife and family for the holiday. This is where he crosses paths with Del Griffiths, who’s played by the late, great John Candy. Del is a fast-talking salesman and, unlike Neal, he’s an optimist, despite hiding some personal baggage.

At first glance, one would think that Will Smith would take on the role of Neal Page given that he can play easily agitated characters. And with Hart’s buzzing personality and ability to play talkative, comedic characters, he feels like a shoo-in for Del. However, the producers may surprise us and play the opposite roles.

What’s arguably most surprising about this project is that it will mark the first time that Will Smith and Kevin Hart have starred alongside each other in a project. Most know Smith for playing off stars like Martin Lawrence and Tommy Lee Jones, while Hart has forged a strong working (and personal) relationship with Dwayne Johnson. With this, it’ll be exciting to finally see the two team up and combine their comedic talents.

Given the iconic status of Planes, Trains & Automobiles some fans of the John Hughes movie may feel uneasy about the prospect of a sequel. But it’s hard to deny that Paramount has landed two capable leads to breathe new life into the classic comedy.

A release date for the Planes, Trains & Automobiles reboot has not been reported as of this writing.

Over the course of his legendary career, writer-director John Hughes created some of the most beloved characters of all time with names like Del Griffith, Ferris Bueller, and my personal favorite, Kevin McCallister. But for every reasonable, likable, and genuinely good character in his movies, Hughes balanced the equation with jerks like Edward Rooney, Chet Donnelly, and everyone's least favorite family member Uncle Frank in the 1990 classic Home Alone.

From rude bosses in films like Mr. Mom to unnecessarily cruel school administrators in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club, the iconic filmmaker really knew how to write a foil for his greatest heroes. And while most times people like to focus on the best characters from his movies, with so many examples of power-hungry and all around cocky villains, I have to focus on the biggest jerks from the mind of John Hughes. The only hard part is settling on 10 characters that fit that description.

10. Howard and Dorothy Baker - Sixteen Candles

John Hughes' 1983 directorial debut Sixteen Candles is an all-time classic, but a lot has changed in the worst over the past 37 years and there are certain aspects of the movie that just don't age well when looked at through a modern lens. One of the biggest issues is with Howard and Dorothy Baker (Edward Andrews and Billie Bird), Samantha Baker's grandparents, who essentially treat their foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe) like a slave for most of the movie and constantly berate him in front of their family.

9. Roman Craig - The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors is one of those movies that my brother and I would watch whenever it was on TV, so I probably watched it at least 96 times, and it's not just because of Dan Aykroyd's amazing ability to pull off a rich jerk better than anyone. Speaking of which, Aykroyd's performance as the successful and lavishly wealthy (at least he appears to be) Roman Craig, the brother-in-law and foil of John Candy's Chester "Chet" Ripley. From the first time you meet the guy until his revelation in the final moments, Roman is a Class-A certified jerk. He does everything from telling his wife to put a cork in it while checking himself out in the mirror to calling everyone "deadasses" with so much disdain and cockiness in his voice, it's hard to believe it's the same actor from Ghostbusters.

8. Neal Page - Planes, Trains And Automobiles

I feel kind of bad putting Neal Page from Planes, Trains and Automobiles on this list, but not since The Jerk has Steve Martin played such a convincing and detestable jerk than in this 1987 Thanksgiving classic. Whenever given the opportunity to be a decent person and keep his mouth shut, Neal consistently does himself in, whether it be in New York, St. Louis, or even Wichita, Kansas. And yeah, Neal learns a thing or two along the way, especially when he figures out what's going on with John Candy's Del Griffith, the marketing executive spends most of the movie going on long tirades aimed at taxi drivers, car rental clerks, and worst of all, his companion on the road.

7. Margo And Todd Chester - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

There are annoying movie neighbors and then there are Margo and Todd Chester (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Nicholas Guest) in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. John Hughes had written plenty of great yuppies up to this point, but the 1989 Christmas classic features the greatest husband-wife combo of that era. And sure Clark Griswold is responsible for a lot of the couple's worst moments, but their reactions ("And why's the carpet all wet, Todd?" "I don't know, Margo!") make them some unlikable you can't help but root against them.

6. Ron Richardson - Mr. Mom

I could have put any number of horrible bosses from John Hughes' filmography here, but the best example of a greasy, womanizing executive is found in Martin Mull's performance as Ron Richardson in Mr. Mom. As soon as the character is first introduced when Teri Garr's Caroline Butler gets a job in advertising leaving Michael Keaton's Jack Butler home alone with the kids. Whenever Ron is in the picture he is either being aggressively flirtatious with Caroline or demeaning to Jack. And the idea that Ron is just being friendly with his new employee goes out the window when he tries to convince Caroline to leave her husband and children before trying to seduce her. 

Being a jerk is bad enough, but now he's just a creep.

5. Richard Vernon - The Breakfast Club

Now it's time for the heavy-hitters, the worst of the worst, the scum between my toes. Starting off we have Vice Principal Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason) in the John Hughes classic The Breakfast Club. From the jump Vernon is a full-on jerk and only gets worse as the movie goes on, especially when it comes to the treatment of John Bender (Judd Nelson). There's the scene where Vernon verbally assaults high school student in front of the rest of the teenagers in Saturday detention, but then it gets worse when he locks Bender in the storage closet, threatens him, and then calls him a gutless turd.

4. Steff McKee - Pretty In Pink

You can't have an '80s movie without having the hero, or heroine in the case of Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) in Pretty in Pink being constantly picked on by the rich, popular kids at school. And you can't have a group of rich kids with an easy-to-hate leader like Steff McKee (James Spader). Steff's treatment of everyone who doesn't have uber-wealthy parents is turned up a notch when his friend Blane begins to fall for Andie. There's one scene after the big blowup at Steff's party where the yuppie sits behind a fancy desk, rolling a joint, and berating the guy who used to be his best friend. And whenever Blane tries to call him out, Steff does the jerk move of acting like the victim and like he is in the right.

3. Edward Rooney - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

You would think that Richard Vernon would have a higher ranking than Edward Rooney from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but while Vernon was a certifiable dick to the students of Shermer High School, he never chased one around Chicago like Rooney did with Ferris. Not only does Rooney neglect the other 1,000 or so students under his watch, he begins to act like a creep and common criminal when sneaking around Ferris' house looking for a guy who was just trying to have some fun before going off to college in the fall. There's no sign of remorse and no changing on Rooney's part, even as he is carried back to school on a crowded school bus.

2. Uncle Frank - Home Alone

When we first meet Uncle Frank in the beginning of Home Alone, he pretty much says it's not his house and not his responsibility when asked to to pay for the pizza and talk to Harry Lime (when he's dressed up like a cop). But then we get the crème de la crème of being an ass after Kevin and Buzz (another jerk, but he comes around in the end) cause a series of catastrophic events. Without missing a beat, Frank looks at his nephew and calls him a little jerk in front of the whole family. Frank needs to look at himself in the mirror before berating little kids like that. Go off and steal the utensils from your first class seats that you didn't pay for, you cheap prick. I'm done with you!

Honorable Mention: Hardy Jenns - Some Kind Of Wonderful

Before we get to the biggest jerk in a John Hughes movie, let's take a moment reflect on Craig Sheffer's performance as Hardy Jenns, the self-absorbed ex-boyfriend of Lea Thompson's Amanda Jones, in Some Kind of Wonderful. He's not as much of a dick as James Spader's Steff McKee in Pretty in Pink but Hardy isn't such a good guy either. The serial narcissist is such a jerk throughout the entire movie you can't help but jump and cheer when Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz) tells the bully that he is "over" before Amanda comes in and finishes the job.

1. Chet Donnelly - Weird Science

You don't know how hard it is to find just one Chet Donnelly moment to show the dastardly behavior of the biggest jerk on his list, but the extortion, "Wyatt's panties," and "You're Dead Meat, Pilgrim," are all good places to start when discussing Weird Science. John Hughes' dialogue and Bill Paxton's acting chops created the gold standard of evil older brothers in this 1985 sci-fi comedy, and the character remains the top of its class 35 years later. When Chet and Wyatt's parents go out of town, the older brother with a mean flattop lets the power go to his head and doesn't stop even when he's turned to giant blob. That takes commitment to being an undeniable jerk.

Those are the biggest jerks in all of John Hughes' movies and probably the biggest jerks in all of movies for that matter. Like I said in the beginning, John Hughes was a master at writing a believable and multi-dimensional foil for each of his heroes, and few have come as close to the greatness that he brought to his scripts and movies. Make sure to sound off in the comments and let everyone know your favorite jerk from these timeless classics.

Any other summer movie season is usually overwhelmed with high profile big-screen release after release, but in 2020 many of us are taking this time to experience our old favorites all over again at home. There’s no shame in a good nostalgia trip and Frozen actor Josh Gad has been championing an exciting slew of reunions from our favorite casts including The Goonies, Ghostbusters and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. His latest Reunited Apart brings together the various stars of John Hughes’ movies.

Many moviegoers have fond movie memories from John Hughes' impressive body of work, which includes iconic teen films Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and Breakfast Club laugh-out-loud classics like the National Lampoon’s series, Home Alone and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Many of the original actors in these beloved movies have just paid tribute to their roles with the below video:

Anyone else ready for a John Hughes marathon now? That was simply delightful. In a departure from the typical Josh Gad content found on his recently-popular YouTube channel, sixteen actors (ha, get it?) returned to recreate their lines from John Hughes films to pay homage to the late writer/director. Many of these talents have been greatly influenced by the roles Hughes carved out for them, some of which are still best known for playing these characters 30ish years later.

Molly Ringwald fittingly opens out the video with a moment from Sixteen Candles where she drops an F-bomb about her mom forgetting her birthday. A 52-year-old Anthony Michael Hall rocks some shades to deliver a line as the “brain” in Breakfast Club during his time in detention. Chevy Chase delivers one especially hilarious moment during Clark Griswald’s breaking point at the end of 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation and Catherine O’Hara flawlessly takes on her “KEVIN!” moment in Home Alone at the close of the video.

The influence of John Hughes on Hollywood is especially clear with a look at this tribute. Actors such as Steve Martin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Krakowski and Michael Keaton are still very much important figures in the film industry; their work with Hughes movies are a large part of that. Hughes greatly defined the teen comedy genre in the ‘80s, although they aren’t as prevalent today.

John Hughes passed away over 10 years ago at the age of 59 of a heart attack after writing over 30 movies, a majority of which are still celebrated today. This Reunited Apart tribute precedes Josh Gad’s recent get-together with the cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for a 45-minute episode featuring the original cast including Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara and Jennifer Grey.

What’s your favorite John Hughes movie? Vote in the poll below or comment your deep cut favorite.

This poll is no longer available.

The ‘80s was a time period filled to the brim with would-be classic films, and one of the flicks that stands among the most popular of the decade is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The John Hughes comedy painted a fun story of a high school slacker who skips school with his best friends and has a day for the ages. Along the way, audiences were also introduced to Ferris’ family – his mother, father and sister Jeanie. However, it turns out the Bueller family was initially set to be a bit bigger.

In a recent episode of his popular YouTube series Reunited Apart, Josh Gad brought together the cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The former castmates reminisced on their time working on the movie and even revealed some nice secrets. One of these came from Katie Bueller actress Cindy Picket, who revealed that Ferris and Jeannie were meant to have younger siblings:

This may come as a surprise to many, but what’s even more surprising is that there were actually clues to let viewers know that this was to be the case. Aside from the children’s drawings on the fridge, a family photo in Tom Bueller’s office also appears to show to other kids

The addition of other Bueller siblings (and younger ones at that) definitely would’ve changed up the dynamics of the family, and they may have even affect Ferris’ plan to skip school. With two younger siblings around, the charming schemer may have enlisted them to help with his goals. Though if they possessed some of the same traits as their older brother, they likely wouldn’t have helped for free.

There’s a good chance the two wouldn’t have been fixated on busting their brother as Jeanie was. But like their sister, they may have ultimately ended up causing some kind of trouble or physical pain for Ferris’ biggest rival, Dean Rooney.

It’s fun to think about what the film would’ve been like had the siblings remained but, ultimately, it’s probably best that they were cut. One of the focal points of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the antagonistic relationship between Ferris and Jeanie and how it develops. This also becomes even more vital when you consider that both were the only sibling the other had. With this, adding two more may have taken away from the unique nature of that bond.

At the end of the day, I think most would agree that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a fine enough film without the two younger siblings, and cinema is definitely better for John Hughes’ ultimate vision.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is currently available to stream on Netflix.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Who gets the girl? It’s a complicated question that plagues almost every romantic comedy, and it’s not always an easy question to answer. Writers and directors can’t predict how an audience is going to react to certain on-screen pairings, and when you introduce a love triangle, that outcome becomes even more unpredictable. And the same seems to go for the “king” of teenage comedies, John Hughes.

No one has enjoyed as strong of a string of iconic teen comedies as John Hughes did in the 1980s. The writer-director helped create Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful. That’s hall of fame shit. Right in the middle of that stretch, Hughes teamed with director Howard Deutch on Pretty in Pink, which catapulted Molly Ringwald to the head of the Brat Pack and solidified the careers of Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer and James Spader.

In the film, Ringwald plays the prototypical teenage girl from the “wrong side of town” who falls for the cool rich kid (McCarthy) but also strings along her nerdy best friend (Cryer). But during a recent interview, Deutch told us that they originally had an ending that test audiences hated. So, Hughes wasn’t perfect? That’s kind of comforting. Deutch opened up about that speed bump, telling CinemaBlend:

Yep, that’s a totally different ending from what we ended up seeing. And in some way, it’s remarkable that test audiences in the 1980s didn’t support Jon Cryer’s Duckie getting the girl at the end. Throughout Pretty in Pink, Duckie is the one who has Andie’s (Ringwald) back. Who can forget this classic 80s moment?

You want to see that alternate ending? The one that audiences booed, giving John Hughes and Howard Deutch a heart attack? We asked the director if it was going to be part of the new Blu-ray release that Paramount has on shelves as of June 16, but he said:

Well, GOOD NEWS! Paramount confirms that the alternate ending for Pretty in Pink is available on Blu-ray, and you can purchase that starting today. Finally, fans who have waited years can see the moment when Andie chooses Duckie, and not BLAINE. Click here to order Pretty in Pink through Amazon.

From the earliest days of its development, the influence of John Hughes on Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Homecoming was made plain to see. With an unprecedented emphasis on Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) high school years, the film will pay quite a bit of homage to the legendary director's influence on 1980's teenage movies. One film that has played a huge role in Homecoming's development and production is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and now it seems that there will even be a sequence in the Spider-Man movie that's directly inspired by Ferris Bueller's climactic race to get home. Homecoming's co-producer Eric Carroll opened up regarding the homage to CinemaBlend during a recent set visit and said:

CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell recently visited the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming to get a better sense of how the film has come together, and Eric Carroll made it clear that the movie is not shying away from the influences of classic high school films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The Homecoming sequence described in that quote should sound incredibly familiar to any self-respecting John Hughes fan out there, as it seems to take direct inspiration from the climax of Ferris Bueller in which Matthew Broderick's titular hero races through his Chicago suburb to beat his parents home and maintain the illusion that he has spent the day sick in bed.

Take a look at that timeless sequence from Ferris Bueller's Day Off below.

That scene has become iconic in the three decades since Ferris Bueller's Day Off debuted in theaters, and it has been lampooned time and time again in a wide variety of media -- from Family Guy to recent Domino's commercials with Stranger Things actor Joe Keery. The scene has, in many ways, become cinematic shorthand to signify a rebellious teen, and its inclusion in Homecoming seems like a perfect way to honor John Hughes' newfound influence on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, all we need is to get Peter Parker to sing "Danke Schoen" and we will be all set.

Regarding how it relates to Spider-Man: Homecoming, the scene will reportedly occur after Spidey confronts Donald Glover's character in the park.

Check out the most recent trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming to get a better sense of how the film will tackle Peter Parker's coming-of-age tale.

Spider-Man: Homecoming will swing into theaters later this year on June 7, 2017. Here's everything that we currently know about the teenage superhero's upcoming solo adventure.

Movie characters don’t get much cooler than Ferris Bueller. A teenager seemingly driven by pure id, he pretty much does whatever he wants whenever he wants, and doesn’t really ever concern himself with the consequences. The guy even proves to have a keen sense of style and fashion, wearing multiple outfits over the course of writer/director John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that left a permanent park on popular culture. But how exactly did these iconic outfits come together?

This year marks the 30th anniversary of both Pretty In Pink and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and late last month I had the pleasure of interviewing Marilyn Vance: the costume designer on not only those two films, but also John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. During our chat, we got to talking about the various iconic looks of Ferris Bueller, and she actually wound up detailing the origins of two of the character’s most notable get-ups:

The Vest

When thinking about the classic "Twist and Shout" musical scene on the Von Steuben Day parade float in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, one instantly remembers the strangely-pattered vest that Ferris wears while thrilling the crowd. It turns out that any fan of the film could have easily replicated this look after seeing the movie, but the process would have involved tearing apart a newly purchased garment – because it turns out that what is a vest in the movie was actually a sweater that Marilyn Vance. Said the great costume designer,

This is funny to learn if not just because of the thought of Ferris Bueller wearing the untampered garment in the actual film. While the vest definitely sold Ferris as a cool guy giving a cool performance, he probably would have looked a whole lot dorkier if he were wearing a button-down sweater while singing.

The Jacket

While Marilyn Vance was able to find the right look she was going for with the vest in a store, the same couldn’t be said for the jacket that Ferris Bueller is wearing for most of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. As a character, Ferris really does what he can to defy categorization – particularly in high school terms – so Vance had to get a bit creative in figuring out exactly what he would wear:

The 1980s was certainly a strange time for fashion (look no further than Duckie’s various costumes in Pretty In Pink, but Ferris Bueller had an impressively timeless look that really authenticates his absolute cool-ness. It’s a tremendous credit to Marilyn Vance’s work.

Pretty In Pink is now available for purchase in Digital HD, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is available on Blu-ray.

Thanksgiving is drawing to a close, and Christmas is right around the corner. You will be dealing with an influx of family members coming and going through your doors, bringing presents and looking for food. And when the dust settles, everyone’s going to crash on your couch, snack on your food, and stream some of your entertainment. Well, you are in luck. Amazon Prime is refreshing its streaming options for December, and adding a few gems to the lineup. Here rae five movies you can stream, as an Amazon Prime member, in December (as well as the dates that they will be made available). What are you going to watch tonight?

Interstellar

Selfishly, I’m glad I can stream Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi adventure Interstellar over and over now because I’m not entirely sure I understood everything that happened. Especially at the end. With his daughter. And the book case. And Matt Damon’s astronaut. And his much older daughter. Yeah, I’m still very lost. Time to stream!

Available: 12/12/15

Selma

Ava DuVernay’s historical account of the important work completed by Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights movement was a must-see for so many reasons. Not only did the director masterfully recreate the passion (and, yes, turmoil) of the era, but she coaxed a devastatingly brilliant performance from leading man David Oyelowo as King. If you didn’t catch this one in theaters at the time, see it now. It is guaranteed to move you.

Available: 12/19/15

Something’s Gotta Give

Some days, all you want out of a feature films is Movie Stars (capitalized, for emphasis) filling the screen with charisma, personality, wit and light. You know, all of the things that helped them become Movie Stars in the first place. Few in this industry are bigger than Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, and when the two collaborated with Nancy Meyers (The Intern, The Holiday), they created a sweetly memorable concoction. Seeing as how Nicholson never acts anymore, give this one a stream to remind yourself how great he is/was/will forever be.  

Available: 12/1/15

Curly Sue

Once upon a time, Jim Belushi was a bona fide Hollywood leading man. I’m not joking! But Belushi’s hang-dog presence isn’t the reason we’re recommending you stream the sweet and surprisingly charming Curly Sue. You might not know, but this one was written and directed by the late, great John Hughes – serving as the last film he ever directed. It’s not on the same level as his teen-icon masterpieces, from Sixteen Candles to The Breakfast Club. But it has enough of this inherent talents in it to garner a watch.

Available: 12/30/15

Free Willy

Do you know how many Free Willy movies they made? Do you? The answer is four. There were four movies made about kids trying to free a trapped whale. Oh, they didn’t ALL focus on the freeing of the whale. But the fact that Hollywood recycled the franchise that many times is ALMOST as ludicrous as the fact that there are TWO Weekend at Bernie’s movies. Still, the first Free Willy was a crowd-pleasing hit, and thanks to Amazon Prime, you can find out why for free.

Available: 12/30/15

Back in 1983, director Harold Ramis and writer John Hughes teamed up to make National Lampoon's Vacation - what would end up being a rather legendary comedy about an ordinary family's road trip to a Los Angeles amusement park called Walley World. The film is still regularly enjoyed by audiences today - though it's likely that many of you have never had the opportunity to read the source material that the movie is based on. Well, now is your chance.

With permission from National Lampoon, The Hollywood Reporter has republished, in full, the short story Vacation '58 - which John Hughes wrote while working at an ad agency in Chicago, and was first published in 1979. As you might imagine, the premise behind the story is very familiar, following a suburban family as they attempt to go on a long-road trip for vacation. It's a pretty funny read that I recommend - especially if you're a die-hard John Hughes fan.

Reading even just the beginning of the story, you'll notice that some key details of the story were changed for the big screen adaptation. For example, the family doesn't hail from the Chicago area, but instead uses Grosse Point, Michigan as the story's launching point. Even the first line - "If Dad hadn’t shot Walt Disney in the leg, it would have been our best vacation ever!" - points to a major change from the short to the feature, as the film would ultimately have to sub in the fictitious Walley World for Disneyland (presumably Disney wouldn't allow the name of their California theme park to be used). Hughes' original writings also didn't have the famed Wagon Queen Family Truckster, as it says that the dad in the story - whose name is actually Clark W. Griswold - drives a 1958 Plymouth Sport Suburban Six station wagon.

Adding a fun extra layer to the story is also the circumstances in which John Hughes wrote and published this story. According to the trade report, the future Breakfast Club director first penned the short while he was snowed in thanks to a blizzard in Chicago. Once he finished, he submitted his submitted a draft to National Lampoon, and it wound up being his big break. Of course, It was only one year later that he was making his directorial debut with 1984's Sixteen Candles, and he followed that up with a legendary run that includes Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

The latest chapter in the Vacation series, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, continues the continuity first established in the John Hughes-scripted original, and is in theaters now. Given the pop culture status of the 1983 hit, it will be a hard legacy to live up to.

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who said Ferris Bueller took this day off 30 years ago. I guess it's pretty serious.

Actually, it was the guys at Baseball Prospectus who used incredibly deductive reasoning to figure out which Chicago Cubs game Ferris (Matthew Broderick), Cameron (Ala Ruck) and Sloane (Mia Sara) attended in John Hughes’ masterpiece, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. They figured this out back in 2011, using statistics shown on screen during the game to peg the afternoon contest between the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves on June 5, 1985 as the Wrigley Field stand that attracted the gang. They even figured out that the foul ball Ferris caught was hit by Atlanta rightfielder Claudell Washington in the top of the 11th inning. That’s fantastic. I just want to scream, "Saaa-wing batt-ah!" at my laptop screen.

The report points out that real game was actually tied at two, and not scoreless, as the pizza guy tells principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) in jest. But seeing as how Hughes used the baseball game as a mere pitstop on Ferris’ busy day, we’re not going to nitpick the details. Especially because, as the baseball site calculates, the foul ball had to have been caught somewhere around 4 pm (inning 11 in an afternoon game), which means Ferris had roughly two hours to squeeze in the litany of events that took place in the movie AFTER the baseball game – namely, the museum visit, the trip to the Sears tower, the swim in Sloane’s pool, the confrontation in Cameron’s garage, and the parade dance.

The Von Steuben Day Parade has created suspicion that Ferris actually skipped school in September. Celebrating the life of Prussian general Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, it takes place late in that month around his birthday. As it turns out, however, both suppositions are correct. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the game Ferris and company attended was actually filmed on September 24, and the parade took place a few days later on September 28. When it came time to edit, John Hughes cut their footage with the earlier game to give the impression that Ferris' epic day out was on June 5.

Yes, yes. We hear you. It’s a movie. And it’s a classic. One of our favorites, which – thanks to some incredible number-crunching – took place on this calendar day 30 years ago. By the time that you are reading this, it’s likely far too late for you to ditch work or school. And saving a sick day by licking your palms and doubling over isn’t nearly as fun on non-anniversary days. But try to maintain the spirit of Ferris Bueller today, and heading into the weekend. Do something spontaneous. Entertain a close friend. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.

As The Breakfast Club, John Hughes’ groundbreaking comedic teen drama, celebrates its 30th anniversary with an upcoming digitally remastered re-release, it’s fun to reflect on certain aspects of the film that could have been, but never were. Most notable was the fact that iconic comedian Rick Moranis originally had a critical role in the film, only to see his performance end up on the cutting room floor.

According to an excerpt from Kirk Honeycutt’s upcoming biography, John Hughes: A Life in Film, published in Vanity Fair, the almost mythical idea of Rick Moranis’ involvement in The Breakfast Club took the form of the character, Carl the Janitor. While Hughes was initially "ecstatic" to have Moranis in the cast, the actor would apparently take an egregious creative liberty, reinventing the character with an over-the-top Russian accent. Honeycutt’s book recounts the story as told to him by co-producer, Michelle Manning, which implicates producer, Ned Tanen as being responsible for the canning of Moranis. As Tanen reportedly told Hughes:

Yet, Hughes apparently stood by Moranis’ performance in the discrepancy, telling Tanen that he couldn't possibly fire an actor as respected as Rick Moranis. However, this prompted an obstinate Tanen to lay down the law and respond, "Then I guess I have to."

It was an act that he obviously carried through, leading to the role being recast with John Kapelos, who played the role more in the way that was originally written in Hughes’ script. While losing that role didn’t exactly make a dent in the career of Moranis -- who went on to several other prominent projects throughout the 1980’s -- it was a lost opportunity to be part of a watershed film.

It may also be noteworthy to bring up that John Kapelos’ interpretation of the Carl the Janitor character served a crucial narrative part in the dramatic coming-of-age comedy. In essence, his character, while lurking about the halls during the film’s famed 7 AM Saturday detention was, in a certain sense, the film's omniscient conscience. He had valuable interactions with the hubris-imbued teens, notably Judd Nelson’s John Bender, who scoffed and looked down on him as just some weird guy with nothing more to contribute to the world than walking around the school with a mop and bucket, dumping sawdust on puke. However, he clearly showed himself as an equally sarcastic wise-guy whose lot in life clearly came about by embracing the same hubris for far too long. He was a possible look at Bender's future.

Likewise, Carl also put Paul Gleason’s assistant principal Vernon in his place, forcing him to come to terms with his own resentment towards the kids he professes to guide, who he dismisses into stereotypes of the most "convenient definition," setting up the theme of the film’s concluding thoughts. Thus, while the thought of having Rick Moranis in The Breakfast Club seems like a lost opportunity, the idea that he played this critical role of Carl with a possibly cheesy Russian accent may have been counterproductive. So, perhaps, we should not look back on Ned Tanen’s move with resentment, since he was probably right!

Don’t you…forget about…the digital remastered version of The Breakfast Club, which premieres at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 16. It will subsequently hit 430 select theaters nation-wide on two select dates of March 26 and March 31.

John Hughes’ seminal teen dramedy The Breakfast Club stands the test of time because it swam upstream against the tide that carried its conventional counterparts. Here, finally, was a tightly-scripted comedy with a tremendous ear for actual teen dialogue and five expertly crafted personalities to which millions of audience members could relate. So it’s funny to learn, 30 years after its release, that Hughes almost bowed to cultural influence and included a scene in The Breakfast Club that would have fit better in, say, Porky’s or one of its forgettable sequels.

Vanity Fair has a fantastic excerpt from Kirk Honeycutt’s upcoming book "John Hughes: A Life In Film," during which he recounts how Hughes initially had a gratuitous nudity scene in the middle of his detention-day comedy. At the time of production, "teen comedies" in the defined genre usually included wild party scenes and shameless breast shots. Hughes wasn’t immune. His screenplay fro National Lampoon’s Vacation had Beverly D’Angelo in the shower. His directorial debut, Sixteen Candles, had a surprising shower scene. And The Breakfast Club was going to fall on the nudity line.

As Honeycutt writes, Hughes had planned a scene where the "Club" members snuck out of the library and found a peephole that looked into the girls’ locker room. It seemed that the school’s synchronized swim team was going to have Saturday morning practice, and the gang would get a peek at the well-endowed coach. Hughes even cast buxom Karen Leigh Hopkins (D.C. Cab, Cloak & Dagger) in the role.

But according to the excerpt, The Breakfast Club co-stars Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy – joined by co-producer Michelle Manning – ganged up on Hughes. They questioned the validity of the scene, calling it sexist and misogynistic. And Hughes rewrote it.

Would The Breakfast Club be a different movie with that scene? Would it be better, or worse? It’s hard to tell. It would have fit more in line with teen comedies of the era, and a scene like that – while out of character – would have been casually dismissed. So long as Hughes maintained the honesty in his dialogue, I’m not sure a gratuitous scene like that would have been any more distracting than the "Club" members running through the halls of the school to avoid their domineering principal.

But it’s always interesting to get a peek behind the curtain of some of our seminal films, to see what almost made it in, and what ended up on the proverbial cutting-room floor.

Today is a rather special day for John Hughes fans. It was on this day exactly 30 years ago that The Breakfast Club first found its way to theaters, delivering teenagers around the world one of the most realistic depictions of high school ever seen on the big screen. Obviously, a milestone anniversary like this one isn't going to go completely uncelebrated - which is why the film will soon be making its way back to a cinema near you.

News has come from Entertainment Weekly saying that Fathom Events has orchestrated things so that The Breakfast Club will soon be coming back to theaters for a limited engagement in order to celebrate its 30th birthday. Screenings will be held across the country on two separate dates - Thursday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 31st - and both will be at 7:30 local time. There are nearly 440 movie theaters participating in the event around the country, so there's a very good chance that it will be playing at a location near you.

The version of The Breakfast Club that will be shown during screenings is one that has been newly restored in anticipation of this major anniversary. Before the movie begins, movie-goers will be treated to an exclusive featurette, which features interviews with cast members and interviews with teen movie filmmakers like Diablo Cody and Amy Heckerling.

It's kind of amazing that The Breakfast Club is turning 30 years old, if not simply because it remains as on point and accurate as it was back in the mid-1980s. Sure, our fashion and hair styles have changed quite a bit, but the student dynamics and cliques/factions are entirely timeless (and what really drive the film). John Hughes - who would have turned 65 this Wednesday - was truly a genius filmmaker who somehow understood the psyche of the teenage mind to an incredible degree and made some brilliant movies as a result.

And while Hughes' movies weren't exactly what you would necessarily big screen entertainment, can you honestly tell me that you have no interest in watching this classic scene with a theater full of people who love The Breakfast Club just as much as you do?

For a full list of theaters and links to buy tickets to see a 30th Anniversary screening of The Breakfast Club, click over HERE. And if you can't make any of the screenings, take solace in the fact that we will soon see the release of a brand new anniversary edition Blu-ray and DVD, which will be in stores on March 10th.

Everyone loves John Hughes. That’s just a bona-fide fact. The legendary Chicagoan was the creator of some of the sweetest, funniest and most endearing films in movie history. This week marks the 30th anniversary of the release of The Breakfast Club, which is widely regarded to be his greatest film. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the ultimate John Hughes mash-up trailer was created, which any self-respecting movie fan should instantly watch. Like, right now.

Hasn’t everyone’s Friday just got umpteen times better? Thought so. This majestic montage created by Fandango incorporates clips from the likes of Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, Home Alone and Planes, Trains and Automobiles sumptuously. In fact, I’m going to watch it again immediately.

There are two moments from this montage that perfectly sum-up just what made John Hughes such a beloved and universally adored talent. The first is this quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that Matthew Broderick delivers in a joyously naïve, but enlightening fashion:

Admit it, that’s how each and everyone of us should live our lives.

And the other moment from Fandango’s delightful amalgamation and celebration of John Hughes’ work is the final shot from The Breakfast Club. And even though, I’m assuming, that each of us has seen it dozens of time before, let’s just take another look at the film’s final moment again, and breathe it in in all of its glory.

Never has a single raising of a fist meant so much to so many people. Heck, it even made Simple Minds cool. And I think we can all agree that Simple Minds really aren’t that cool. Unfortunately, John Hughes passed away in August, 2009. And even though he hadn’t written and directed a film since 1991’s Curly Sue, the cinematic world was still shaken to its very core by his untimely passing.

That’s because his films were not only truly affecting, but they also perfectly blended drama, comedy and romance in a realistic and homely fashion that resonated with a wide audience. Yes, they were a tad simplistic, but their idealism and subtlety shined through to make an unbridled impression. Simply put, the man was a genius. And I’m guessing I won’t be the only one re-watching The Breakfast Club this weekend in his honor.

Jeremiah S. Chechik's Christmas Vacation has become a movie staple of the holiday season in the years since its release in 1989, and it's not hard to see why. The film has more than a few incredibly memorable moments, from Clark's difficulty with the Griswold home's light display, to his epic, foulmouthed rant about his cheap, jelly-of-the-month-club-as-a-bonus giving boss. As awesome and funny as those scenes are, however, they could have been balanced by some nice dramatic sentimentality in the form of a heart-to-heart moment between Clark and his son, Rusty. And it's all Johnny Galecki's fault that they weren't.

The cast and creators of Christmas Vacation recently all came back together for a special interview organized by Rolling Stone, and during the conversation Johnny Galecki revealed that he put the kibosh on what could have been a key scene in the history of the film and the franchise, and it's something that he regrets to this day. He recalled a day during filming when he was in a group chat with screenwriter John Hughes, Jeremiah Chechik and Chevy Chase, and the subject of a special father-and-son scene was brought up. Chase noted that all of the movies in the Vacation series up to that point had featured a nice man-to-man scene between the Griswold boys, and he was surprised that it was missing in Christmas Vacation. In response, Hughes said that earlier versions of the screenplay had included something like that, but that it had been dropped for the shooting script. Chase was in favor of bringing the sequence back in, but Galecki felt differently. Said the young actor in the interview,

In his response to Johnny Galecki's story, Chevy Chase decided to take the humble approach, and noted all of the success in recent years that his co-star has had with The Big Bang Theory. "Now Galecki's making 100 million a year and I'm sitting here," Chase quipped.

Surely many of you will put a couple hours aside this week to sit down for a screening of Christmas Vacation - even if it doesn't include a sentimental father-son moment - and in potentially even better news for Vacation fans there is a whole brand new movie coming in 2015. Next year we will get to see Ed Helms star in Vacation and become the new version of Rusty Grisworld - following in the footsteps of not just Galecki, but also Anthony Michael Hall, Ethan Embry and Jason Lively. Perhaps the movie can be used as an opportunity to make up for it's holiday-themed predecessor's lacking.

If you recently felt something close to revulsion when learning about ABC moving forward in remaking John Hughes’ classic comedy Uncle Buck, you’re definitely not alone. The estates of both Hughes and star John Candy recently went public with their disapproval of the upcoming project, which is less surprising than finding out Miles actually brushed his teeth.

Both the families of the director and the actor granted Deadline their statement regarding the Universal TV production.

Obviously no one is arguing that Universal TV or ABC was legally obligated to contact the families, but there’s the issue of couth and morals. Or whatever the closest thing to morals is in TV Studio Land. If this series goes forward, it’s obvious that both studios aren’t bothered much by what the estates thought, so what would have been the harm in letting them know ahead of time?

“Dear family, we may unintentionally urinate on part of your late relative’s legacy. Please watch. Please watch. Sincerely, Uni TV & ABC.”

If this kind of story sounds familiar, it’s because 20th Century Fox and NBC recently gave up on a small screen sequel of Cameron Crowe’s 1989 romantic comedy Say Anything in the exact same situation. They reportedly didn’t contact Crowe about their plans, and he actively voiced his intentions of killing it on social media. Turns out, that’s all it took to get the project dropped.

It’s entirely possible that something will change down the line for Uncle Buck, but for now, it will be written by Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley, and will serve as a modern day version of the film’s story. In case you need a reminder, the titular uncle is a childish man who babysits his brother’s kids in a manner that wouldn’t serve as professional childcare. It’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling this part off, as the previous incarnation’s Kevin Meaney wasn’t exactly memorable. Gotta love the way the family’s statement called that version a failure. Time will tell if this will have been worth the effort or not.

NBC’s prospects for a Say Anything series have come to a quick and vicious end, but that doesn’t mean 1980s cinema will stop being mined for new TV ventures. ABC is going into development on a small screen adaptation of John Hughes’ slovenly 1989 comedy hit Uncle Buck. Are we ready to see network TV’s version of the “talking dirty to a washing machine” gag?

This version of Uncle Buck will be a multi-camera sitcom from Universal TV and producer Will Packer, whose production company has put out recent hits like Ride Along and the Think Like a Man films. It wouldn’t be out of the question to think that Packer’s involvement means the Russell family might be black this go-around, though the project will be written by two white guys, Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley, both of whom wrote and produced for MADtv, Scrubs and Happy Endings. So who knows what this family’s background will be?

The ABC comedy will follow the basic premise of the movie, according to Deadline, and centers on a childish man who finds his way to adulthood by taking care of his brother’s children in his own particular way. It’s not impossible to see this film making its way to TV, and not just because it was already turned into a CBS show for Kevin Meaney back in 1990. The idea of an unequipped person having to learn to be a parental figure is pretty much a sitcom trope at this point. It’s hard to justify a treasured film being dumbed down and stretched out for TV, but at least Uncle Buck has a concept that lends itself well to new situations and ideas.

The film memorably starred John Candy in the title role, and he was joined by Macaulay Culkin, Amy Madigan and Gaby Hoffman. Uncle Buck, along with the Hughes-scripted Christmas Vacation, was the transitional period between Hughes’ sorta-adult comedy phase and his “I’m only going to write movies with kids in them” phase that mostly consumed the rest of his career. Take a look at one of my favorite scenes in the film below, in which Candy is gleefully at his creepiest.

This marks the umpteenth classic film that TV has pulled into its serialized format in recent months. NBC has Real Genius and Problem Child in the works, while Fox is remaking Big. With both Hughes and Candy dead, I guess ABC doesn’t have to worry about the Say Anything backlash that NBC and 20th Century Fox TV got. Are you guys excited about seeing Uncle Buck return to our daily lives?

Crammed inside a Metallic Pete Truckster and hopped up on forced optimism, thirty years ago the Griswold Family trekked across the country in hopes of seeing Wally World. Along the way, they committed felonies, lost several members of their crew and almost strangled each other. In some ways, their journey feels a bit dated. From that horrendous station wagon to the soundtrack to the way director Harold Ramis frames the movie, much of it is very clearly a product of the 1980s, but in all of the important ways, the hate they wield for their redneck cousins, the smell that lingers out of the backseat and the unyielding sense of frustration, National Lampoon’s Vacation is eternal.

To celebrate Vacation’s 30th anniversary, the studio decided to release a brand new Blu-ray edition this morning. It offers all kinds of bells and whistles including a spectacular, hilarious and lengthy behind-the-scenes documentary that outlines how the product went from one of John Hughes’ many brilliant ideas to actually becoming a film. More importantly, it also contains said film, and that’s always a reason to celebrate. So, in honor of 30 great years, in honor of what might come next, here are five hysterical and brilliant Vacation moments…

1. Making Kool-Aid

The entire extended sequence with the redneck relatives is hysterical. From Cousin Eddie offering Clark the beer he’s already been drinking to Aunt Edna’s first vicious glares, it’s pretty much all comedy gold, but when it comes to pure shock factor, nothing tops Cousin Vicki, played by a young Jane Krakowski of 30 Rock fame, making Kool-Aid in a horribly ill-fitting shirt by sticking her hand inside the jar and swishing it around. The process is beyond unsanitary, and it lets Clark know exactly what he’s in for.

We all have relatives that have a different way of doing things, and we’ve all had moments where we’ve been weirded out by their bullshit. Thank God most of us have never encountered anything this unseemly, however.

2. The Dead Dog

Dinky sucks. He pisses on sandwiches and bites people’s ankles. His most overt personality quirk is his self-centered unruliness, and he generally behaves like a beast that hasn’t been properly raised. That shouldn’t shock anyone considering Aunt Edna doesn’t exactly come across like the world’s most responsible pet owner. That being said, the poor guy still doesn’t deserve the fate he gets. Attached to the back of the car, he does his damndest to keep up for a few miles, but eventually, he runs out of internal gas and gets dragged to his death, setting up the above confrontation with the emotional police officer.

Had they shown the dog when the car first started moving, the scene likely would have been too graphic to take. Since they don’t, it’s just on the right side of the line in a stomach-churning, uproarious kind of way.

3. The Flying Car

No matter how much men grow up, there’s always an immature bozo somewhere deep inside us. We know it’s ridiculous. When the kids are around, most of us do everything we can to hide it, but occasionally, it comes out, which is why it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Clark is very proud of how far he jumped his car. Standing atop his trashed automobile like a conquering hero, he proudly repeats Rusty’s 50 Yards claim and basks in the idea of bragging about that feat later.

The car jump is also a great insight into Clark’s eternal optimism. His vehicle is broken. His family is pissed off. He knows he must walk through the sand an unknown number of miles to get help, and yet, he’s still extremely pleased with himself. It’s idiotic, and it’s also what makes him loveable.

4. The Less Than Enthusiastic Prayer

Clark isn’t exactly the world’s most devout Christian. More pressingly, he was never even a fan of Aunt Edna. A strong case could be made that he downright hated her and is happy she’s gone, but as a good family man and a husband who at least tries, he does his best to offer up a prayer to convince the Big Guy Upstairs to let Edna into his kingdom. At first, it comes off as at least vaguely genuine, but the longer it goes, the more he veers off into wild directions, eventually referencing Moab and breaking into some kind of monk-like chant.

Hollywood history is filled with plenty of scenes of non-religious people attempting to pray. Clark’s not so genuine plea stands above the rest because of his basic contempt of the entire process. He couldn’t give less of a shit, and to be perfectly frank, he doesn’t really care if his own family knows it.

5. The Epic Speech

We’ve all been there before. We’ve all been wrist-deep in some stupid plan and mentally considered turning back. After watching family members die, crashing the car, getting robbed and spending days at each other’s throats, it’s only natural the Griswold Family would want to quit, but something things are too important not to finish. Some journeys have to be completed, and this voyage to Wally World is one of them, goddamnit. The Griswold family is on quest for fun, and they will have fun, even if more people die in the process and even if they have to drop multiple f-bombs and give themselves an R-rating.

Move over, Al Pacino. No one motivates like Chevy Chase.

I prefer to imagine that the McAllister's house from Home Alone is frozen in time exactly as I remember it, draped in heavy curtains and floral wallpaper, the lawn jockey out front to be knocked over by the pizza delivery truck, the snow building up under the windows. But since John Hughes picked a real house in a Chicago suburb to star in the film, and since time marches forward, the "Home Alone house" in Winnetka, Illinois has changed as much as Macaulay Culkin has in the last 21 years, but you'll only have the chance to buy one of them.

This morning I got one of my favorite press releases in some time, including a link to the Coldwell Banker website that lists what they're actually calling the "Home Alone home." Tragically the early 90s decor and giant four-poster bed seem to be gone, but if you've got the $2.4 million to spend you can land yourself a pretty nice, gigantic home-- especially useful if your Uncle Frank and his kids are all coming to town for Christmas. Check out the video tour of the home below, and if you're sorry you didn't buy the Ferris Bueller house, you've got another chance to own a piece of suburban Chicago movie history.

Welcome back to FlixWorthy, your weekly guide to Netflix streaming. Yet again we're bringing you a handful of new or notable selections from Netflix's streaming catalogue. Some will be classics, some will be little-seen gems, some will be shows you might have missed, and some...some will be crap so awful they simply has to be seen to be believed. Here's what's FlixWorthy this week, kids.

Law Abiding Citizen

(2009, Rated R, 109 min.)

Rarely have I been more annoyed with a movie than I was by Law Abiding Citizen. Gerard Butler takes time off from starring in horrible rom-coms to play Clyde Shelton, a man failed by the system he trusted to protect him. After his wife and daughter are killed, Shelton watches helplessly as the men responsible work a deal and go free. He resolves to take vengeance himself, a quest that puts him at odds with both the case's ambitious prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) and the legal system as a whole. Let's be frank: Law Abiding Citizen is not a very good movie. But for the first two-thirds of it or so, it has the makings of a guilty pleasure, a vicious little revenge fantasy where very bad things are done to very bad people. Then the movie begins to answer all the questions it's raised, and in the process, so totally abandons logic, realism, and believability that it undermines whatever enjoyment we may have gotten from it up to that point. It has its moments, but Law Abiding Citizen mostly serves as a cautionary tale about wrong-headed screenwriting. (And seriously, could somebody send an emergency shipment of hyphens to Hollywood already?)

Double-Feature It With:

Heat

(1995, Rated R, 172 min.)

If you're anything like me, after sitting through Law Abiding Citizen, you're going to need to cleanse your palate and temper your anger. I recommend doing so with a much better movie about very smart bad guys trying to outsmart very smart good guys.

Brewster's Millions

(1985, Rated PG, 102 min.)

The FlixWorthy Grand Tour of Richard Pryor's career continues with a great little flick called Brewster's Millions. This time out Pryor is a down-on-his-luck baseball player who inherits $300 million from a dead uncle. Of course, there's a catch: he has 30 days to spend $30 million of the fortune or he doesn't get any of it...and he can't actually acquire anything during the spending spree. He hires a buddy (John Candy) to help out and the pair soon realize that spending that much money that quickly is harder than it sounds. Pryor and Candy make such a good match, you can't help but wish they'd done more movies together. This being a somewhat beloved '80s movie, there is of course a remake in the works, but it's hard to be too angry about that...the movie itself is an adaptation of a 1902 novel, and prior to Pryor coming along, the book had already been brought to the screen a half dozen times.

Double-Feature It With...

Uncle Buck

(1989, Rated PG, 100 min.)

One good Candy flick deserves another, and there are few better than this John Hughes movie that gave Candy one his best-remembered roles. I don't know about you, but I miss the big galoot.

Red Cliff

(2008, Rated R, 148 min., HD)

John Woo took a break from Hollywood-style action with Red Cliff, an historical epic based on the Battle of Red Cliffs. The Mandarin-language spectacle clocks in at an imposing 148 minutes, so don't dive in unless your schedule is free and you don't mind subtitles. With a reported budget of $80 million, Red Cliff is one of the most expensive Asian films ever, and features a cast of thousands. If you were a fan of the enormous battles of the Lord of the Rings films (or less successful epics such as Troy or Kingdom of Heaven), you'll likely find plenty to love here, even if you're not familiar with Asian cinema. Take note that this version is the theatrical cut, which is a shortened and re-edited incarnation of the much longer two-part version that was released in Asia. If you want the full experience, Netflix also has parts one and two of the original international version available on disc.

Double-Feature It With...

The Emperor and the Assassin

(1998, Rated R, 161 min.)

This one's a shot in the dark, because my knowledge of Asian cinema is sadly limited. Suffice to say, it was the first thing Netflix recommended when I added Red Cliff to my queue and it has an 88% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes, which is good enough for me.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

(2007, Rated R, 117 min., HD)

If storytelling is in some ways the art of trapping your protagonists up a tree and then throwing rocks at them, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a masterpiece. BTDKYD stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke as brothers who concoct a scheme to rob their parents' jewelry store, a scheme that goes wrong in pretty much every imaginable way. This is train-wreck entertainment, a thoroughly hypnotic tale that presents a series of events and then unfolds as its protagonists make horrible decision after horrible decision after horrible decision. It's like the scene where Indiana Jones flees a rolling boulder, but this time there's no question that it's going to crush him -- it's just a question of how far he'll make it before he gets pancaked. Fair warning: you will see more of Philip Seymour Hoffman than you probably ever cared to in the opening scene. You will also see quite a bit of Marisa Tomei, if that balances things out for you.

Double-Feature It With:

Fail-Safe

(1964, Not Rated, 112 min.)

After that bit of tragedy, you're going to need to unwind with something light-hearted. If you ever thought Dr. Strangelove would have been a great movie if it wasn't for all the comedy, Fail-Safe is for you.

The Whitest Kids U'Know: Season 4

(2010, Not Rated, 2 eps. available now)

Don't judge comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U'Know by their unfortunate feature-length experiment, Miss March. Instead judge them by their gun-control sketch wherein they argue for the necessity of baby-skull-seeking ammunition. Or the one where they reveal the terrible truth that Abraham Lincoln was actually killed by being hammered in the ass so much that he died of being hammered in the ass. Or -- my personal favorite -- the one about a pitch-meeting for a children's soda mascot named "The Grapist." Vulgar and hilarious, The Whitest Kids became a YouTube hit and have brought their comedy to IFC for three seasons so far, with this fourth just having started. Right now there are only two eps uploaded, but they're adding them weekly as the season progresses.

Double-Feature It With:

The League of Gentlemen: Series 1

(1999, Not Rated, 6 eps.)

Set in the fictional English town of Royston Vasey, The League of Gentlemen stars three actors as, well, pretty much the entire eccentric population of the village. A mix between sketch comedy and sitcom, the quirky show has three seasons and a Christmas special streaming on Netflix, so dive right in.

Last-Chance Theater -- Expiring Soon!

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Expires 6/27)

The first 10 seasons are streaming, but only for a couple of weeks. Time for a cram session!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Expires 6/28)

Michael Cera branches out and plays an awkward teenager looking for love.

Rocky II and Rocky III (Expires 6/28)

Rocky squares off against Carl Weathers and Mr. T.

The Mangler (Expires 6/30)

There's no escape from an evil laundry-folding machine! Except, um, not actually approaching it.

Oscar and Lucinda (Expires 6/30)

Gambling and romance.

To read the FlixWorthy archives, click here!

Former Gary Coleman sidekick Todd Bridges has a new book coming out, because what else is he going to do, and apparently in it he claims he was offered and then unoffered a role by John Hughes. The movie in question is arguably Hughes greatest work, The Breakfast Club, and Bridges says Hughes offered him a part in it when they ended up seated next to each other on a plane.

Now here’s where things get strange. Todd says he went to see John’s partner, and after the unnamed “partner” gave him a once over, he was told “we don’t know how to write for blacks”. Then they sent him on his way.

Before you start screaming John Hughes was a racist, keep in mind that though Hughes offered him the role, it wasn’t Hughes who rejected him. And besides, is that really racist? Maybe it’s just honest. Obviously he wasn’t opposed to having black people in his movies, otherwise he’d never have offered Bridges a part in the first place. It sounds like he simply knew his limits. For that matter, I’d say Hughes also didn’t know how to write for Asians. Long Duk Dong anyone? He attempted to write an Asian and ended up with one of the most stereotypical characters ever created. Clearly John had no idea what Asian kids were all about. Just imagine if he’d tried to do the same thing with a black kid. This may have been the right decision.

Watch Todd discuss his encounter with John Hughes below.

Welcome back to FlixWorthy, your weekly guide to Netflix streaming. Each Monday FlixWorthy dives headfirst into Netflix's streaming catalogue and surfaces with a handful of new or notable selections for your amusement and edification. Sometimes it'll be classics, sometimes it'll be little-seen gems, sometimes it'll be shows you might have missed, and sometimes...sometimes it'll be crap so awful it simply has to be seen to be believed. Here's what's FlixWorthy this week, kids.

Harlan Ellison: Dreams with Sharp Teeth

(2008, Not Rated, 96 min.)

If you aren't familiar with writer Harlan Ellison, you'll get a perfect introduction in the opening moments of Dreams with Sharp Teeth. Comedian and long-time friend Robin Williams asks Ellison if it's true that he once mailed a dead gopher to a publishing house. The response: "Absolutely true." What follows is a documentary profile of the outspoken writer through interviews, archival footage, and readings of his stories. Writers including Neil Gaiman, Peter David, Ron Moore, and Josh Olson put in cameos to discuss their friendship with Ellison and his influence on their work, but quite frankly the star attraction is the man himself. Prolific, passionate, and abrasive, Ellison is as distinctive as his body of work, and the personality that has won him both legions of fans and cadres of bitter enemies is on full display in Dreams with Sharp Teeth. It's clear that writer-director Erik Nelson (Grizzly Man) is an Ellison fan, so it's disappointing that the film doesn't delve deeper into the controversies surrounding the writer, but Ellison's fascinating personal history and love-him-or-hate-him personality carry the weight of the film well.

Double-Feature It With...

Trumbo

(2007, Rated PG-13, 96 min., HD)

Before discovering this documentary, my knowledge of Dalton Trumbo was limited to recognizing his impressive list of screen credits and his blacklisting by HUAC. Based on a play by Dalton's son Christopher, Trumbo is an engrossing look at the fearless writer responsible for Spartacus and Johnny Got His Gun. Trumbo combines the usual mix of interviews and historical footage with readings of Trumbo's letters by actors including Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Paul Giamatti, and Donald Sutherland.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

(1988, Rated PG, 110 min.)

Pretty much the only entertaining parts of this week's Oscars were the ones involving Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. If Hollywood's big night has left you craving some vintage Martin, Netflix has added Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to their streaming catalogue. Directed by Frank Oz, Scoundrels stars Martin and Michael Caine as rival con men who face off over a wager to see who can swindle away the fortune of a wealthy heiress in the French Riviera. As you'd expect of the pairing of Martin and Caine, the film is a mixture of wit and slapstick, and it's great fun watching the two spar and undercut each other's plans (although it would be better if Caine delivered a monologue involving tangerines at some point). Weirdly, the film was originally intended as a project for Mick Jagger and David Bowie. All due respect to Bowie's fine performance in Labyrinth, but I think we're all better off that that version of the film never happened.

Double-Feature It With...

Roxanne

(1987, Rated PG, 107 min.)

In Roxanne, Martin steps from con man to the other side of protecting and serving as a small-town firefighter gifted (or cursed) with a prominent proboscis. Putting a modern spin on Cyrano de Bergerac, Roxanne sees Martin's C.D. Bales fall for Daryl Hannah and use a handsome buddy to seduce her by proxy. He also fends off several bullies using a tennis racquet at one point, which is awesome.

Mallrats

(1995, Rated R, 96 min.)

Ah, Mallrats. Before Jersey Girl came along, Mallrats was the easiest target for Smith detractors, the ugly middle child between the better-respected Clerks and Chasing Amy. Mallrats will always hold a special place in my heart, however, because it was the first Smith movie I ever saw, and a regular staple of my friends' weekend viewing habits throughout college. Broader in both scale and comedy than Clerks, Mallrats starred Jeremy London as the lovestruck and recently dumped TS Quint, and introduced the world to the awesomeness of Jason Lee, back before he broke our hearts with the Chipmunks movies. TS and also-dumped buddy Brodie (Lee) wander the retail wasteland that is the local mall, running across View Askewniverse stalwarts such as Jay and Silent Bob, discussing superhero sex organs with Stan Lee, and speculating about the dubious merits of getting busy in the back of a Volkswagen. Mallrats isn't as notable as Clerks or Chasing Amy, but neither is it as ridiculous as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. It's just good, silly fun from the days before Smith was making "real" movies starring Bruce Willis. I'll take Mallrats over Cop Out any day of the week.

Double-Feature It With:

The Breakfast Club

(1985, Rated R, 92 min.)

Maybe it's just because the John Hughes montage during the Oscar made me nostalgic, but any excuse to rewatch The Breakfast Club is a good excuse to rewatch The Breakfast Club. Like many other filmmakers of his generation, Smith was heavily influenced by Hughes' teen films. Why not pair up vintage Smith with what is arguably Hughes' masterpiece?

House of 1,000 Corpses

(2003, Rated R, 88 min., HD)

There's no question that Rob Zombie has become a powerful player in the modern horror landscape. How you feel about that will determine whether or not you're excited that Zombie's House of 1,000 Corpses has turned up in Netflix's streaming library. This was the film that established Zombie as a writer-director, instead of just "that hairy guy from White Zombie." Inspired by old-school horror and exploitation movies, Corpses is a violent and gory throwback that tosses two couples into the midst of an urban legend that proves to be all too true. All the standard horror elements are here: hapless travelers, a bugfuck crazy family of psychopaths, and an array of insides becoming outsides in spectacular fashion. Granted, horror movies don't always review well, but the 17% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes probably won't lure in many sightseers who aren't already Zombie fans. Regardless of your opinion on the Halloween remakes, the path to them began here.

Double-Feature It With:

The Evil Dead

(1981, Not Rated, 85 min.)

Depending on whether you actually enjoyed House of 1,000 Corpses, Evil Dead will either be a complementary cult classic or a revivifying antidote. Either way, Sam Raimi's definitive "cabin in the woods" flick is chock full of win. (Available until April 1, 2010)

The Call of Cthulhu

(2005, Not Rated, 47 min.)

I remember this film getting a lot of buzz a few years ago, but I never got around to seeing it. Lovecraft has always been damn near impossible to get right on the big screen, but the filmmakers behind Call of Cthulhu decided to try something new by trying something old. The Call of Cthulhu is presented as if it's an actual relic from the 1920s, a low-budget affair delivered in silent-film style and black and white. By all accounts, the short film is very faithful to the Lovecraft story from which it draws its name and inspiration, and at 47 minutes, it's an easy way to kill a lunch or laundry break. Until Guillermo del Toro eventually gets around to making At the Mountains of Madness, this might just be your best bet for cinematic Lovecraft.

Double-Feature It With:

From Beyond

(1986, Unrated, 85 min.)

Del Toro isn't the only filmmaker determined to crack the Lovecraft nut. Stuart Gordon has been doing his best to bring the writer's works and style to the big screen since 1985's Re-Animator. Gordon regular Jeffrey Combs stars a scientist meddling in things he shouldn't, all loosely based on a Lovecraft short story of the same name. If I had my druthers, I'd actually suggest pairing Call of Cthulhu with Gordon's Dagon, but it isn't available streaming.

To read the FlixWorthy archives, click here!

This Christmas, Encore will kick off their annual “Big ‘80’s Weekend,” which consists of numerous classic films from the ‘80’s. And who better to host such an event than the great Cyndi Lauper?

Encore’s “Big ‘80’s Weekend” will be hosted by '80's musical icon Cyndi Lauper and includes the TV premiere of Don’t You Forget About Me. Below is information about that and further down is the full schedule for the weekend, which includes Hughes’ The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science.

· The Breakfast Club 8:00 p.m. (Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson)

· Sixteen Candles 9:40 p.m. (Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling)

· Weird Science 11:15 p.m. (Kelly LeBrock, Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith)

· Fletch 12:50 a.m. (Chevy Chase, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Tim Matheson)

· Back to the Future 2:35 a.m. (Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover)

· Lost in America 4:35 a.m. (Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty, Michael Greene)

· Weekend at Bernie’s 6:10 a.m. (Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Terry Kiser)

· Real Genius 7:50 a.m. (Val Kilmer, Gabe Jarret, William Atherton)

· Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise 9:40 a.m. (Robert Carradine, Curtis Armstrong, Tim Busfield)

· Parenthood 11:15 a.m. (Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest)

· The Legend of Billie Jean 1:20 a.m. (Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater)

· Don’t You Forget About Me 3:00 p.m. (Kevin Smith, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson)

· The Breakfast Club 4:20 p.m. (Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson)

· The Goonies 6:00 p.m. (Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman)

· Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure 8:00 p.m. (Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton)

· Fast Times at Ridgemont High 9:35 p.m. (Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh)

· Porky’s 11:05 p.m. (Cyril O’Reilly, Dan Monahan, Chuck Mitchell)

· Scarface 12:45 a.m. (Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer)

· Creepshow 3:35 a.m. (Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, E.G. Marshall)

· The Legend of Billie Jean< 6:10 a.m. (Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Christian Slater)

· Girls Just Want To Have Fun 7:50 a.m. (Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Lee Montgomery)

· Vision Quest 9:20 a.m. (Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Ronny Cox)

· The Outsiders 11:15 a.m. (Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio)

· Wildcats 12:50 p.m. (Goldie Hawn, Nipsey Russell, Swoosie Kurtz)

· All the Right Moves 2:45 p.m. (Tom Cruise, Craig Nelson, Lea Thompson)

· One Crazy Summer 4:20 p.m. (John Cusack, Demi Moore, Joel Murray)

· Back to the Future 6:00 p.m. (Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover)

· The Blues Brothers 8:00 p.m. (John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, James Brown)

· Purple Rain 10:15 p.m. (Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day)

Before there was Judd Apatow and before there was Cameron Crowe, there was John Hughes, living it up for the bumbling everyman’s pining over beautiful women they could never have and shower curtain rods they couldn’t possibly use as weapons to fend off the Wet Bandits. He made simple, down-to-earth clichés and dug deeper and deeper until you saw these goofy dweebs and hardass outcasts and self-absorbed princesses and nefarious principals as more than just stock placeholders. They were hypochondriac Redwing fan best friends who needed to grow up and tell their fathers they deserved more than living museums; they were surly-faced, lonely snow-shoveling neighbors who had falling outs with their sons and maybe, just needed someone to talk to sometimes, especially around the holidays. These stereotypes of horny teenage boys and sad polka kings of Milwaukee exist because they’re out there. The teenage girl usually chooses the handsome rich guy over Anthony Michael Hall. The pigeon ladies usually have mellow, nice old woman advice if you’d take the time to listen. John Hughes was realistic enough to let the stories ring true, but audacious enough to ask why they happened. And he even added in a few jokes to make the whole thing not feel like learning.

Even before he died, John Hughes had been gone for awhile. He hadn’t directed a film since 1991, but while he was alive, I could at least nurture the hope he might return, with a camera and a cocksucker grin, saving us from all the Fired Up!’s and Not Another Teen Movies‘ trying to laugh themselves out the easy way. But that point’s moot. He died visiting his family in New York, fitting since he was one of the good guys. So, now it’s up to a new generation of filmmakers. Not to be John Hughes but to take his ideas, his sincerity and show the world they’re not just 80s nostalgia but the heart, compassion and forward momentum of any worthy piece of art. Below are ten films with at least glimpses of the John Hughes magic. They‘re not the ten best films because John Hughes didn’t make Schindler’s List’s or American Beauty’s, he made movies to watch with your family during the holidays. He made goofy, touching loveable flicks so universal they could feel like home outside Shermer, Illinois. He never glossed over the heartache, the pain one can feel after giving away too many smiles, but he never lost his unrelenting optimism. John Hughes was one of us, a chubby, sheepish good guy, the type you look at and just know that dude probably loves a good piece of bacon, taking his shoes off after a long day and holding his wife’s hand at the movies. The world needs more of that. And while the following films aren’t Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, they’re at least clear signs you can still have fun at the movies. These are ten movies which did things the John Hughes way in a decade without John Hughes.

I used to think I loved music. I thought this because I owned Nick Drake albums, had Blondie posters on my wall and preferred the Big Joe Turner version of “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. But I was wrong. I only greatly enjoy music. I’ve met people who love music, and these goofy psychos are a different sort all together. They leave home to become stewardesses because of Simon & Garfunkel, drink cough syrup so they can stay up all night writing about Coltrane, scream like seven year old girls at across-the-lobby glimpses of David Bowie, and make movies like Almost Famous. Cameron Crowe’s 2000 masterwork is about music: the flawed characters who need to make it, the girls who need to feel a part of it and the outsiders who need to endlessly dissect it. Whether performing acoustic versions of “Something In The Air” or mending fences with “Tiny Dancer”, the characters in Almost Famous interpret the world through music, for better or for worse, and if the plane goes down, well, might as well go out in a fiery, truth-laden serenade to pretty Peggy Sue.

Growing up can suck. You close your eyes for a second, one fucking second, and it feels like the whole world has passed you by. Out of nowhere, some of your friends start drinking, having sex, acting a fool; your other friends start despising them, overtly judging the new seedy characters they started bringing around. And then you’re caught in this debilitating middle ground where part of you desperately wants to join the party and part of you sorta just wishes everyone still had birthday parties involving bowling. Seth, he wants to join the party. Evan, he’s pretty happy just hanging out. And McLovin is, of course, McLovin. That these friends are desperately trying to cling together as life propels them in different directions is an intuitively simple concept, but one fraught with too many layers and too much pent-up emotion for your run of the mill high school hormone picture. Greg Matolla’s Superbad embraces the sketchy gray area and isn’t afraid to let Seth feel betrayed by Evan and McLovin’s housing plans. Life is messy but a few shots of green alcohol can certainly take the edge off.

Like a rabid wolfpack trolling the streets of Las Vegas for strippers, cocaine and payphone banks, Doug, Stuart, Phil, Alan and Black Doug are the five best friends anyone could have, perhaps because they’re the five best friend personality types we’ve been encountering since long before Dorothy assembled a flying monkey defense force. Stuart is the successful, upwardly-mobile pussy, Phil the selfish and handsome conman, Alan the disconnected and inappropriately affectionate schlub and Black Doug, the black guy. I guess Doug is the guy we’re supposed to sympathize with on account of him not having personality disorders, but who roots for sane dude? Get a motley crue of freshly-tazered hooligans together and shit’s bound to happen. It’s like the laws of nature, guy code and Jaiger all pooled their resources to destroy Caesar’s Palace. Personally, I’m holding out for the sequel where Carlos marries Lola Sheen. It’s gonna be Classic Phil, which based on our limited sample size means it may or may not involve stealing field trip money, humping tigers and laughing uproariously when your buddies wake up with less teeth.

You might think you like someone, but you could be wrong. You might think you can keep the girls here all night, but, really, you can only keep them until four. You might think your new best friend is sabotaging the Queen Bee, but she’s actually just grown infatuated with the big-haired secrets and “Jingle Bell Rock” of girl world. Tina Fey’s Mean Girls has a lot of advice to offer on handling other girls, seducing boys, finding your place in the high school cesspool, but perhaps more importantly, it’s hysterical in totally sensible, realistic ways. Ugly band kids do fuck each other like rabbits. There is always one mathlete who thinks he’s a badass M.C. And as much as you might despise every last thing about their bitchy demeanors, coordinated outfits and threeway call attacks, there’s something mesmerizing, entrancing about the most popular chicks in school. They may be a merciless pack of life-ruining mean girls, but, as Damian can attest to, they always look fierce. P.S. I want my pink shirt back.

Most people seem to think Saved! is a cute little satire about Jesus-loving nut jobs taking their religious zeal to exciting, bitchy new levels. This is both true and misleading. Saved is, in fact, a satirical look at contemporary ultra-Christianity (and it works if examined on simply that level), but more than that, especially for all us Holy Rollers who got down with G-O-D at an early age, it’s a cathartic middle finger toward the good-intentioned spiritual machine which has made so many kids feel like absolute shit for growing up. You know that scene where everyone has a glow stick? They give those out at church camps for rededicating your life to the Lord. Do you have any idea what it feels like to walk around all day without a glowstick around your neck while all the hypocritical, glowstick-wearing fucks, your friends, reproachfully chastise you with their eyes because you’re starting to question and unwilling to make promises you‘re not sure you can keep? It’s horrifying. Maybe not horrifying enough to make me try and de-gayify the Sodomites, but certainly horrifying enough to call out bitches who say shit like, “you’re just jealous of my success in the Lord.“ Yeah, that really does happen. So, when I chortle at the thought of good Christian girls planting pipe bombs at Planned Parenthood, please know it’s an involuntary response to years of indoctrination. Saved! is my favorite inside joke of all time, that it works and works well amongst the heathens who never bothered asking Jesus into their hearts is a testament to how truly well the whole thing is put together.

You know how there’s a totem pole in prison? I don’t really know that. I’ve never been to jail, never sat atop that fiendish pecking order or groveled in its wake, but I have seen The Shawshank Redemption, that shitty Dax Sheppard movie and way too many episodes of Lockup: Extended Stay. And these things have told me there’s a hierarchy, one which places people who fuck with children on its bottom rung. Well, there’s a totem pole with public opinion too. Break into someone’s house to steal shit and you’re a loathsome bastard occupying one of the seedier circles of hell; concoct some ingenious scheme to defraud numerous major corporations of a few million dollars to finance your own extravagant lifestyle and you’re an intelligent good-ol-boy who couldn’t help himself. We love the Robin Hoods, the John Dillingers, the Frank Abagnale’s because they stick it to the system when the rest of us are feeling too responsible for such tomfoolery. There’s something to be said for a man who flies by night with a cocktail in his hand and his balls flapping in the breeze, just daring the world to outsmart him.

If a film is wildly overrated by some and wildly underrated by others, does that mean, through the sheer zealot lunacy nature of people’s love it or hate it opinions, it somehow becomes accurately rated? I’m not sure, but Garden State, while consistently pretentious and in no way shape or form as good as The Graduate, is pretty damn good. And I say this not because Natalie Portman drones on about making weird noises to feel totally original or because she tapdances by a fireplace because it seems easier than actually responding to intimate conversation, I say this because someone writes “balls” on Zach Braff’s face. I say this because Peter Sarsgaard exploits Handy World’s returns and exchanges policy. I say this because he collects Desert Storm Trading Cards and because sidecars are for bitches. I say this because despite itself, when Garden State is in the zone, it’s in the fucking zone. And if you have to listen to conversation about exploring the infinite abyss along the way, tough shit. Garden State is a funny movie that asks real questions and doesn’t answer them with recycled bullshit. Maybe more movies should be recklessly indulgent.

There’s a certain liveliness which permeates through Pixar movies. It’s an almost bi-polar, nothing-is-more-important-than-this-moment zest which forces the reader to not only emotionally invest but also interact with the characters on screen. Nothing has ever felt more devastating than the look in Ellie’s eyes after she found out she couldn’t have children, just as nothing has ever felt more euphoric than Carl sticking out his tongue at the world after a hundred thousand balloons carried his dusty home to freedom. Up lives for the moment, chasing squirrels and earning merit badges without ever really losing its overarching goal. Carl is going to South America because it’s what Ellie wanted. He made a promise and by God, he’s a man who keeps his word. You want to root for these characters, not because you want to see their goals accomplished but because you want the characters themselves to accomplish their goals. It somehow makes the whole thing less selfish, as if you wanted your favorite team to win not because of how happy it would make you but because of how proud it would make your favorite player to call his mother and tell her he did it.

Relive more of the Aughts with us by clicking here.

Yesterday we lost John Hughes and the world will never be the same again. John Hughes was more than just another Hollywood filmmaker, he was the voice of an entire generation. John Hughes mattered and today as we here at Cinema Blend sit around mourning his loss for us, the only way to really get over it, is to talk about why his movies meant so much to each one of us. It's our way of saying goodbye to someone special, someone whose work became an integral part of all of us, someone who mattered in our lives. John Hughes mattered and here's a few reasons why.

Home Alone Matters To Katey Rich

In the early 90s, Kevin McAllister may as well have been a member of my family. My sister wore out the VHS tape to shreds, re-watching Home Alone practically on a daily basis for at least a year, while my brother and I teamed up with the neighbors to set up our own robber traps, leaving toy cars at the bottom of the stairs and hosing down the front steps to make ice. (We lived in South Carolina. This never worked.) We loved Home Alone maybe more than the average family, and even today, most of us can recite the lines verbatim. But my sister was the one who loved it most, and when I talked to her today, she thinks she might have figured out why. "I was so scared of being alone. I freaked out when mom went to the trashcan. Maybe it was the fact that I was terrified of that situation, and he goes through it."

Everyone praises John Hughes for illuminating teenage insecurities in The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. But with Home Alone he created Kevin McAllister, the Ferris Bueller of kids, the one who could look fear in the eye and come up with an ingenious way to beat it. In our own ways, my brother, sister and I all looked up to Kevin. Our childhood wouldn't have been the same without him.

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles Matters To David Wharton

I came late to the Planes, Trains, and Automobiles party, watching it for the first time two or three years ago. I liked it well-enough from the start, but then something unexpected happened. Neal Page (Steve Martin) and Del Griffith (John Candy) are stuck in one of a series of unpleasant hotel rooms, and Neal finally snaps. He's had enough of this oaf, this parasitical buffoon who has latched onto his life. He yells at Del, calls him out on every flaw, every annoying habit. And then, as a musical sting I'll never forget builds in the background, Del delivers the “I like me” speech, and my jaw is left on the floor.

It's such a raw and honest moment between two flawed characters, a perfect little scene where dialogue, character, and performance merge to elevate the film into something more than it was before. Yet it somehow feels perfectly at home in a movie where one man washes his face with another man's oversized underwear. Without that level of characterization, PT&A still would have been a great, relatable comedy. But by making Del Griffith more than just a punchline, Hughes crafted a true comic gem that I never tire of watching, year after year. At Thanksgiving, naturally.

Sixteen Candles Matters To Tim Gomez

Sixteen Candles did something for me that most movies couldn't. It connected me to people. Released in 1984, I missed its initial release by a year. But like any great film, it transcended its generation. I'm the youngest of three kids; my brother is 13 years older than me, my sister 15 (Unexpected blessing, my mom used to call me. That's one way to put it). Sixteen Candles was theirs. So even though years separated us, late at night, I could grab a spot on the couch and learn to laugh with my sister and brother, watching Anthony Michael Hall gross out Molly Ringwald and Duk Dong fall out of a tree after a night of debauchery.

My sister's guffaw was unmatchable, and I did my best to laugh like her. Sixteen Candles didn't exactly define my high school years. Sure, my friends and I would always hate on the creeper seniors that would try to take the freshman girls that were rightfully ours but never were girls' panties cause for an expedition, at least not literally so, and being the youngest in my family by a long shot, no one ever forgot my birthday. But that didn't matter because it brought me closer together with siblings that were almost old enough to be my parents, two people who I rarely had much else to share with socially. Sam did that. The Geek did that. Hell, I'll even give Jake Ryan some credit. And now my sister gives Sixteen Candles to her daughters, who will give it to theirs. And we can all watch it 10, 20, 30 years down the road, late at night, on TBS, and like nowhere else, laugh together.

Dutch Matters To Kelly West

When choosing from the lengthy list of John Hughes movies, I opted to look passed the more obvious classics and pick one of his smaller but equally fantastic films. Dutch is the perfect blend of humor and heart as we witness the bonding of a spoiled brat and his mother's boyfriend. The film follows Dutch Dooley (Ed O'Neill) as he agrees to drive his girlfriend's rich, bratty 12-year-old son Doyle (Ethan Embry) home from boarding school. During the road trip, Dutch's attempts to bond with the boy naturally blow up in his face as things continue to go wrong on the trip.

This is one of Hughes' smaller films but I don't think it should be forgotten. Whether it's seeing how Dutch manages to get Doyle out of school, witnessing the mishap with the fireworks or the klepto hitchhiking hookers, there's plenty to laugh at. But what stands out to me most is Dutch breaking through to the kid, whose snobbery is just a front for his insecurity. The film is charming and as I can recall watching it more times than I can count growing up, it ranks up there with the best work of Hughes.

The Breakfast Club Matters To Mack Rawden

On paper, The Breakfast Club comes off like the most contrived, clichéd, stupidly optimistic film ever released. The nerd, the spaz, the jock, the rebel and the princess, swapping stories and spit, affection and screams like drunks at a reunion, but beneath all the pot smoking, sushi and preachy messages about what it means to grow up, there's wisdom in John Hughes' words and direction.

The unmerciful stain of high school justice brings together a motley crew of dweebs, felons and stoners and without fear of gossip or social repercussion, that undesirable band of hoodlums and outcasts will bond like unlikely cabinmates at Summer camp. Facades melt away, reputations color and strange people get their fuck on. It's chaos theory at its most juvenile and unscientific. John Hughes got this. And even though his Illinois high schools may have been a little more affluent, populated by a few more beautiful girls--the connections, the laughs, even the pain are as universal as Apple pie, baseball and pissing off the principal for no goddamn reason whatsoever.

Uncle Buck Matters To Steve West

Movies have a strange power over each of us, and quite often the creators behind them continually connect with us on an emotional level we didn't see coming. Uncle Buck is not one of those revolutionary films. No, the John Candy led movie about a deadbeat uncle tasked with watching his nieces and nephews is quite simply the quintessential comedy. This is why it sits proudly atop the list of greatest comedic films of the 80s.

While my friends were busy praising such classic Hughes films as Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles I had my eyes on two of the best comedies to come out when I was a young lad. For me there's no choice when Uncle Buck or Dutch are on cable, I have to sit down and watch. Long before Judd Apatow was mixing raunch comedy with heartfelt story we watched as Buck protected his niece by threatening her boyfriend with a ritual killing. And yes, I did make a giant pancake at one point in my life.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off Matters To Josh Tyler

Growing up I was a bookish kid. Introverted and prone to excessive conformity, in my head what an adult said was law. My parents referred to me as a “good kid” but what that really meant is a kid motivated by fear, a kid who always did what he was told, a kid who didn't really think for himself. That changed one afternoon in seventh grade band when, our conductor told us to leave our instruments in our cases so he could take a break, and instead rolled in a television and popped in a VHS tape. While my French Horn laid unplayed in the back of class, in front of me was a movie called Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the story of a kid who didn't let rules get in the way and made it a point to do what he wants.

As I sat there watching I realized I was a Cameron and that being a Cameron was no way to live. Sometimes you have to break a few rules, sometimes the authority figures aren't right. And while I never became the rebellious Bueller every kid who watched Matthew Broderick foil Mr. Rooney dreamed of being, it got me thinking. My parents would eventually come to despise my new I'll take it under advisement approach to life, but it was for the best. Rules aren't everything. Sometimes you have to go your own way or you'll end up being a Cameron. Nobody wants to be a Cameron.

Christmas Vacation Matters To Ed Perkis

John Hughes is the man who reminded us that you can't fully celebrate Christmas if the shitter's full. Hughes wrote and produced Christmas Vacation, which, along with A Christmas Story, is one of the two best Christmas movies made in the last 40 years. A December 25th hasn't passed in years without at least one viewing of a movie that never gets old.

Clark Griswold puts up his entire extended family for a good old fashioned Christmas and absolutely kills with one hilarious set piece after another. Clark's passion for Christmas is really just outsized version of every suburban dad who wants to see his family have a terrific holiday like in the olden days. What farther hasn't wanted to both put an incredible Christmas light display on the roof while taking an annoying cousin out into the woods and leaving him for dead? John Hughes got the modern American Christmas right. For that, I'll never forget him.