Top Ten John Hughes Movies

This afternoon I had a great time watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off and it reminded me how much I always enjoy John Hughes movies. Not all of them are good: Flubber, anyone? But maybe a third of them are awesome, and I wanted to dwell on this fact. So here they are: the good ones, from worst to best.

10. Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I didn't watch this film for the longest time... mostly because it was my German teacher's favourite film, and I thought he was strange. Once I got over that and actually sat down to watch it, I really liked it. Its super funny and surprising: you never quite know what's going to happen next.

9. Home Alone

Home Alone is like every kid's favourite fantasy meets worst nightmare. Watching this film when you're seven, it's way scarycool!  Even when you're twenty five, it's still a little bit scarycool!

8. Beethoven

Whenever anyone mentions Beethoven, I think of the dog. They're usually not talking about the dog, which I find disappointing. Clearly I need new friends.

7. Some Kind of Wonderful

Teen Angst! Love Triangles! A semi awesome female lead in love with a wimpy, disappointing guy! The very recipe for film success!

6. Uncle Buck

I used to watch this film a lot with my mum and aunty while I was too young to really understand it. It's kind of interesting to watch as a child, but a lot funnier as an adult. Buck is great because he's totally himself.

5. Weird Science 

It's like Hughes took the essence of a fourteen year old boy's brain and distilled it into this film. I know it's technically stupid, I know it was literally written in two days and it totally shows when you watch the movie, but I love it anyway. Rediculous hilarity!

4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

So Ferris is like, halfway between being a douchbag and the coolest guy you ever met. He's a terrible friend and a wonderful friend both at the same time. The premise sounds mundane: a guy takes a sick day from school. And the film kind of is mundane. But also wonderful. And the line that comes up twice: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. I pretty much try to live by that.

3. Pretty in Pink

Probably the main reason why I enjoy this film is because I enjoy Mollie Ringwald looking sullen, but whatevs. It's a fun film with teenagers, high school, prom, punks. I mean really. What more do you want?


2. The Breakfast Club

The breakfast club is more like a play than a film. Objectively, if you haven't seen the film in a while, you might start to think, 'All those kids, becoming friends like that. That could never happen'. But whilst you're watching the movie, it's totally believable. It's the kind of thing I always wish would happen in real life!

1. Sixteen Candles

Sixteen candles. Ah, sixteen candles. Every time I make somebody watch this film with me, they agree that it's pretty much the best thing ever. The basic premise is that it's this girl's sixteenth birthday, and her family all forget. But there's so much more to it than that! There are so, SO many things I enjoy about this film, but probably my favourite moment is the one where Sam gives her panties to a geek:

If you haven't seen it yet, go and watch it. Right now. And if you've already seen it... why, watch it again of course!