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Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Paul Dooley, Liane Alexandra Curtis ... see more see more... , Justin Henry , Haviland Morris , Gedde Watanabe , Billie Bird , Edward Andrews , Carole Cook , Blanche Baker , Jonathan Chapin , Joan Cusack , John Cusack , Jami Gertz , Carlin Glynn , Cinnamon Idles , John Kapelos , Marge Kotlisky , Tony Longo , Steve Monarque , Zelda Rubinstein , Max Showalter , Elaine Wilkes , Brian Doyle-Murray , Rick LeFevour , Darren Harris , Dennis Vero , Beth Ringwald , Frank Howard , Deborah Pollack , Liane Curtis

On the eve of her sister's wedding, suburban teenager Samantha (Molly Ringwald) suffers silently as her family forgets her birthday. Even worse, some total dork (Anthony Michael Hall) keeps propositio... read more read more...ning her with sophomoric innuendo when she really craves romantic attention from high-school hunk Jake (Michael Schoeffling). Moving from Samantha's family home as it's invaded by outre relatives to a high-school dance where nothing seems to go her way, this bittersweet teen comedy traces the hopes and disappointments of not only Samantha, but also a host of incidental but memorable characters, from a hapless Japanese exchange student to a prom queen and a posse of barely pubescent nerds. A climactic party scene at which these various strata of young America overcome their rigid hierarchies sets the stage for resolutions both tender and torrid. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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84% liked it

233,489 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

34 critics

PG, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: John Hughes

Release Date: January 1, 1984

Keywords: cute, funny, teen, 80's, school

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DVD Release Date: October 10, 2000

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Stats: 13,257 reviews

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Sixteen Candles Sixteen Candles Michael Schoeffling molly ringwald LONG DUK DONG!!!! Blanche Baker & Molly Ringwald Gedde as Long Duk Dong Anthony Michael Hall & MIchael Schoeffling Caroline & Farmer Ted Michael Schoeffling Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong Jake Ryan & Farmer Ted Gedde Watanabe as Long Duck Dong Sixteen Candles Gedde Watanabe Sixteen Candles Sixteen Candles Sixteen Candles
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Flixster Reviews (13,257)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 7, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    John Hughes had the touch to create memorable Teen comedies. In fact, he is the only that was able to pull off some of the most memorable and smartest films of the genre. He understood teenagers and there frustrations. Using a whimsical comedy style, Hughes utilized common teenag... read moree issues in a funny, creative way, and made the viewer realize that he himself found it that embarrassing. With Sixteen Candles, John Hughes crafts yet another strong film. The film surrounds a girl whose birthday everyone has forgotten. She proceeds to have a terrible day, and everything goes from bad to worse. The cast is terrific. And they each deliver great performances. John Hughes has made nothing but good films; Sixteen Candles is a great film that will make you laugh. The film is memorable and is entertaining and a lot fun as with every other John Hughes films. Sixteen Candles has blends comedy and romance very well, and it's not cheesy whatsoever like every other romance comedy. That's the beauty about John Hughes' films, he knew how to balance different elements and make it work well to benefit the finished film. The result is yet another timeless comedy with a great cast that definitely is very entertaining and a lot of fun. Only John Hughes could pull something like this. A terrific comedy and is one of Hughes' best films along with The Breakfast Club.
  • TomBowler
    July 12, 2011
    TomBowler
    A cut above the usual teen movie by way of a whip smart script, great editting and a fantastic performance by Anthony Michael Hall. Full review later.
  • murphmann93
    June 23, 2011
    murphmann93
    Another great 80's film from John Hughes!
  • DreamExtractor
    June 14, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    An american classic. Its hilarious, and interesting. Great young actors, and one of the best high school movies ever.
  • shawnewing92
    May 25, 2011
    shawnewing92
    A John Hughes masterpiece that perfectly captures not only the 80's time period but the struggles of being a teenager. The characters are great, and the performances are real. Many hilarious moments and scenes too adorable to describe.
  • fb733768972
    January 29, 2011
    fb733768972
    Sixteen Candles is a classic 80's film, but sometimes it feels slow. It is humorous and very true to heart. The story of a teenage girl on her 16th birthday, when nobody even realizes that it's her birthday could not have been told in any way better than this. Of course it's a pr... read moreetty basic premise, but the classic feel and the great acting by the cast makes this film great! I have seen better Ringwald films, but this one if definitely one of her best! Sixteen Candles does the best it can with whatever it has to offer and it succeeds with flying colours!
  • erika250
    January 26, 2011
    erika250
    Everything about it was good but I did not like how it started out slow.
  • ajv2688
    January 18, 2011
    ajv2688
    My favourite Hughes movie, I love Molly Ringwald's character in this one, the story is fantastic and it's hilarious too. If you like Hughes films you should see this one too.
  • cosmo313
    January 15, 2011
    cosmo313
    Not only is this one of the most popular and well known of the "Brat Pack" films, it also has the distinction of rightly being considrred the Superbad of its day. That's a very fitting term, because I can definitely see the influence it had on that film, as well as a wide swath o... read moref popular culture overall.

    This is the story of a sweet yet unapprecuiated girl whose family forgets her 16th birthday. On top of that, her older sister is getting married the day after her birthday, so she is ignored even more. On top if that, the boy she has a major crush on doesn't even seem to realize she exists. On to of THAT is the fact that the one boy who does know she exists is a totaly geek who is absolutely obsessed with her.

    This is all at one a funny, sweet, edgy, and wild ball of fun, heart, and ain. It superbly captures what it is like ot be a teenager and have to deal all kinds of awful, embarassing, and ridiculous crap. One of the best things about hte late john Hughes is how well he understood youth. The way he writes them and their dialogue is spot on, never condescending, and very well rounded. There are of course some stereotypes and archetypes, but only a small section of the are purely caricature- all of the rest, mainly the leads as played by Ringwald, Schoeffling, and Hall are well rounded and fleshed out characters who are more complex than they seem, and have far more to offfer than what the surface shows. In the hilarious scene stealing role of Long Duk Dong is Gedde Watanabe. This character is a goofy exchange student who loves ot party. The character is borderline offensive, but Watanabe's performances transcends that and elevates things to the level of genial farce.

    Had I grown up with this movie, and if I were a fan of the 80s in the same way that I'm a fan of the 60s, 70s, and 90s, then I'd give this one 5 stars easily (probably). As much as I like this movie, and a good as it is, I was originally just going to give it a 4. It is really good, and pretty solid, but not all of it has aged well. The general themes and ideas and timesless, but the specific details are very much of their time, thus they are dated, but not in the same sort of way that like a blaxploitation film is. They are charming, but only to a slight extent.

    I'm giving this movie the benefit of the doubt though, because it is really hilarious, very sweet, and, as I said, a very influential film. As someone who really doesn't care too much for 80s pop culture, I'd call that some definite high praise.
  • aliceinpunderland
    December 25, 2010
    aliceinpunderland
    This movie is both sweet and edgy, yet it doesn't seem to TRY for that winning combination like sweet/edgy movies of today. Perhaps it's also because there weren't as many MPAA restrictions back then. Molly Ringwald has an angsty charm that I dig. She's not whiney; she's real,... read more dude. Too bad she's all mom-in-headlights now on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."

    Jake Ryan is pretty dreamy - the Adonis with the heart of gold - but how long is this relationship really gonna last? They don't know anything about each other! I rather like Samantha and The Geek's friendship though. The character-building moment of Samantha allowing The Geek use of her underwear really cements her as one of the coolest girls in American cinema.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
July 18, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

There's also a darkly handsome high school heartbreak kid (Michael Schoeffling), a merciful brisk pace, some quick humor (visual and verbal), and a solid music track. Full Review

Dave Kehr
July 18, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

As the girl, Molly Ringwald is natural and appealing, but she's lost in a world of blunt, vicious caricatures. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A sweet and funny movie about two of the worst things that can happen to a girl on her sixteenth birthday. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Most of the the movie is cheerful and light, showcasing Mr. Hughes's knack for remembering all those aspects of middle-class American adolescent behavior that anyone else might want to forget. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 1984
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Some of the material works marvelously well, but the stuff that doesn't takes the movie down with it. Full Review

David Nusair
February 13, 2012
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a sporadically amusing yet hopelessly uneven endeavor that simply isn't in the same league as Hughes' later classics. Full Review

Tim Brayton
September 25, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

A high school film just smart enough to be special and bad enough that it could be improved upon. Full Review

Randy White
January 2, 2011
Randy White, Common Sense Media

Racy, drunken, hilarious '80s high school comedy. Full Review

Brian Orndorf
September 8, 2008
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com

Candles is a brazenly mischievous, consistently uproarious comedy that christens the devastating Hughes-fu with vivacious results. Full Review

July 18, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

This funny, unpretentious film marked writer John Hughes's first time out as a director. The premise is ordinary, but the film is distinguished by funny gags and excellent performances. Full Review

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    • Long Duk Dong: Oh, sexy girlfriend!
    • Samantha Baker: I can't believe this. They fucking forgot my birthday.
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Sixteen Candles Trivia

  • In the classic 80's film "Sixteen Candles" what is the foreign exchange student's name?  Answer »
  • Which male actor has been in "The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen candles" and "Wierd Science"?  Answer »
  • What movie about a young girls' forgotten sweet sixteen does this line come from? "That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy they'd call them something else."  Answer »
  • what was the name of the chinese guy who was staying in Mikes room in the movie Sixteen candles?  Answer »
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