All The Best Movies From High School
For me, John Hughes' movies have some pretty strong memories attached to them. These were the movies I watched growing up - dare I say "during my formative years"? If not that cliche, then surely while I was trying to figure out the difference between being a kid and being a "grown up". And, no one captured the teen portion of the eighties as poignantly as writer-director-producer John Hughes. But, he's not just bubblegum movies - think National Lampoon and you should think of John Hughes. Let me show you what else he has done:
John Hughes At A Glance
John Hughes, Jr. was born February 18, 1950 in Lansing, MI. He graduated in 1968 from Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL. He has used Northbrook and the surrounding North Shore area for shooting locations in many of his films.John Hughes started out as a writer for the National Lampoon Magazine, and his first film, "Class Reunion", was the first of many of his National Lampoon movies. He wrote, but did not direct, the three "Vacation" movies released under the National Lampoon banner, the 1983 original "National Lampoon's Vacation", 1985's "European Vacation", and 1989's "Christmas Vacation" (which he co-produced).
He is probably best known for writing the genre-defining coming-of-age 1980s teenage dramatic comedies co-starring Molly Ringwald: "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", and "Pretty in Pink" (the first two of which he also directed). He also wrote and directed "Weird Science" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", which were also teen comedies, but the humor in both films was broader, and likely had a stronger appeal to young males than his other films. Many of these films were acclaimed by many critics for their complex, three-dimensional portraits of the tragicomedy of adolescence, as well as their acute probing of the social hierarchies of high school.
To avoid being pigeonholed as a maker of teen comedies, Hughes branched out in 1987, directing "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" starring Steve Martin and John Candy. His later output would not be so critically well received, though films like "Uncle Buck" proved popular. Hughes's greatest commercial success came with "Home Alone", a film he wrote and produced. "Home Alone" would be the top grossing film of 1990, and remains the most successful live-action comedy of all time. Hughes has not directed a film since 1991's "Curly Sue".
Clip Montage From National Lampoon's Vacation
John Hughes Filmography As A Writer:
- National Lampoons Class Reunion (1982)
- Mr. Mom (1983)
- National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
- Nate and Hayes (1983)
- Sixteen Candles (1984)
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) (story)
- Weird Science (1985)
- Pretty in Pink (1986)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
- Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
- She's Having a Baby (1988)
- The Great Outdoors (1988)
- Uncle Buck (1989)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Career Opportunities (1991)
- Dutch (1991)
- Curly Sue (1991)
- Beethoven (1992)
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
- Dennis the Menace (1993)
- Beethoven's 2nd (1993)
- Baby's Day Out (1994)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
- 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Flubber (1997)
- Home Alone 3 (1997)
- Maid in Manhattan (2002)
- Drillbit Taylor (to be released in 2008) (story)
John Hughes Movies Available On VHS
Don't You Forget About Me ~~ From The Breakfast Club
John Hughes Filmography As A Producer:
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- Pretty in Pink (1986) (executive producer)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
- Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
- She's Having a Baby (1988)
- The Great Outdoors (1988) (executive producer)
- Uncle Buck (1989)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Career Opportunities (1991)
- Only the Lonely (1991)
- Dutch (1991)
- Curly Sue (1991)
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
- Dennis the Menace (1993)
- Baby's Day Out (1994)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
- 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Flubber (1997)
- Home Alone 3 (1997)
- Reach the Rock (1998)
- New Port South (2001) (executive producer)
John Hughes Movies Available On DVD
John Hughes Filmography As A Director:
- Sixteen Candles (1984)
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- Weird Science (1985)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
- She's Having a Baby (1988)
- Uncle Buck (1989)
- Curly Sue (1991)
Uncle Buck ~~ The Pancake Scene
Three Reasons To Love John Hughes
- National Lampoon's Vacation
- Sixteen Candles
- Breakfast Club
Some Pictures From John Hughes Movies
...found on Flickr
Andrew McCarthy
16 Candles
What do you think of John Hughes?
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Books About John Hughes' Movies:
Things You May Not Have Known About John Hughes
- John Hughes has been noted as an inspiration for many in the film industry, including Kevin Smith (as noted in his films "Dogma" and "Mallrats").
- John Hughes has also written screenplays using his pseudonym, Edmond Dantès (name of the main character in Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo).
- "Mr. Mom" was based on John Hughes' own fathering experiences when he quit his 70s warehouse job to write jokes at home. At the time he was writing advertisements, hence Teri Garr's character's ad career in the film.
John Hughes Movies NoteBook
Do you have a favorite John Hughes movie? Leave me a note and tell me, or just say hello.
kab wrote...
I love him!
Great lens...I have featured it on:
http://www.squidoo.com/WeLoveFerrisBuellersDayOff
Posted December 18, 2007
Meloramus wrote...
Wahey! John Hughes is the best. I love most of his movies, especially Planes, Trains
Posted October 23, 2007
bdkz wrote...
I love John Hughes. You did an awesome job on this lens. 5 Stars!
Posted September 25, 2007
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