flicks
Sixteen Candles: It's Sweet but It's Also Sour
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| Sixteen Candles (1984) |
Director: John Hughs
Writer: John Hughs
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Justin Henry,
Michael Schoeffing
Run Time: 73 Minutes
It’s Samantha’s sixteenth birthday! Like most teenagers,
Samantha believes that sixteen is the golden age, or the age where everything
falls into place – or so she thought. The 1984, romantic comedy features
Samantha, a typical teen who often fantasizes over a guy that she believes is unattainable,
but she soon realizes that that’s the least of her worries. She continues to
struggle to connect with her family, and often feels out of place. The conflict
is quite obvious, and the theme of: “You don’t always get what you wish for” is
made clear in the beginning of the film.
The unconventional story unfolds in a matter of a few
days, as Samantha is overlooked, and her family prepares for her sister’s
wedding. Our main character pouts, but never speaks up. This character flaw
continues throughout the film, and becomes Sam’s staple. We quickly meet the
other conventional characters who make up the film – the power couple and the
geek. Along with Samantha, these characters serve as the main driving force for
the movie.
While the film may drum up a feeling of nostalgia for
the teens of the 80s, I can’t help but point out the dated puns and blatant
injections of stereotypes. The film itself was a solid piece of work and I definitely
fell in love with the journey that Samantha took in order to get the guy, but
it all comes back to the execution. For example, the stereotypical
portrayal of the Chinese foreign exchange student was the one that rubbed me
the wrong way first. Next, was the portrayal of women in the film. Samantha’s
inability to speak her mind, which fortunately didn’t lead to a downfall in
this film, is one example.
Let’s break Dong’s character down: First his name is
Long Duk Dong, is an obvious pun, and further solidifies his role of comic relief. The
creative decision to include a gong ring every time his name is mentioned
further proves this point. The audience is restricted to witnessing Mr. Dong
living life to the fullest throughout the film, and he is never given an objective. Well maybe one. Mr. Dong serves a key role at the very end of the
film, but even this small role isn’t enough to make up for his insignificance
throughout the film.
That’s not the film’s only downfall, and another unsettling
remark is made at the beginning of the film while Samantha imagines what it
would be like to find her perfect guy. Small jabs are taken and most people
wouldn’t even notice.
Samantha:
“You do it on a cloud without getting pregnant or herpes.”
Randy: “I
don’t need the cloud. Just a pink Trans Am and the guy.”
Samantha: “A
black one.”
Randy:
“A black guy!?”
Samantha: “A
black Trans Am. A pink guy!”
The comment suggests that neither girl would ever
consider Randy’s initial thought, which is more or less unsettling. It points
back to a time where things were slowly evolving, and it allows the viewer to
see that a small amount of progress has been made.
Samantha gave off the being-a-teen-girl-is-hard vibe
throughout the flick. The portrayal of young women throughout this film is a
bit misleading, and may encourage young girls who are watching this film to act
pouty and dependent. In the beginning it’s hard not to feel sorry for Samantha
as her sweet sixteen rapidly turns sour. She is however given multiple
opportunities to confront the situation and refuses too. The way she approaches
the situation weakens her character and causes an unnecessary conflict.
The geek was a nice addition to the tale, as he was
given an atypical set of tasks throughout the film. The audience sides with Samantha
immediately, as the flick begins, and becomes annoyed by the geek. As the geek’s
character grows and slightly matures, he becomes an essential piece in the
film. The overall goals of “getting the guy” and “getting the girl” lies in the
hands of the geek. This is especially ironic since the geek cannot get the
girl. This nice twist, was one of my favorite parts. The geek still getting a
girl in the end is also a nice touch.
I appreciate and respect the teen movies of the 80s,
and realize that they serve as a foundation for the teen movies that we have
now. Even now the jokes and puns that are included in films can be a bit
raunchy and are often taken as they are presented – as jokes to be laughed off.
Overall any teen would be able to connect with any of these off-beat characters,
and the situations and actions that they experienced in the film obviously
doesn’t reflect the average teen.
