Planes, Trains, And Automobiles

Strangely, I've now seen two movies in one week with both John Candy and Kevin Bacon in the cast.

Okay I've finally seen it. Yeah it was pretty great! I knew very bare bones basics of the story, heck I didn't even know who directed it until about halfway through and I had a great time with it. The story follows businessman Neal who is desperately trying to get home to his family for Thanksgiving as everything goes wrong and he is paired with a obnoxious travel partner Del as they go from New York, to Wichita, to St. Louis, to Chicago. It would be foolish to say this isn't an adventure movie, I'd even call it an odyssey, but it's a comedy first and it did that job very well. Good comedy is based on misery, and seeing so much bad stuff happen to the pessimistic and angry Steve Martin while most everything goes right for the super kind and sweet John Candy does work. Steve Martin is one of the very few people who can act like the biggest jerk and yet you are still on his side, you don't hate him. That's talent, it could so easily go off the deep end and have him be this unholy bastard of a man who nothing good should ever happen to, but you understand his situation and frustration. John Candy, shock of all shocks, is wonderful and lovely and amazing. I'm severely tempted to just do a whole week of John Candy movies, and again he shows real talent in this movie because he can get on your nerves at times, and yet still makes it really funny. If you met a person like this in real life you would strangle the life out of them, but because it's John Candy he can get away with it. The style of the writing and direction was ringing a few bells in my head and I wondered if John Hughes had any hand in this at all and sure enough he wrote and directed it, no wonder I liked it so much. It's somewhat hard to talk about the movie without going through every scene and every series of unfortunate events, but I will talk about one. When Steve Martin gets on the L train, he's made it to Chicago, and he's thinking about home. That got a tear out of me, it was just one but one is all you need. It's a very simple thing to describe and yet impossible to describe, he's thinking about walking through the door, seeing his wife and his kids, the food, the atmosphere of the dining table, and thinking about his unlikely friend. It's a very brief scene, incredibly minimalistic in how it's shot, but my God you get so much emotion out of that. You've probably had days where it seems nothing is going right, you've had a lot of stress and problems either preparing for the holidays or travelling to see family for the holidays, and to see him on his way after so much trouble has occured it struck me man. It struck me like an arrow through the heart. I think about home now more than I ever have, I like to be there when I can, there's no better place to be. It's a really good film, not my favorite of John's but another strong film in his career. 4 stars, 8.5/10, be back tomorrow to see an old flame.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I know, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this either.

It only took...about 6 years to review this movie but I've watched it for probably about a decade now. And I know why there is a fanbase for this movie and why so many gravitate toward it and say it's right up there with The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. Now obviously John Hughes directed them all but it just goes to show how in tune he was with kids at that time in the world. Okay so the plot is so well known I shouldn't have to recap but what the hell. Ferris is trying to weasel his way out of attending a day at school, for seemingly no reason though there actually is an occasion that would warrant it later in the film, as the film chronicles his adventures in trying not to get caught and enjoy his day. I think I know now why my mom was never fooled by my attempts to stay home "sick", cause no doubt she pulled the same tricks Ferris did even before the movie came out. That's why everyone holds it so highly, it could be argued this is the most relatable character from a John Hughes film and that's really amazing considering his catalogue. Casting could not have been better, it's one of those films where you just couldn't imagine anyone else in the roles of say Cameron, or Rooney, or Jeanie. It's that tightly knit! I know a lot of people say this is Broderick's best performance still and I am in that camp, he just pulls it off without even seeming like acting. And of course there's tons of location shots in Chicago, giving the city a lot of love and I would totally get my ass up there just to experience it on my own. The comedy might also be the most prevalent in any John Hughes movie with the only competition in my mind being Weird Science which is still my absolute favorite of all his movies. It's one of the most simultaneously laid back stories yet incredibly engaging at the same time, and there's no doubt I'll be watching it from time to time until my dying day. It's a classic for a reason, 4 stars, 7.5/10 from me. But I'm saving the greatest for last this week.

The Breakfast Club

Okay...after watching this movie again, I remember why people say this is the best John Hughes movie.

Yeah, it's the best although Weird Science is my favorite. So the story of The Breakfast Club is really the most simple of all plots, five students at a high school spend detention together on a Saturday. But I'll be damned if that's the whole film, because as the movie goes on you learn more about the characters. Hell in my high school we watched this movie as a character study! This is the epitome of a character driven story, because all it focuses on is the teenagers. We learn about the paths of life they all come from and well, really and truly who they are. A brain, a athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. And yet there is so, so much more to these characters than what they identify themselves as. And the more I think about it, I have never said or understood people who say a movie is 'deep', it makes no sense to me but you know, that is this movie! It's a deep movie! Nothing is as it seems in this film, you just think of these people as stereotypes at first but by the end of the movie they are fully, complete three dimensional characters and you love all of them. The story although simple is brilliant, the characters are the heart and soul of the movie, the setting is nice, the music is great, it's just genius! If you could only watch one single John Hughes movie this would be it. I cannot stress how good a movie this truly is. Please for the love of all that is good and wholesome in this world, watch it!

Okay, that's it for this week. Next week, we'll be getting a little more action and typical summer movie tropes but in not so typical movies.

Weird Science

Yeah this is my favorite John Hughes film.

Ah, Weird Science a movie where two young lads create a perfect woman with their computer...and SCIENCE!! And actually while watching this movie again I had a stunning realization, this movie is the prototype of Her. No seriously, it has a woman born of computer technology, has a romantic relationship with somebody, makes sure that their partner has someone with them, and although Weird Science is a comedy and an excellent one at that it still has a lot of emotion and some real heavy hearted stuff. I just love this movie more than any other of John Hughes work, I enjoy the idea of the movie, the characters are hilarious, there is a serious message and it's stated a few times and it really sticks with you, the look of the film is very cool, the humor is very good, and the effects still hold up pretty well. The casting choices are just right, we have Anthony Michael Hall in it and Ilan Michael Smith as two geeks and their chemistry together is what makes the film funny, we have Kelley LeBrock as Lisa their creation and she does kinda steal the show but you still enjoy her nevertheless, Bill Paxton as Chet the very military big brother is friggin' busting my gut funny in this movie he's awesome! The movie is a blast to say the least, I've yet to meet anyone who said they didn't like Weird Science. Every scene you feel belongs like, you really couldn't cut anything out or change the dialogue because it would hurt the movie. But my absolute favorite scene is when they go to this night club and they are the whitest white boys ever but then they cut back and they are like the coolest cats in town, and it's funny as all get out and I can actually relate to that situation, cause I'm as white as it gets but people still say I'm the coolest person to hang out with and it makes me laugh my ass off, cause you wouldn't think that. But, it definitely deserves to be watched because it is a very good film and not too many people know about it, which is kind of a shame! I think you'll really like the movie, so just give it a shot and see what you think.

 Okay, tomorrow you knew we had to review this one. It's John Hughes people, it's inevitable! Everyone says it's his greatest film and if you haven't seen it yet...my God.

Sixteen Candles

Okay I have a serious 80's jones this month, because for the second week we will look at three John Hughes Classics from the 80's.

So Sixteen Candles is a fantastic and insanely good movie from the 80's starring leader of the Brat Pack, Molly Ringwald centering around a teenage girl named Samantha whose family forgets her sixteenth birthday and her subsequent attempts to achieve romance with a high school hunk. Okay I am going to be serious here, I had no admiration or love for this movie until I saw it in it's entirety, and now I consider this one of the best films of the 1980's. It has such charm and heart, and is outrageously funny, with great characters and genius writing by John Hughes. And I hate teen movies except for the ones by John Hughes, I don't know how he does it but he just makes teen movies so damn good! I love this movie, it's not my favorite John Hughes movie but it is easily top three, maybe even top two. I can't fully explain why this film is so great, I urge you to go out and see this movie. It is well worth your time and money. I'm pretty sure every friggin' character in this movie made me have a pretty good laugh. Samantha herself starts out very bratty and very uptight, but you can completely sympathize with her and you really start to like her quick. Anthony Michael Hall plays this outrageous and hilarious geek who is an absolute ass at the beginning of this film, but as the movie goes on you like him more and more until you love him. The soundtrack....oh dear God the soundtrack! Let me tell you something, I have never ever watched a movie where the soundtrack itself makes me laugh my ass off, it's so brilliant and has perfect chosen music. And I'm serious, there is one scene in the movie that makes the whole film worthwhile and really cements it as more than just a teen movie, it's a heart to heart talk and it's very real and all too true and it's the best scene in the movie and my personal favorite scene. I can rave about this movie all day, but I will just let you go and see it for yourself. Give it a watch and see if you adore it just as much as I do.

So next week, we're reviewing my favorite John Hughes film, and it is not gonna be what you expect.