| John Hughes Tribute
This series also takes place at the Aero Theatre!
 Writer, director and producer John Hughes began his career
in advertising (a period he affectionately remembered in the autobiographical SHE’S
HAVING A BABY) before breaking into comedy as a writer for National Lampoon
magazine. That job got him his first screenwriting gigs, on National Lampoon’s
ANIMAL HOUSE television series DELTA HOUSE and the feature film CLASS REUNION. These
assignments were quickly followed by the hit comedies MR. MOM and NATIONAL LAMPOON’S
VACATION. The success of those films gave Hughes the clout to direct his own scripts, and
in 1984 he embarked on a trilogy of teen movies whose influence is still felt today:
SIXTEEN CANDLES, THE BREAKFAST CLUB and WEIRD SCIENCE. Then came FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY
OFF and scripts for PRETTY IN PINK and SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, before Hughes broadened his
range to include a series of comedies featuring John Candy (THE GREAT OUTDOORS, PLANES,
TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES) and, as writer-producer, one of the most successful family films
of all time, HOME ALONE. When Hughes died in August, he left behind a legacy of films that
have influenced modern comedy writers including Judd Apatow and Diablo Cody. Join us at
the Cinematheque for the chance to see some of Hughes’ pop culture landmarks on the
big screen.
Friday, October 2 – 8:00 PM JOHN HUGHES
Double Feature: SIXTEEN CANDLES, 1984, Universal, 93 min. Dir. John
Hughes. Samantha's (Molly Ringwald) family completely forgets her 16th birthday amid the
insanity of her older sister's wedding. Over the course of a long night, she pines for the
boy of her dreams (Michael Schoeffling), befriends the class dork (Anthony Michael Hall)
and does her best to avoid a lusty foreign exchange student. Trailer
THE BREAKFAST CLUB, 1985,
Universal, 97 min. Dir. John Hughes. Hughes’ 1980s string of teenage comedy-dramas
reached its apex with this study of five misfit kids (Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd
Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall) who learn to open up as they undergo a
daylong Saturday detention. Memorable soundtrack includes Simple Minds’
"Don’t You (Forget About Me)." Trailer
Saturday, October 3 – 8:00 PM
Double Feature:
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, 1986, Paramount, 103 min.
Dir. John Hughes. If you ever wanted to know how to fake illness, revive your neurotic
best friend (Alan Ruck), get your girlfriend (Mia Sara) out of school, hack your academic
record or anything else that will get you out of something you don’t want to do, this
is the movie for you! Matthew Broderick reigns as the king of slacker cool in Hughes’
classic teen comedy, twisting and shouting his way across Chicago. Trailer
WEIRD SCIENCE, 1985, Universal,
94 min. Dir. John Hughes. Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith play
nerds who feed a centerfold into a computer and generate their own real-life fantasy woman
in the form of Kelly Le Brock. As she teaches the boys how to be men, they deal
with a number of comic complications and supporting characters, including a hilarious Bill
Paxton. Discussion in between films with FERRIS
BUELLER’S Edie McClurg, Alan Ruck and Jeffrey Jones. Trailer
Sunday, October 4 – 7:00 PM
Double Feature: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, 1987, Paramount, 95 min.
Dir. Howard Deutch. Howard Deutch and John Hughes followed up PRETTY IN PINK with a
similar story that reverses the genders: This time Eric Stoltz is the have-not, Lea
Thompson is the rich girl he has a crush on, and Mary Stuart Masterson is the best friend
he doesn’t realize really loves him. Trailer
PRETTY IN PINK, 1986, Paramount,
96 min. Dir. Howard Deutch. Working-class teen Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) falls for rich
kid Blaine (Andrew McCarthy), while her eccentric best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) longs to
be with her in this sweet and funny dramedy scripted by John Hughes. Discussion between films with Howard Deutch and Lea Thompson. Trailer
More John Hughes at the Aero |
