I had to really think about what my favorite 80’s movie was. There were so many flicks I liked during this time. Finally, I narrowed it down to Top Gun and Sixteen Candles. A few more days passed as I thought about why these movies were my favorite. Well, Top Gun I finally realized I enjoyed this movie solely on the fact that I liked staring at men in uniform. There were no other reasons to state why Top Gun was my favorite all time 80’s movie.
Sixteen Candles there was so much more for me to relate to in this movie. I was Molly Ringwald, who had a crush on the popular guy, Michael Schoeffling, at school. My crush didn’t turn out like Ringwald’s, but it was fun to see her get the guy she loved. Of course, I’m sure many of us fantasized about the popular guy noticing and falling for us. And all of us have wacky family members so I was able to relate to Molly’s weird experiences with her grandparents. Mine never felt me up, but it was really funny when it happened to Molly.
The guys that had crushes on me were like Anthony Michael Hall. They weren’t considered the best high school catch, but adorable like Hall. I loved how Hall was the coolest geek and acted so suave. It was great that he was able to get the pretty girl, Haviland Morris, and become friends with the most popular guy.
My favorite scene in Sixteen Candles was Long Duck Dong’s drunken scene where he is passed out in the yard. His grandfather asks him where the automobile was at. All of us remember Long Duck Dong’s response, Lake, BIG Lake! And lots of laughing followed. I read an interview with Gedde Watanabe. He still gets recognized as the guy in Sixteen Candles. Plus, I think it’s his most famous role, but I, also, remember him from Gung Ho. Watanabe was the Japanese boss that lead Hunt Stevens (Michael Keaton) to car making success.
Sixteen Candles is played quite frequently. When I catch it on television it’s always fun to watch it over and over. I never get tired of Molly Ringwald screaming, because she gave a geek (Michael Anthony Hall) her panties. I still laugh when the popular girl’s friends cut her hair to get it out of the closed door. Still, I fill with happiness for Ringwald when she gets her birthday wish at the end.
