This being John Hughes' most popular teen comedy, I was somewhat disappointed. Sixteen Candles is about high school sophomore Samantha Baker's struggle to get through her 16th birthday. Busy preparing for her older sister Ginny's wedding the next day, Sam's family has completely forgotten her birthday. At school, Sam is crushing on a senior who seemingly has no idea that she exists. On the bus home, a dorky freshman, Farmer Ted, pesters her for a date. Her grandparents show up the house and take over her room. To top it off, even the Vietnamese exchange student manages to find a date at the school dance faster than Sam. Unknown to her though, things are about to take a turn for the better.
The parts of the script relating to Sam were excellent. All the things that could go wrong on a girl's Sweet Sixteen went wrong. Molly Ringwald put in an splendid performance as Sam, conveying all the angst and desires that her character experienced. Michael Hall was perfect as Farmer Ted, trying desperately to be cool but unable to shake off his dorkiness.
However, the entire storyline relating to Sam's crush was not very believable. Apart from picking up the balled-up 'sex quiz' in class and seeing his name, there was absolutely nothing to draw him to Sam. Also, most guys wouldn't pursue a girl to that extent without first having a decent conversation with her in school. The whole after-the-after-party episode was also rather ludicrous. While I doubt things in America are that crazy, perhaps they are crazy enough for all this to be not so much of a stretch for viewers there - this might explain why the movie had such wide appeal.
The parts of the script relating to Sam were excellent. All the things that could go wrong on a girl's Sweet Sixteen went wrong. Molly Ringwald put in an splendid performance as Sam, conveying all the angst and desires that her character experienced. Michael Hall was perfect as Farmer Ted, trying desperately to be cool but unable to shake off his dorkiness.
However, the entire storyline relating to Sam's crush was not very believable. Apart from picking up the balled-up 'sex quiz' in class and seeing his name, there was absolutely nothing to draw him to Sam. Also, most guys wouldn't pursue a girl to that extent without first having a decent conversation with her in school. The whole after-the-after-party episode was also rather ludicrous. While I doubt things in America are that crazy, perhaps they are crazy enough for all this to be not so much of a stretch for viewers there - this might explain why the movie had such wide appeal.