 "Photo: Courtesy of Google Images")
At this year's Oscars I was greatly pleased with the special tribute to one of my childhood heroes the late writer, producer, and director, John Hughes. His movies revolutionized the teen genre film market and gave teens like me a voice.
Though his films were set in the ‘80s they still continue to have the same resonance and timeless grace of getting to the core of issues that are still prudent in this ever-changing society. Issues that teens still continue to struggle with, like friendship, love, sex, wanting to belong, and awkwardness; Hughes films had them all. He tackled the issues down with a sense of fairness and accuracy that, up to that point, had not been achieved. His films taught Hollywood that well-made, smart, funny, poignant, dramatic entertainment that doesn't condescend to young people is worth making. I, for one, will always be grateful to the man.
Without Hughes, we wouldn’t have films like Juno or Mean Girls. We wouldn’t have angst and surliness. We wouldn’t have the wisecracking shenanigans of the guys from Superbad or Charlie Bartlett.
Hughes films have always had a special place in my heart and I have much respect for both John Hughes and his films.
My first encounter with Hughes was his film Pretty in Pink. It was about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who lived life by her terms, and didn’t apologize for being who she was, even if who she was didn’t quite fit with the hierarchy of her school. She was a trendsetter before the term gains the notoriety to what it is today. Oh, Andie, my soul sister, how I wanted to climb into the screen and just give you a hug when Blaine gave you the excuse for not wanting to take you to the prom. Thank God for Duckie, and all the Duckies that have been in my life to hold my hand and tell me it’s okay. I am okay. We are okay. Let’s be okay. Let’s just be who we are and who cares about anyone else.
Next came Ferris. Oh Ferris, did I have the biggest crush on you. I would have loved to be dancing right along side of you on that float, having the time of my life. However, it was Jeannie who I sympathized more for. She was the sister who never got away with anything, much like me. She was the one who could never be or do anything right, a trait that I was finding myself at the time reflective my own position. Though it was Ferris whose words I still tend to look back on from time to time when I am feeling a bit of the overwhelming tide rise.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Thanks Ferris, I will always look around no matter how fast I am moving.
The true kinship came in the form of an athlete, a princess, a brain, a basket case, and a criminal. You might know them as The Breakfast Club. I saw them as an extension of myself. They were my kindred spirits on that same road that we all travel, high school. For all the pain, all the silliness, the awkwardness, and the realness I saw them pour out in that library I myself was trying to navigate through in my own high school. I wanted to belong, but where? What was I? Was I a brain? Yes, a bit. Was I an athlete? Sometimes depending on the sport. Was I a princess? Well, I did have a flair for fashion and trying out new styles. Was I a basket case? I think everyone is a bit of a basket case in high school. A criminal? Well, who really knows; I never tried to be. It is the realization that Mr. Vernon gets after reading the letter that really is the defining moment both for the film and me.
“We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain ... and an athlete ... and a basket case ... a princess ... and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club."
Thank you, Hughes, my hero, and my one of my greatest teachers on the road of life. I learned a lot, laughed even more, and was never left without the hope that your films inspired and continue to inspire in me.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in this column represent those of the writer and not of the newspaper staff, faculty, staff, or the college.
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