Holy shit, this guy is bad. I recently saw a post saying what happened to John Hughes (which I swear was stolen straight out a Nostalgia Critic video on one of Hughe's shitty later films) and I thought to myself, what happened? Yeah, what happened that this guy was known as the king of (family) comedy? I decided to look back at his old movies and realized that Hughes is probably the most overrated filmmaker of all time. It's only justice that he finally stopped pretending to care and produced the shitty films later. But let's look back on the masterpieces he gave us
Sixteen Candles - Haven't seen it, but I'll get back to it later
The Breakfast Club - Holy shit is this bad. I don't know what my favorite message of the movie is, it's a tie between trying to be unique, different, or yourself is worthless, if you change everything about yourself you can become pretty, popular, and date anyone (in other words, Allison's story arc) OR it doesn't matter who you truly are to the people who actually get to know you, at the end of the day, if you're an outcast, you have zero chance of ever fitting in during social gatherings (in other words, Brian's arc). There's zero laughs (he broke glass with his voice, hilarious), Bender's romance with Claire is completely contrived, and the worst part of all is that 4 of the characters take part in the kiss, while the nerd of the group is given the glory of writing their papers for them and getting in with no one. Gee, what a score. I also dunno how the 80s were actually like in school, but I'm just surprised that the kid trying to kill himself also was lucky enough to get the exact same punishment as the kid who tortured and likely traumatized a weaker student than him. I guess the punishments surely fit the crime.
Ferris Beuller's Day Off - This one's better because I did laugh a lot, but it's just weird that Ferris seems like the biggest dick friend in the world to Cameron, he pretty much ends up ditching him after the cars destroyed, even though Ferris is the reason why. All in all though, I'd say this is my favorite of Hughes films.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Oh my god. I just watched this after I was told it was Hughes best work. I couldn't have been more annoyed. The pacing is slow and it just drags on and on. Candy's character is such a lovable screwball, assuming he had cancer. Sadly, he doesn't, so you know we have to suffer through this performance knowing he's going to keep on living. Maybe it's just me but he just irritated the shit out of me. It's somewhat easy to identify with Martin but at the same time, I don't really feel like he's realistic. Why wouldn't he call his wife to pick him up earlier instead of going the full three days? Why is he so forgiving of Candy before he learns about his dead wife. Oh that's another thing that pissed me off. We're going with the foreseeable twist that his wife has been dead all along, so that we pity this character. But I honestly don't see a reason to pity him. It'd be one thing if he was accidentally irresponsible, but its his bad habits such as smoking and refusing to change which keeps leaving them in trouble. To make it better, he's also a con artist. I understand he's homeless which does make you feel bad for him, but at the same time, it just doesn't make amends with the garbage we had to sit through to get to that revelation. Also does Martin's wife in this film seem so out of place? Her scenes are so bizarre. In fact he entire role is to build up to Candy's reveal of having no wife and for him to look at her and Neal together. Fuck that, I like the alternate ending I read of having him be a cannibal gay serial killer and it was his bodies wife in that huge ass trunk. No wonder he's so fat. But like my brother was upset that Snoop and Chris didn't murder everyone's punk ass in Moonrise Kingdom (which he is wrong about because MK was fucking awesome), this plot twist didn't come to fruition. Ah well.
Uncle Buck - This was horrendous. I don't even know where to begin, so I won't. Next
Home Alone - What can you say. Your main character is completely unfunny and the films carried by the two criminals. Their role consists of getting fucked up. To be fair I don't actually hate this film, but I'm honestly just so bored by it. There's just a lack of humor that the film tries to push, but I appreciate the Christmas spirit of the film. All in all, I can say this is overrated like all his other films but it isn't bad by any stretch.
Curly Sue - LOL
Beethoven - I generally wanted to avoid films where he was just the writer and didn't have a larger role, but I can still say this was godawful writing
Home Alone 2 - Good Lord. They took the first film and just completely remade it, except the traps are far more psychotic. There's somehow less humor in a film that didn't make me laugh in the first place (although the Hotel Scene where the film says he fucked Cliff iirc was funny...unfortunately it was still rehashed straight from the first one). Everything about this one is so contrived that I can't take it seriously and neither should you.
Miracle on 34th Street - Let's read the synoposis for how Santa's saved shall we: Just as the judge is about to make his decision – and it seems he was going to rule against Kris – Susan walks up to the judge with a Christmas card containing a $1 bill. On the back, the words In God We Trust are circled. The judge realizes that, since the U.S. Department of Treasury can believe in God with no hard evidence, then the people of New York can believe in Santa Claus in the same way. This leaves the elated judge no other choice but to declare that Santa is real, thus freeing Kris.
Ugh
I love the original 1947 one, it's a film I can watch around Christmas time, but Hughes basically cashed in on a classic film to give us a worse version in every way. Sigh
It's at this point everything he touches turns to shit with classics like Flubber and Home Alone 3. I don't even need to acknowledge those travesties.
Like I said, I'd get back to Sixteen Candles. Judging from his other bodies of overrated work like PT&A and Breakfast Club, I'm sure it sucks. That being said, I'm willing to give Hughes one last shot by watching this film. If I'm entertained, I'm going to give him a pass, but if it sucks like I expect, then he solidifies his rank as the most overrated man in film that casual people think of today.
In conclusion, John Hughes sucks eggs. All of his films are about the spirit of togetherness and overcoming some adversity shit but they're usually boring as fuck and don't try to cross the comedy lines. Not in a profanity/Nudity/violent way btw. I'm talking about going somewhere unexpected with his comedies. I watched Anderson's Rushmore (cuz me and my brother are going through all of his films now, thanks Hugendugen xD) last night and while I wasn't a huge fan actually, it was a film that went a direction you didn't expect over and over again. That's what Hughes comedies lack. They take the safe route, the happy ending route, the predictable "comedy" route for the mostpart, and they never really give you satisfaction. Seriously, he sucks
Sixteen Candles - Haven't seen it, but I'll get back to it later
The Breakfast Club - Holy shit is this bad. I don't know what my favorite message of the movie is, it's a tie between trying to be unique, different, or yourself is worthless, if you change everything about yourself you can become pretty, popular, and date anyone (in other words, Allison's story arc) OR it doesn't matter who you truly are to the people who actually get to know you, at the end of the day, if you're an outcast, you have zero chance of ever fitting in during social gatherings (in other words, Brian's arc). There's zero laughs (he broke glass with his voice, hilarious), Bender's romance with Claire is completely contrived, and the worst part of all is that 4 of the characters take part in the kiss, while the nerd of the group is given the glory of writing their papers for them and getting in with no one. Gee, what a score. I also dunno how the 80s were actually like in school, but I'm just surprised that the kid trying to kill himself also was lucky enough to get the exact same punishment as the kid who tortured and likely traumatized a weaker student than him. I guess the punishments surely fit the crime.
Ferris Beuller's Day Off - This one's better because I did laugh a lot, but it's just weird that Ferris seems like the biggest dick friend in the world to Cameron, he pretty much ends up ditching him after the cars destroyed, even though Ferris is the reason why. All in all though, I'd say this is my favorite of Hughes films.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Oh my god. I just watched this after I was told it was Hughes best work. I couldn't have been more annoyed. The pacing is slow and it just drags on and on. Candy's character is such a lovable screwball, assuming he had cancer. Sadly, he doesn't, so you know we have to suffer through this performance knowing he's going to keep on living. Maybe it's just me but he just irritated the shit out of me. It's somewhat easy to identify with Martin but at the same time, I don't really feel like he's realistic. Why wouldn't he call his wife to pick him up earlier instead of going the full three days? Why is he so forgiving of Candy before he learns about his dead wife. Oh that's another thing that pissed me off. We're going with the foreseeable twist that his wife has been dead all along, so that we pity this character. But I honestly don't see a reason to pity him. It'd be one thing if he was accidentally irresponsible, but its his bad habits such as smoking and refusing to change which keeps leaving them in trouble. To make it better, he's also a con artist. I understand he's homeless which does make you feel bad for him, but at the same time, it just doesn't make amends with the garbage we had to sit through to get to that revelation. Also does Martin's wife in this film seem so out of place? Her scenes are so bizarre. In fact he entire role is to build up to Candy's reveal of having no wife and for him to look at her and Neal together. Fuck that, I like the alternate ending I read of having him be a cannibal gay serial killer and it was his bodies wife in that huge ass trunk. No wonder he's so fat. But like my brother was upset that Snoop and Chris didn't murder everyone's punk ass in Moonrise Kingdom (which he is wrong about because MK was fucking awesome), this plot twist didn't come to fruition. Ah well.
Uncle Buck - This was horrendous. I don't even know where to begin, so I won't. Next
Home Alone - What can you say. Your main character is completely unfunny and the films carried by the two criminals. Their role consists of getting fucked up. To be fair I don't actually hate this film, but I'm honestly just so bored by it. There's just a lack of humor that the film tries to push, but I appreciate the Christmas spirit of the film. All in all, I can say this is overrated like all his other films but it isn't bad by any stretch.
Curly Sue - LOL
Beethoven - I generally wanted to avoid films where he was just the writer and didn't have a larger role, but I can still say this was godawful writing
Home Alone 2 - Good Lord. They took the first film and just completely remade it, except the traps are far more psychotic. There's somehow less humor in a film that didn't make me laugh in the first place (although the Hotel Scene where the film says he fucked Cliff iirc was funny...unfortunately it was still rehashed straight from the first one). Everything about this one is so contrived that I can't take it seriously and neither should you.
Miracle on 34th Street - Let's read the synoposis for how Santa's saved shall we: Just as the judge is about to make his decision – and it seems he was going to rule against Kris – Susan walks up to the judge with a Christmas card containing a $1 bill. On the back, the words In God We Trust are circled. The judge realizes that, since the U.S. Department of Treasury can believe in God with no hard evidence, then the people of New York can believe in Santa Claus in the same way. This leaves the elated judge no other choice but to declare that Santa is real, thus freeing Kris.
Ugh
I love the original 1947 one, it's a film I can watch around Christmas time, but Hughes basically cashed in on a classic film to give us a worse version in every way. Sigh
It's at this point everything he touches turns to shit with classics like Flubber and Home Alone 3. I don't even need to acknowledge those travesties.
Like I said, I'd get back to Sixteen Candles. Judging from his other bodies of overrated work like PT&A and Breakfast Club, I'm sure it sucks. That being said, I'm willing to give Hughes one last shot by watching this film. If I'm entertained, I'm going to give him a pass, but if it sucks like I expect, then he solidifies his rank as the most overrated man in film that casual people think of today.
In conclusion, John Hughes sucks eggs. All of his films are about the spirit of togetherness and overcoming some adversity shit but they're usually boring as fuck and don't try to cross the comedy lines. Not in a profanity/Nudity/violent way btw. I'm talking about going somewhere unexpected with his comedies. I watched Anderson's Rushmore (cuz me and my brother are going through all of his films now, thanks Hugendugen xD) last night and while I wasn't a huge fan actually, it was a film that went a direction you didn't expect over and over again. That's what Hughes comedies lack. They take the safe route, the happy ending route, the predictable "comedy" route for the mostpart, and they never really give you satisfaction. Seriously, he sucks
