A group of five Shermer High School students sit in a circle, wasting away the final hours of their Saturday detention with relatable anecdotes about the ups and downs of adolescent life. One character asks if the group thinks they will end up like their parents; the question is met with unsure glances and some silent pondering. Will they end up like their parents? Allison, played by then 23-year-old Ally Sheedy, thinks she has the answer: “It’s unavoidable. It just happens.” The group listens on. “When you grow up, your heart dies.” One would be hard-pressed to find any other quote that more accurately sums up the overarching themes of John Hughes' filmography than this The Breakfast Club line. It serves as an apt thesis statement for the work of a man who refused to grow up.
The urgency conveyed in this quote permeates each and every film Hughes ever crafted, proving him to be the loudest and most influential voice for an entire generation of misunderstood teenagers.
Over the course of his illustrious career, John Hughes developed films that many would regard as undisputed masterpieces of the coming-of-age genre. Each of his characters embodies a fleeting youthfulness familiar to anyone with a keen memory of their childhood. In Home Alone, Kevin fends off adulthood, responsibility, and the entire outside world—all because he got into a fight with his mother. His desire to be treated as an adult ultimately backfires on him, teaching him to embrace his childhood for the pure bliss it is. (There are few instances of juxtaposition that land better than Kevin stomping on the ground, chanting that when he grows up and gets married, he plans on living alone.)
The ensemble cast of Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off navigate complex emotional crises, not unlike the ones they will be facing on a daily basis post-graduation. Asking out a boy and faking a cold are treated with the care and respect of doomsday scenarios, which they often seemed to be at that age. Even Steve Martin’s Neal Page is eventually persuaded to rediscover a childlike joy about life in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles by maneuvering the antics of his lovable, albeit clumsy road trip companion.
Even when a character in a Hughes film has grown up and lost the luster they had in their younger years, there is always hope that they will be able to get it back.
In celebration of what would have been his 72nd birthday, turn on a John Hughes film today. In a time when the future can seem less hopeful each day, everyone could use some childlike escapism in their lives. Today, once you finish up your 9-5, go ahead and make yourself a Cap’n Crunch and Pixy Stix sandwich on white bread. Pop in The Breakfast Club, or any Hughes film of your choice (there’s hardly a bad one in the bunch). Pay close attention to how every creative choice Hughes makes is in service of his young characters and their struggles. Even today, his films keep countless hearts young.
John Hughes' entire filmography is essential for your public library film collection, especially for your coming-of-age genre shelves. These beloved classics would also make excellent choices for general screenings for your library patrons or university.
Get some of Hughes' most classic films on one disc by ordering the John Hughes 5-Movie Collection on Blu-ray or DVD here.
To learn more about the director and his personal life, order John Hughes, A Life in Film: The Genius Behind Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Home Alone, and more by clicking here.