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Massawyrm eulogizes John Hughes
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
I feel the way about John Hughes the way most of you feel about George Lucas. His work, especially his directorial work in the 80’s (the only period of time in which he wore that hat), was so perfectly dialed in to the times that his films are not only still relevant and entertaining, but nostalgic time capsules that perfectly capture that era like lightning bugs in a jar. Since he left the director’s chair behind, there has been a void in teen geared filmmaking that a number of filmmakers have tried to fill. Occasionally a filmmaker gets close with gems like CAN’T HARDLY WAIT, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, SUPERBAD or ADVENTURELAND (with Greg Motolla getting close to being worthy of his shoes) that evoke the aesthetic he seemed to be able to effortlessly conjure. But even then, we consider these reminiscent. Never superior.
Hughes was a very special kind of writer/director, one very much in touch with his childhood and teen years. As a result, he was able to capture what it was that really made us teenagers and distill it just right to fill his characters with a manner that made us identify with all of them – even the villains. Everyone of his characters - no matter how brazen, no matter how popular, and no matter how lucky with the opposite sex they were - was absolutely terrified of being found out, disliked or humiliated. Their fears were our fears. And in his opus THE BREAKFAST CLUB, he took what was on the surface a popcorn comedy about school kids stuck in detention and showcased a microcosm of the terror and detachment we all felt (or feel) and let us all know that it was all okay…because we were not alone. Not even close.
And that went for every single one of his characters save one: his super hero. His teenage James Bond. Ferris Bueller. Of course rather than the ability to fly or super strength or invulnerability to bullets, Ferris had a power that made him a god amongst high school students. Self confidence. He wasn’t afraid of anything. Everything he tried he was successful at. People loved him. Every girl wanted him and every boy wanted to be him. But even then Hughes was smart enough to make him best friends with one of Hughes most dysfunctional characters ever, Cameron. And through Ferris and Cameron’s adventures, he illustrated the secret of life – that with the right amount of self-confidence and bullshit, you can accomplish anything.
After all, if you can convince a snooty/snotty waiter that you are Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago, how hard can high school really be?
Hughes was a master with dialog. His characters always sounded age appropriate and managed to bear all, even when they didn’t realize it. Hell, he even managed to make us forget that the majority of THE BREAKFAST CLUB took place in the same room and was effectively a play, by setting it up and pacing it just right to feel like any other film. His films were snappy, fun and even the most frivolous among them carried an emotional punch. Even the one’s he didn’t direct, but instead wrote and produced like SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL and PRETTY IN PINK (which most consider part of his holy high school trilogy along with SIXTEEN CANDLES and THE BREAKFAST CLUB).
As his work began to evolve, he moved away from films that would be considered classics, but gave us one last immortal comedy in 1987 - PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – a film that it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without. And after leaving directing behind, he would continue writing steadily through the 90’s, creating the kid geared HOME ALONE and BEETHOVEN series.
But Hughes greatest legacy will be his teen films. You can’t make one, a good one that is, in this day and age without garnering a comparison to Hughes. Being called on par with a Hughes film is no small compliment. It means you’ve captured the characters properly, made it fun and created something lasting. Because that was the soul of what Hughes did. His films are my comfort films. I know many of them by heart. And this is a sad, sad day for those grew up with his films as a beacon in the dismal, murky hopelessness of High School.
John Hughes, our friend Edmond Dantes, has passed away. He was 59.
Until next time friends,
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.
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Hughes made the 80's. Nice homage.
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He was that good. RIP John Hughes.
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The reason Hughes is so highly regarded is because he created rich characters. Unlike today.
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...you guys ain't talkin' shit.R.I.P. John, ya did good!All the rest o' y'all AICN staff, though...fat fucks!
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John Hughes wrote and/or directed some of cinema's funniest moments, of the last 25-30(!?!?!) years.
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Hughes was responsible for a lot of the best movies of my childhood. He will be missed.
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so much depth, so much precision with his humour. that generation was lucky to grow up with John, i'm only just (re)discovering him.
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isn't normal moviemaker/icon impact. The scene in Breakfast Club, what I'd call the flare gun scene, shaped I think how our generation interacts. I don't think our parents got together and vented. I think that's why they think we're whiny. But I can't tell you how many times I've sat on the floor with friends getting it all out. All the stuff we might have spent hundreds of dollars on at the psychologists office. I think that's why we talk to each other or better yet listen to each other more than the generations before. I could be wrong about that. But if I'm right he had more than your average entertainer's cultural impact.
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Shit, Ferris Bueller and The Great Outdoors were some of my favorite movies growing up. I can't tell you how many times I watched Home Alone once it came out on VHS. I didn't discover The Breakfast Club until high school (what an apt time), and it really affected my teenage self. Go figure.
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Let me just say of the things I've read so far regarding the passing of John Hughes, that definitely put things in perspective for me. Thank you, Massa.
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Summed it up perfectly for me. Well done.
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geesh, OLD news
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He wrote and directed and was released in 1991
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I'm going to knock back a few while watching Plains, Trains and Automobiles.
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Wow, I didn't know he started that.That actually makes me more sad to know that (not negatively to the film), since Beethoven was the first film I ever saw in a movie theatre.Screw a couple, I'm going to knock back quite a bit.
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Thanks Mr. Hughes for your outstanding work! RIP.
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Aug 06, 2009 10:39:36 PM CDT
Hey, let's not mention the Hughes TB to David Carradine...
by flickapoo
...OK?, let's just tell him we make autoerotic asphyxiation jokes about everyone, it's nothing personal. "No, seriously man, we're mean to everyone, not just you..."
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But seriously, what made his teen films so great was they didn't pander with references and music but instead captured what it felt like to be a teen in any decade. The dude was 35 when Breakfast Club came out but he captured those feelings of loneliness and inadequacy better than anyone had or has since then. That kind of stuff transcends pop culture and it's the reason his films are still so watchable today despite the dated clothes and hairstyles.
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The ironic timning http://tinyurl.com/l88rdw -
Really? That was a "gem"?
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Thank you, John Hughes.
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Let's not forget.
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Great post, Massawyrm though you seem to have forgotten to mention Curly Sue.
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No other films can take me back to what being a kid felt like during the 80's. And of course watching Steve Martin glance over to see John Candy as a laughing Satan, driving him to his certain doom, is still laugh out loud funny. I will always appreciate how so many of his movies could make me laugh and leave me with a warm heart.
John Hughes was a wonderful story teller. -
Can't Hardly wait was a great movie.
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Too much to ask? Apparently so. Deaths been a needy git so far this year.
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RIP John Hughes. I'm going to go watch Ferris Bueller with a scotch - doesn't get much better than that!
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...am I missing something?
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... of all time.
This was a very good eulogy. John Hughes' life and work is something I celebrate every time I watch one of his films - which is often.
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One of the best of John(s) (Hughes AND Candy), that movie still makes me giggle again and again. When a trenchcoat wearing, cigar chomping John Candy walks into the elementary school bathroom and tries to use the midget wall stall, I pee my pants laughing! And then makes that kid waiting to get pops smile by telling the principle to get that thing gnawed off her face...priceless! Rest In Piece, Mr. John Hughes! You're comedy is sorely missed.
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Edmond Dantes was the pen name under which John Hughes wrote Beethoven, Maid in Manhattan, and Drillbit Taylor.
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for a great artist. The kids nowadays
don't get the classics without profanity thrown in every other sentence *glares at Superbad* There was talent with a real emotional prose that hasn't been seen in comedies since. Thank you Mr. Hughes. -
Aug 07, 2009 12:15:06 AM CDT
I've said that the great writers/directors/artists have...
by randysavage
around the 3-5 great works in them. The rarest monumental artists have maybe 5-8 great works. Hughes was one of those exceptional ones.
John Hughes seems to have realized this: he had put out his last great work by the end of the 80s and then spent time dabbling in lesser works, out of the spotlight.
That kind of humility, in comparison to a filmmaker like George Lucas to use an example, is stunning.
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Aug 07, 2009 12:18:53 AM CDT
RE: "a beacon of light amongst shitty 80's comedies.
by hollywoodhellraiser
What??? All of a sudden you guys seem to forget about other 80's comedies and act like John was the only one turning out great stuff. What about Caddyshack, Strpies, Christmas Story, Coming To America, Trading Places, Airplane, Bill and Ted, Doctor Detroit, Fletch, the original Hairspray?Or Monty Python, National Lampoon Vacation, Porkys, Police Academy, Tootsie, Raising Arizona, Eddie Murphy Raw, etc and etc!Some of you are acting like John Hughes was the only person making good comedies back then, but he wasn't.RIP John Hughes!
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I had posted this on Quint's TB too - it's too good to miss!http://www.bizbag.com/Vacation/Vacation%2058.htm
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You know, one of the most influential screenwriters of all time?
Guess the supposed "movie geeks" who run this site couldn't take a break from mourning Billy Mays and shilling for GI JOe to be bothered with stuff like "On the Waterfront" and "A Face in the Crowd" -
Now PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES and UNCLE BUCK is where it's at. Two great fucking John Candy performances.
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Career Opportunities (really?), Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and perhaps the greatest of them all: MR. MOM! (love that movie) And did you not mention WEIRD SCIENCE? I mean, what would you do, Wyatt? "Shower with them."
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That as of 4:23 AM EST today, there has been exactly ONE troll--and a damn obvious and pathetic one at that--to pop up in his obits here and talk badly about the guy's movies. For AICN, that HAS to be a record. RIP Mr. Hughes. You are already missed. I'm planning a private memorial marathon of your work for the weekend. Just me, my gf, and maybe her little sis (who starts HS this year) watching your films on VHS---the only way to watch John Hughes classics.
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...has actually made me cry. I love you John. I'll never forget you or what you taught me about writing and movies and comedy and how powerful and humanizing and beautiful those things can be. I'm about to start work directing my first feature film in a month or so. I know I'll be thinking of you when the cameras roll, and for years to come. Sincerely yours, an honorary member of The Breakfast Club. xxx
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but I've seen CAN’T HARDLY WAIT, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, SUPERBAD and ADVENTURELAND and none of them will hold up over time like the Hughes canon.
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...and he's one of the main reason's i make films.My favorites:Breakfast ClubWeird ScienceFerris Bueller is one of the best movies ever made. It's unfairly ignored by serious critics because it appears lightweight, but if you were a teen at that time it was revolutionary - it taught your that thinking for yourself could be fun and life -changing.Like many i was hoping for a comeback - maybe a sequel to Ferris, or the Breakfast club - a fun, poignant 'where are they now'. But only Hughes coulda' done that. Thanks John Hughes for enriching my life - for showing me that serious didn't have to be dull. Rest in peace.
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You saw him as you wanted to see him... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is he was a ...Director... and a Writer... and a Producer... a voice for a generation... and he was John Hughes ... Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.
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Other than Blues Brothers I can't think of any movie person who went back to Chicago more time than Hughes. It pretty much made me want to live in that world as a kid no matter how insane the situations were portrayed on screen. My favorite Hughes though is Weird Science. The geek dream now immortalized.
RIP Hughes Shermer, IL mourns. -
The John Huges 80s High School Teen Movie genre.
It has never since been equalled.
RIP, Mr Hughes. Life does indeed move pretty fast. Hope you smelt enough roses along the way. -
I sincerely hope you don't feel about the wonderful John Hughes the way I feel about George Lucas because personally I can't stand the bloke.John Hughes's work has given me ten times the pleasure that Lucas's stuff has, and Hughes never outstayed his welcome, continually tweaking and re-tweaking one good movie until everyone was sick of the fucking sight of it. And we still have the 3D versions to come. Jesus.RIP Mr. Hughes, and thanks for the memories.You'll be sadly missed.
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Only the best for you Clark!
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Classic.
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He was the writer of the classic Christmas Vacation, the underated European vacation, and the classic Vacation, he wrote both Home Alone's and I am glad someone brought up Career Opportunities, though not as good as some of his movies it was still very entertaining. He was one of the voices of my generation. He will be missed.
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Thanks for all the laughs.
Somewhere Silent Bob is weeping.
Ain't nothing worse than watching a fat man weep.
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Aug 07, 2009 7:05:36 AM CDT
To this day you still see SAVE FERRIS written on high schools
by ricarleite2
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"HELL FUCKING YES!!" scenes I've ever seen in "Some Kind Of Wonderful", when Craig Sheffer's Hardy Jens (a utter and total douchebag character who any reasonable moviegoer would want to see get the shit kicked out of him more then maybe any character in movie history) tell's Lea Thompson's Amanda Jones that if she wants to save Eric Stoltz, "She's gonna have to BEG!!", only to have Duncan the punk rock guy step through the door and announce, in completely cool fashion, "That's not going to be necessary". Even to this day, that scene makes me wanna jump off my couch. RIP Hughes.
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"Bitch, get in the kitchen and cook me a chicken pot pie!!" to this day. I dont even like chicken pot pie. And I agree, Ferris Bueller is one of the most underrated movies ever. Great premise, and absolute perfect execution, is there even a single line of dialogue in that movie that isnt absolutely perfect? I mean, he made Matthew Broderick and Charlie Sheen actually COOL, no mean feats in and of themselves.
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1. (Don't You) forget about me is the single best melding of song and movie I've seen in my lifetime. 2. Another professional movie reviewer made an interesting point, in that Hughes believed that Ferris Bueller's Day Off was never about Ferris. Its' about Cameron, who is the actual hero of the story. At the moment where Ferris offers to take the heat for destroying the car, and Cameron turns him down and takes responsibility to standing up to his dad, Hughes believed at that moment Cameron was cooler then Ferris ever could be, and Ferris knew it, hence why Ferris was always friends with Cameron to begin with.
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A god amongst fucking men.
Diablo Cody ain't got SHIT on him. -
I'd go so far as to say that's his best film. Not that any of them sucked (even if hate Ferris as a character, Cameron anchors that film perfectly), but Candy in Buck is tremendous.
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he was one of my favorite film makers, i still cry while watching breakfast club
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that he put Jennifer Connelly up on a mechanical horse in a skin-tight wife beater is reason enough to mourn the man. What a scene! What a woman!
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do chick do chick do, do do do WILD THANG!
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Aug 07, 2009 9:17:52 AM CDT
gooseud - The original ending of FBDO as written...
by zombieheathledger
...in the rumored original ending of the movie had Cameron's father as a character who see discovers his car in the city being driven my the two attendants and when he gets home he 'savagely beats' Cameron which lets face it if your teenage son totalled your 100k car you'd wanna kick his ass, too. But it was a good thing Hughes took that out because it would've changed the whole tone of the ending. http://tinyurl.com/ptpw5g
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do Negroes like his movies?
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could probably feel as crushed as those of us who did.
Just like some people who say that "x" musician wrote the soundtrack to their lives, I'd have to say that John Hughes movies were like the home movies of our lives we always wished we had.
Having been born in `74, my teen years cut right between the 80s & 90s. 13-15 (`87-`89) & 16-19 (`90-`93) To me there's a big difference in the tone of 80s & 90s teen comedies, and even teens themselves.
In the 80s, there was a lot of big hair, out there fashion, and synthy music. It was a part of everything we, as teens, did & experienced. However shallow that may have seemed, it was a mask for an uncharacteristically deep sense of self, our world, and our relationships. Just because we looked and acted weird didn't mean that we were. We expressed ourselves outwardly and outrageously even when the adults wouldn't listen. From Bender's angry, almost childlike cry for attention to Wyatt's trying to grow up to quickly to Samantha's feeling of invisibility... I think that John Hughes' movies captured this perfectly.
90s teen movies can be good, but they generally miss much of the gravitas of real teen angst. Having also been a teen in the 90s, I can tell you that there was a lot of flannel covered "who gives a shit" about those years. The movies talked about depth and angst, but never really "got it" in the same way as the 80s teen flicks. Probably because they were trying. In the 80s movies, it just sort of happened.
What made John Hughes' movies so great was that, even though they occasionally showed some skin or had the teens cursing, it wasn't all about the shock value. There was none of that stuff like in American Pie's lesbian make out scene or She's All That's pubic hair pizza.
In the 80s teen flicks, the shocks came from what the teens often felt instead of what they did. Was Weird Science outrageous? Sure. That poo monster was fun, but crude. Still, at its core, it was about teens who felt stuff that only adults thought that they had the right to feel. John Hughes' movies were about teens coming to realize, if they didn't already, that they hurt and loved as much as any grown person.
90s teen movies largely went through the motions, often having the teens play at being adult-like instead of growing into it.
John Hughes just GOT IT. I think that, as far as 80s teens are concerned, only 2 other properties got it right.
Cameron Crowe & Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times & Ridgemont High" and Anne Beatts' "Square Pegs" both captured that same sort of surface level superficiality that masked the pains of growing up as a teen in that era.
Nobody else in that decade even came close.
I can only imagine how Kevin Smith must be taking JH's death. In spite of his outrageous writing style, Smith's movies are heavily influenced by Hughes' work. Smith must be weeping like a baby. If not... well... he should be. The man owes his career highlights to Hughes.
RIP John Hughes. I'll be watching every one of your movies again this weekend. For the 1,000th time. =) -
There were a few black people in JH movies. Minor players to be sure, but there were a couple. You just have to remember that....
A) There weren't a lot of good parts written for people of color at that time. Most were written as fairly obnoxious or overplayed stereotypes.
B) A good writer writes what he knows. JH probably didn't have a whole lot of exposure to minority culture while growing up. Had he tried to draw something from nothing it surely would have felt fake and disingenuous. I'm of Hispanic extraction. However, I grew up in primarily white prep schools. I couldn't write a hispanic character if I tried. It would feel weak at worst and forced at best.
C) Characters of color STILL don't have decent parts. If you're asian, you're a: kung fu fighter, crime boss, or a hooker. If you're black, you're: star athlete, a gang member, wise old mentor, or hooker. If you're hispanic, you're: a cleaning lady (with bad English), a gang member, a car thief, or a hooker.
He was a product of his times and his environment. Would you have preferred that he wrote the stereotypical black teen who always says, "DAAAAAMN!!! That's whack!" all of the time? Just watch "Not Another Teen Movie" to see exactly how teens of color are portrayed in those movies. It's funny, but sadly true.
John Hughes may have made a couple of off color jokes and stereotypes, as with Weird Science's blues club scene, but nothing so offensive. He was probably wise to avoid trying to step into shoes in which he couldn't fit.
Would you have preferred to see John Kalepos' janitor character from Breakfast Club replaced by a sassy street talking black guy? If JH couldn't write write people of color then that's exactly how it would have sounded and THAT would've ruined the movie.
Write what you know, even if its a bit one sided. -
I may not be black - I'm a white skinned hispanic person. However, I LOVE....LOVE... LOOOOOVVVVVE John Hughes' movies. He was the voice of teenagers everywhere in the 80s. The themes of his movies crossed racial divides.
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your reply is much too intelligent for my simple baiting, sir. But I'm sure some have watched his movies and thought "where are all the brothers at?". well said amigo.
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Is still one of my favorite movies he was involved with. Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller, the list goes on and on. RIP Mr. Hughes.
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Where's your fucking Hughes eulogy? Don't think you're going to get away without writing one, big guy.
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...and she didn't even holler or nuthin'.
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Going to miss the guy, the movies he did, etc.
He made my childhood and pre-teens that extra special with all his movies. They really don't make movies like Hughes any more. The fun, the excitement, light-heartedness and really entertaining.
R.I.P John Hughes. -
Aug 08, 2009 3:21:26 AM CDT
'Wyatt .... i'm sorry for being such a shit to you all these yea
by kennyhyperk
Where's all the love for Weird Science ..... I frickin loves that movie.
Really sad to hear about Hughe's death. His films shaped my childhood and I still love to bask in the warm glow of nostalgia that they give me...... I miss being a kid -
Hughes made films when I was a teen. Wierd Science and Plans, Trains were favourites. Plus Pretty in Pink lol
Sad news :( -
I'm Uncle Warty. Uncle Melanoma Head.
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Hughes' is referencing the name of the main character from The Count of Monte Cristo. He was credited as Dantes for writing 'Nate & Hayes,' among others, a film I loved as a kid. Unfortunately, besides the Trevor Jones score, that film did not age well.
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http://tinyurl.com/lpnbpk
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