A John Hughes Top 10

Since so many people suggested it I am going to go ahead and post my ten favorite characters from John Hughes movies. A few notes before I start. 1) This list is not going to be in any order as that would require a little more planning on my part than I am ready to do at the moment. 2) An actor or actress may only be listed once. Otherwise the list would consist solely of Anthony Michael Hall. 3) I am going to only include movies that he either wrote or directed. I don’t count producing credits because hell I have three producing credits to my name. Here we go.

1) John Candy as the security guard in National Lampoon’s Vacation: Sure, he had more touching roles in Planes, Trains and Automobiles and even Uncle Buck. But there may be no better line ever written and performed than “Sorry folks, park is closed. Moose out front should have told you.”

2) Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation: As Rug said (and yes, I do have a friend named Rug. It is a long story) this is back in that brief snippet of time that Chevy Chase was actually funny. In fact, this was probably the last moment in time when he was even slightly humorous. But this is the best example of the bumbling, full of himself father just trying to survive a trip.

3) Michael Keaton as Mr. Mom in, well, Mr. Mom: For some reason I must have watched this movie about fifty times as a kid. The baby eating chili, the poker game with the housewives using coupons, a strikingly attractive Teri Garr; this is what HBO felt should be shown on a daily basis. Though it all Michael Keaton actually puts together one hell of a performance as a guy who is forced to be a house husband at a time when even the concept of that was out of the ordinary. Interesting in that the basis for the entire movie (working women, men staying home to look after the kids) really wouldn’t fly today.

4) Gedde Watanabe as Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles: I feel sorry for any Asian foreign exchange student in the late 80’s / early 90’s. We all wanted them to be like Long Duk Dong and if they weren’t we would take advantage of their lack of knowledge of the English language to try to turn them into him. No wonder were losing out to the Chinese now: they finally have figured out the jokes. But for a side character in a twenty five year old movie it is a pretty impressive lifespan.

5) Anthony Michael Hall as The Geek in Sixteen Candles: I’m agreeing with Rug on a lot of these I realize. But he missed the main reason for considering this as the crowning point in the career of Mr. Hall: he got his hands on Molly Ringwald’s unmentionables and won a dozen floppy disks in the process. That is a geek’s dream. Sure, making out with the chick in the sports car is nice but a dozen floppy disks kicks ass.

6) Molly Ringwald as Claire in The Breakfast Club: Ok, I know people will get on me for this one and say that she was better in Pretty in Pink. But I never liked that movie and I’m not even sure if I ever watched it the whole way through. But in my mind this is the quintessential Molly role. The total princess but completely accessible. She was the pretty girl that even the geeks thought they might have a chance with. Ok, we might have leaned more towards Ally Sheedy post makeover but Molly would certainly have our attention.

7) John Kapelos as Carl Reed in The Breakfast Club: Everyone focuses on the principal in this film but no one notices that the most important adult figure is the janitor. He is the one who knows everything that is going on and while the principal tries to force his authority on the students the janitor just is. Very zen but very powerful. He knows the truth. A very understated and underappreciated performance.

8) Bill Paxton (or possibly Bill Pullman) as Chet in Weird Science: One of the few saving graces in a film that neither Anthony Michael Hall nor a pre Celebrity Fit Club Kelly LeBrock could save. It isn’t a good teen movie unless there is just one tyrannical, possibly unstable older brother to just install fear in the characters. While I did not have this relationship with my brothers you do have to understand that while it might only be five years between a 14 year old and a 19 year old physically that is like 40. Chet epitomizes that pure disbelief that you have looking at someone who isn’t much older than you but seems to be in a different world.

9) Alan Ruck as Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: In reality, Ferris Bueller is like Gatsby: in neither work is the main character the focus of the piece. Gatsby is about Nick Carraway and this film is about Cameron. He is the one who changes. Ferris would have the same life, the same hot girlfriend whether he took the day off or not. Cameron, out of place even in his home town by wearing a Red Wings jersey, is the one who is forced to address what his life is about. He is the one staring at the Seurat, he is the one who has to confront his father, he is the one who has to change. And at the end you wonder if he really does.

10) Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: He made a late era Chevy Chase film bearable. That deserves some sort of medal. Plus, Quaid just takes the role and runs with it and pulls it off.

Best of 120 Minutes: Can there be any other choice?



The five random CDs for the week:
1) Kathleen Edwards “Asking for Flowers”
2) Eleni Mandell “Afternoon”
3) Robert Earl Keen “What I Really Mean”
4) Freedy Johnston “Never Home”
5) Wilco “A Ghost is Born”