Does 'Sixteen Candles' Still Hold Up Decades Later? | Page Six

For the 35th anniversary of the 1984 romantic comedy 'Sixteen Candles' releasing in theaters, Page Six and New York Post staffers review John Hughes' classic rom-com to see if it still holds up or if it should be cancelled.
Sixteen Candles was written and directed by John Hughes and stars Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Gedde Watanabe, Michael Schoeffling, John Cusack and Joan Cusack.
#SixteenCandles #movie #anniversary #review #pagesix #nypost #racist #misogynist #MollyRingwald #AnthonyMichaelHall #JoanCusack #LongDukDong #stereotypes #16Candles
16 Candles scenes reviewed include:
3:04 - Samantha's family forgets her 16th birthday
3:54 - Sam's friend incredulously asks, "Black guy?!?"
4:40 - The 'geek' played by Anthony Michael Hall hits on Sam on the bus as Joan Cusack's character
5:17 - Long Duk Dong
6:38 - The 'geek' doesn't understand consent
7:20 - Jake Ryan and Sam
7:55 - The infamous panty scene in the boys bathroom when the Geek shows off Sam's underwear
8:33 - The high school rager
9:15 - Joan Cusack as Geek Girl #1
9:57 - Jake Ryan hands off his unconscious girlfriend Caroline to the Geek
11:08 - The Geek and his friends taking pictures with Caroline even though she's passed out
12:12 - The iconic ending -- Jake Ryan showing up at the church where Sam's sister is getting married and sitting on the table with the birthday cake between Jake and Sam
13:37 - Is Sixteen Candles a timeless classic or should it be cancelled?
From ' ‘Sixteen Candles’ is racist and sexist - and needs to be retired' - nypost.com/201...
Reviewing the instantly forgettable “Jem and the Holograms” this fall reminded me of my lifelong love of 1980s movie queen Molly Ringwald, who played Jem’s mom. “Sixteen Candles” (1984), Ringwald’s first movie with director John Hughes, was one of my favorites. But rewatching it now, I felt about as repulsed as Ringwald’s character Samantha did when she first saw the Geek (Anthony Michael Hall):
The racism and sexism in Hughes’ movie is so over the top, I have to hope any teens watching it today would view it as a shocking, old-timey artifact. Perhaps most glaringly, there’s Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe), the Chinese foreign exchange student whose every mention is accompanied by the sound of a gong.
Besides the nonstop “Chinaman” jokes, there’s also this offhanded exchange between Samantha and her friend Randy (Liane Curtis) about finding the perfect boy.
Samantha: “You do it on a cloud without getting pregnant or herpes.”
Randy: “I don’t need the cloud. Just a pink Trans Am and the guy.”
Samantha: “A black one.”
Randy: “A black guy??”
Samantha: “A black Trans Am. A pink guy!”
Even more pervasive than the racism, if that’s possible, is the sexism. In 2015, this movie plays out like Date Rape 101 - and both of its male leads, supposedly the heroes, are actually terrible, terrible people.
Let’s review: Jake (Michael Schoeffling) - the supposed Perfect Guy - has a prom-queen girlfriend named Caroline (Haviland Morris), who gets so drunk at his party that she passes out. “I could violate her 10 different ways if I wanted to,” says Mr. Right. The Geek’s response: “What are you waiting for?”
Jake proceeds to put his girlfriend in the car with the Geek, telling him to drive her home and “have fun.”
The Geek gets the girl even drunker, takes her to his friends’ house and takes pictures of himself with her.
Game over, John Hughes. I’ll forgive you the wrongheaded ending of “Pretty in Pink” - obviously, our heroine should have picked Duckie - and the misguided makeover of Ally Sheedy’s goth in “The Breakfast Club.” But “Sixteen Candles” should now be filed under Cautionary Tales of ’80s Cinema: Gather round, kiddies, and check out how rape and racism used to be hilarious punch lines.
Does 1984's 'Sixteen Candles' Still Hold Up 35 Years Later?
Page Six is your source for celebrity news, gossip, entertainment, pop culture, photos, video and more.
Catch the latest news and gossip here:
pagesix.com/
Follow us on:
Facebook - / pagesix
Twitter - / pagesix

[@sportsimpossible8637]

Listen I get that it can be seen as offensive but these people are so offended easily

[@vovindequasahi]

What is offensive though?

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Well evryone these days is crying whining offended about anything pathetic 😂😂😂

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@vovindequasahiis you answer it so tell me is that dude truth comment offended you hurt your feelings snowflake 😂

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@vovindequasahi❄️

[@user-yo7zo6jj9q]

ok Mr. White supremacist. Say hi to Trump.

[@christopherhiggins2350]

The movie is PG because it came out before PG-13 existed.

[@liampatrick3110]

Actually, 1984 was the year PG-13 was INVENTED.

[@rp1692]

That doesn't entirely explain why it's PG... I mean they could've given it an R. Arguably that would have been more appropriate.

[@sleuthentertainment5872]

I can tell you something. All comedies about teenager love affairs, absolutely all of them, came after Sixteen Candles, and all their directors owe it to John Hughes.

[@kendrajohnson3011]

Loved this movie. The narrators commentary is interesting but totally devoid of historic perspective. Terminology etc., parties and events and the like "actually happened" in the 80's. Let's not become so PC/cancel culture that we deny simple truths. This movie was humorous and iconic. Be grateful that issues viewed as problematic are no longer social norms.

[@loganarnoldkicks4321]

It's 100% fine to enjoy this movie AS LONG AS YOU ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT IS WRONG AND PROBLEMATIC ABOUT THE MOVIE. There's no reason to cancel something from 36 years ago since it's pretty clear that there are so many problematic elements to the movie. Instead of cancelling, take the time and be like "This is what wasn't considered nearly as bad in the '80s, let's analyze why these behaviors are wrong and why they weren't taken seriously in the past"

[@liviasilverthorne2820]

dude great point but literally no one is arguing you. Idk why people get this idea that as soon as someone points out offensive things in a movie their trying to cancel it your fighting with an imaginary group of people. When has anyone in this video said they are trying to cancel sixteen candles? when has anyone said it wasn't a product of its time?

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@liviasilverthorne2820poor kid does what he said hurt your feelings and cry me river snowflake like they said the truth hurts 🤡 ❄️🤑

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@liviasilverthorne2820❄️

[@jimbrayowie1176]

4:11 do they not realise that was commentary - as in satire? As in its meant to be viewed negatively not taken as promoting racism????

[@JosieSchuller]

Seriously. Eff anyone who says they don't like this movie or that it "doesn't hold up well". Eff em all.

[@jessmarr4548]

Watching this I'm "offended" lol. The 80s rocked!

[@recordgalaxy]

Best movie ever , my kids also love it

[@blairanderson5030]

I find the commentary offensive! 25 years from now these idiots are going to be ridiculed , great Cross section of society reviewing it . These millennials are total caricatures

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Add the Genz generation snowflakes 😂to the list😂

[@CarlosGarcia-yg9je]

Watching this just made me realize something. Millennials love being offended about EVERYTHING!

[@AnthonyVassallo]

Apparently, Francesca is nostalgic for returning to a convent. God knows she may be the worst writer in the Post's history.

[@StoryOfUsFinalDraft]

Agree that's allI got from this I'm younger than them and I'm not offended the movie it's funny and Anthony Michael Hall has best comedy. These people just picked sensitive millennial soft tissue

[@e.t4635]

Ahh the irony being lost on you is hilarious hehe

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Add the Genz snowflakes to the list 😂

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@StoryOfUsFinalDraftL

[@randmiller88]

The only offensive thing about this video is that I can't dislike it twice. These people are _insufferable_

[@lflagr]

No seriously...who is offended by Sixteen Candles? And why? If you somehow take offense to this movie...don't watch it. Problem solved.

[@AnthonyVassallo]

It's fluff and indicative of the times. Really, I would love to hear these dweebs' take on America Pie. On second thought . . . .

[@alissas2655]

Actually, I think it's better if we have an open conversation about movies like this. Yes we can all agree this movie is extremely problematic but if we acknowledge that and talk about why it's so hurtful we can start to move on from our harmful pasts. We can start to build a new world where comedy is actually funny and not reliant on making fun of people who are different from you and I.

[@sexysadie2901]

@@alissas2655 No one gets to decide what's funny and what's not funny.

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@alissas2655cry me river snowflake ❄️

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@alissas2655snowflake alert 😂

[@mesicek7]

Every movie ever made will make someone feel like it's offensive. So why even bother?

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

❄️

[@AnthonyGrantPressRelease]

Can the Page Six team please spare us the pearl-clutching? Go get your "Help, I'm so offended!" fix with some Shakespeare, you'll be even more gleefully offended. And learn this: insensitive jokes are not necessarily tantamount to racism. Jesus Christ.

[@johnkasbohm7839]

The family aspects of it were darling.

[@kalmykdude]

Why do you only have females reviewing this movie

[@jeffreiland7463]

These arrogant, condescending, Soy boy and Karen reviewers made me want to puke in my own mouth. Barely got thru a few minutes.

[@addictstatic]

if anyone tries to revisit the majority of movies from the 70s 80s and 90s they will have the reactions... back then the world knew these were just movies of their time. Nowadays everything expressed in any medium needs to be filtered through with a fine toothed comb because today we all blur the lines between reality and fantasy.

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Add the 2000s and early to mid 2010s especially 2000s aswell people will have the same reaction aswell i mean before the cansel culturel craps thing like Topic thunder in 2008 oh boy if they react to that Film even then was controversial imagine he made nowadays 😂😂

[@dontgiveinfo]

Seeing these ppl review this reminds me of Demolition Man, where in the future. Everything offends everyone. i thought the movie DM was way over the top, who knew it wasn't 50 yrs from now, but now in 2020!! At the time this came out, it seems offensive, but back then it was normal and all movies where like this. We are getting up just looking to be easily offended

[@samanthab1923]

Best part of the ending was the Thompson Twins If You Were Here 🔥

[@hellothere7948]

I am watching this review and they're like "oh when I was little I liked it, I was so happy she got the guy" and I'm like, am I the only one who was born a realist or pessimist? I remember I was watching Disney movie and at the romantic parts I was like, yeah no this doesn't do it for me. Since I was little I liked more of the independent female character situation. I loved mulan so much she made me feel powerful, kida was amazing a warrior queen, meg sarcastic and honest and esmeralda. The hunchback of Notre dame was a, not exactly scary and sad movie but I loved esmeralda so much because she was amazing. So yeah, I'm sitting here thinking what was wrong with me? Or right? I dont know To be fair I was born in the 2000s so i don't know how would i react in the 80s or 90s

[@misterwhy6026]

Despite its problems, it’s really enjoyable

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Cry me river snowflake

[@KatIndiana3087]

Can't wait til these Millennials get old and some kids make a video about their favorite movies and are offended by everything they did. The commentators in this video are actually very offensive and ageist in their over-reaction to every little thing in the movie. The one guy asked if Joan Cusack was wearing a back brace for orthodontics? He (the commentator) just made fun of someone for having a physical disability, while calling the MOVIE offensive?

[@fr7455]

I mean it's progress. As times change, we evovle beyond things. That's why we no longer make Step and Fetchit movies.

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@fr7455ya and now have 🤡 delusional snowflakes crying offended about anything like you 😂😂😂

[@NolaChick82]

I hope y'all did some stretches, cuz ya reachin'.

[@TheRockkickass]

Bro, this movie was hilarious

[@GSXR13K]

The main reason I wish for some type of EOL event is so I can take out as many snowflakes as I can before it all ends. They have ruined this planet!

[@sandizee]

GSXR13K Not that I want an ‘event’ (although we are nearing a certain other 😉) I would like to 🙌🏼 you for your comment!

[@Raptor3400]

These 'Wokes' can't even enjoy life, everywhere thing they do and everywhere they go is just a search for 'triggers'. They need to all go find their nearest 'safe zone' and curl up into the fetal position.

[@BReNĐN-c6n]

It’s not racist

[@fy90s]

You can have Amy Schumer comedies and the Ghostbusters reboot, I'll take the John Hughes filmography. Fair enough?

[@rp1692]

It's notable how young a lot of these people were when they saw the movie. Surprisingly it was a PG in the US. Yeah, I know there was no PG-13 yet at the time, but in the UK it was rated 15 (much later changed to 12, but I wonder if they would change it back to 15 if they rerated it today). It definitely isn't something that pre-teens ought to be watching.

[@jimbrayowie1176]

8:00 its inexperienced boys And the earlier car attempted kissing scene is comedic as ita shows the boy losing out and getting and the girl stands up for herself

[@yellowsky7484]

Millennials😂

[@396dog8]

IKR

[@zeanzern4396]

@Acererak no

[@liampatrick3110]

Ok Boomer

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@liampatrick3110OK zoomer 😂

[@nuts7793]

you guys shouldn’t have only girls in your videos and put some men in it

[@liviasilverthorne2820]

this comment section is truly not it

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Oh iknow does it Hurt your feelings snowflake like they said the truth hurts so cry me river snowflake 😂❄️

[@mikeyj.3605]

Back when films were allowed to be funny. Thank goodness I was born in the early 70's. American culture is ruined nowadays.

[@davidm1926]

"American culture is ruined nowadays." - Wahhhhhh. [born 1972, BTW]

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@davidm1926you answer his snowflake

[@frankferrero5827]

A classic is a classic,which means it is TIMELESS so the title of this post makes no sense,it will always hold up.

[@853Nynn]

frank ferrero then you realize that it isn’t a classic. And not timeless.

[@sexysadie2901]

@@853Nynn It is a classic.

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@853Nynn🤡

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@853Nynnmaybe for your soft 🤡

[@Green.Star_ks]

Can someone explain why “pink guy” is racist. I tried looking it up but I couldn’t find anything other then the meme guy in the pink body suit

[@briencampbell5604]

They are not saying pink guy is racist. They are saying that the friend reaction that dating a black guy is horrifying is racist.

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@briencampbell5604❄️

[@daleh.7711]

So glad I watched this when it came out. Wasn't all this focus on EVERY freaking thing. We just laughed and moved on. "Imagine being a young Asian in the 80's. You were probably afraid to go to school after this." Oh brother. How pathetic. Just searching for a reason to jump on any bandwagon.

[@bobmiller9967]

Where did they find all the simp guys to comment on this ?!? 🙄🙄🙄

[@jackcovey1832]

"A true classic. My all-time favorite movie. Ski and the whole gang and I used to watch it over and over back in the day." --- Brett Kavanaugh (not a real quote)

[@151-xm]

I'm triggered by that vocal fry!

[@jackieharris2854]

Total thumbs up I love this movie. Please review the movie Hollywood Knights. Another favorite and also terrible for this day in age.

[@citygirl5705]

"Hollywood Knights" is a guilty pleasure. Robert Wuhl is great.

[@carascottvo]

YES!! Are you kidding??? If they watched Newbomb Turk, these poor little snowflake heads would explode!!!

[@jimbrayowie1176]

9:21 never realised that was Joan Cusack

[@mattoerding3661]

Imagine thinking your opinion matters....

[@aliciawales1504]

I-

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

​@@aliciawales1504❄️

[@australien6611]

It didn't hold up then and its much much worse now

[@lflagr]

*eyeroll

[@liampatrick3110]

So you say!

[@jparkern]

Is Lindsey Samantha Bee’s sister? Like they legit could be related

[@chrome459]

I hate that movie so much

[@kevingriffith2033]

Wow -- snowflakes -- LOL

[@krisscanlon4051]

Oh its terrible but it was funny...go look at Animal House and Porky's ! Much worse hahaha 😆 BTW hiya hotstuff lol

[@td6209]

Listening to these clowns all need to chill. The guy with the comb over and fake leather jacket is def a u know what

[@jimbrayowie1176]

Photo scene again Satire Its funny because it doesn't work and they acknowledge its morally wrong Satire

[@gshaw55661]

its all about "pretty in pink"

[@ChengManChing]

No, but Repo Man does...

[@normalpeople6620]

Ofcourse

[@ecatskid]

The movie that ruin me is pretty woman I was like women want my money my hard earned money .

[@nathanvinh9162]

Y’all are defending the movie but I literally figured out it’s existence today bro. I don’t think it’s a part of cancel culture to sit here and not be okay with seeing an unconscious girl being passed off by her boyfriend like a rental🫡

[@lennyanyn]

I watched It yesterday for the first time and It was SO BAD I couldn't believe someone actually enjoyed that movie tbh

[@kthevsamig4958]

I enjoyed it but considering you watch my hero academia nobody would expect you to enjoy it

[@lennyanyn]

@@kthevsamig4958 what's wrong with enjoying mha lol

[@liampatrick3110]

❄️

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

❄️cry me river snowflake

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Snowflake alert ❄️

[@Tweetypi16]

Just watched this movie because I heard it was an 80s classic. 🤢🤢🤢

[@liampatrick3110]

It is and always will be!

[@Chenoa2024]

Why use that emoji

[@lorawithan0]

Worst movie I've ever ever watched.

[@gh0stxgurl02]

You mustn’t have seen that many movies then

[@josecarranza7555]

Why?

[@sexysadie2901]

Is it the only one you've ever watched?

[@guitarheroplayer-fs5js]

have you seen epic movie

[@falloutgirl902]

Never seen it but this movie looks like a shitshow.

[@kthevsamig4958]

No

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Why is it because is offended you hurt your feelings snowflake 😂

[@johnnylove6008]

I just watched the movie for the first time. This movie is so messed up.

[@liampatrick3110]

❄️

[@MohamedLamkhizni]

Cry me river snowflake