RIP John Hughes
August 6, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
In my review of "I Love You, Beth Cooper" recently, I was lamenting that just because it’s a "teen" movie doesn’t mean it has to be dumb (which, frankly, that movie was). I cited John Hughes as a great example of a filmmaker who didn’t dumb down a movie just because it features teens or is targeted at teens.
Now the filmmaker extraordinaire has passed away at the age of 59 after suffering a heart attack during a morning walk while visiting family in Manhattan. His movies, including "The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," and "Sixteen Candles," never made made fun of or talked down to teens.
Movie critic Roger Ebert wrote about "Sixteen Candles," "This is a fresh and cheerful movie with a goofy sense of humor and a good ear for how teenagers talk. It doesn’t hate its characters or condescend to them, the way a lot of teenage movies do; instead, it goes for human comedy and finds it in the everyday lives of the kids in its story."
As usual, Ebert is echoing my thoughts about the greatness of John Hughes. I’d say that this generation needs a John Hughes, but I doubt there will ever be another filmmaker quite like him. More recently, he wrote screenplays under the pen name of Edmond Dantes for "Maid in Manhattan," "Drillbit Taylor," and others.
Hughes is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons, John and James, and four grandchildren.
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