Sixteen Candles (1984)

Samantha (Molly Ringwald) is the birthday girl the film is named for, upset that she doesn't feel any different despite the coming-of-age marker having arrived, which is a trivial thing to be concerned over, I feel. Worse still, she's pissed-off that she's not the most important person at home that morning, due to her older sister getting married the following day. The words 'attention whore' spring to mind. As the day goes on we learn that she may be in love with an older guy, which is a situation that I found just as difficult to care about. One of Molly's The Breakfast Club (1985) co-stars, Anthony Michael Hall, features too, as a geek who helps her move (slightly) forward, but his ilk get mocked often, without effectively showing their individual merits.
Within John Hughes' début film are the beginnings of his lauded teen-movie credentials, but Sixteen Candles isn't a very good example of the same.

2½ social opportunities out of 5

PRETTY IN PINK [1986]

Some Kind Of Wonderful's Howard Deutch directs the John Hughes penned Brat Pack teen rom-com Pretty In Pink.
It's a classic in it's genre with all the '80's teen staples, Molly Ringwald, wacky clothing, cool jobs you wish you had, funny nicknames, the lip-synching dance scene, extreme melodrama and questionable moral stances.  Jon Cryer stands out here in probably his best role to date as the lovably nerdy Duckie.  It's jam-packed full of over-baked cliches, cookie cutter characters and the ending is a rushed mess but it manages to charm and endure with it's call back to a simpler time.

3 richies out of 5

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Five kids with nothing in common other than being in Saturday detention do their best to remain sane. This is 80's gold. The jock, the jerk, the dork, the little rich girl and the weird quiet klepto are the stock types given, but the depth of character raises the bar. If you’re lucky enough to have caught it during your mid-teens it can stay with you forever. Classic stuff.

4 lets party in the library of 5