John Hughes is one of the most influential filmmakers during the ’80s. His stories touched the younger generation with the way they discuss high school stereotypes, culture nonconformity, household backstories, social awkwardness, and first love. And the trend of high school movies and teen-centered flicks would not last until this day without his influence.
Naturally, his signature brand impacted future filmmakers. For that, here is a look of ten teen comedies from the last decade that had a touch and feel of the John Hughes brand. Some range from pure teen comedies, while others employ comedic bits.
Mid90s
For his feature directorial debut, Jonah Hill sprinkled nostalgia from 1990’s Los Angeles with its emphasis on a group of skateboarders who lived out their passion amidst their poverty-stricken backgrounds. Hill does not shy away from the extremes that a teenager from a neglectful household would go through for acceptance.
Even with the harshness of the dramatic aspect, Mid90s is empowered by the authenticity of its period. The nostalgic details, the retro trends and the cultural vibe at that time reflects in every frame. And in terms of Hughes’ influence, it captures it on its fun, dramatic and coming-of-age aspects.
The Way, Way Back
This 2013 Sundance darling focuses on an introverted 14-year-old whose summer changed on his stay in Cape Cod. With a plot as simple as that, it is a coming-of-age tale that is elevated by a captivating saga of an adolescent finding the light at the end of the tunnel.
Directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash had a touch of Hughes storytelling with the presence of an estranged relative, a cool mentor figure and an arc of self-discovery. It packed a talented cast including Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, AnnaSophia Robb, and Liam James in the lead role.
Blockers
To have a female-fronted teen sex comedy that is both funny and provocative is an achievement on itself. Blockers achieves that status by being a wild teen comedy with heart and mind. This is all in confidence of Pitch Perfect writer Kay Cannon in the director’s chair to bring a fresh angle of teenage debauchery by not being solely about teenage debauchery. Clearly, this was taken from the John Hughes playbook.
Yet, it also gave the opportunity for comedy gold from Leslie Mann, John Cena, and Ike Barinholtz as the parents on a quest to “block” their kids from sex.
Bumblebee
It is fitting that a prequel spin-off from the Transformers saga is set in the ’80s since that is when the Transformers craze had its peak. And being an ’80s period piece, it had its share of influences from Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and of course, John Hughes, to fit its angle of kid-meets-otherworldly being.
For that, it is the best live-action Transformers film with its endearing nostalgia, fully-fleshed characters, and heartfelt performances. Hailee Steinfeld is a lead from the John Hughes card with her dramatic backstory, ragtag group of allies and rebellious coolness.
Hail Travis Knight!
Booksmart
Back again at female-fronted teen comedies, Booksmart is another fresh take of the subject. Viewers clearly likened the premise of two teenage girls wanting to party on one night before their graduation to Superbad. And though the comparison is valid as both are great comedies dealing with teen maturity, this directorial debut from Olivia Wilde breaks its own ground by being an anthem to sisterly relationships and friendships.
The John Hughes tropes are present throughout, from the nonchalant students to the wild parties. Yet, Wilde and her cast of talents manage to break movie norms and stand out on their own.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
If one would take away the super-heroics of the iconic web-crawler and his connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Tom HollandSpider-Man saga would just be another modern-day homage to John Hughes teen comedies. Peter Parker is already the geeky teenage underdog who had shots to stand out from his peers but got deterred by high school rivals, romances and rituals that test him.
While Far From Home had its share of John Hughes tropes, Homecoming is where it exploded onscreen. There’s the popular girl romance. There’s the celebration of nerd culture. And there’s the school dance, obviously.
Eighth Grade
No other coming-of-age tale in the modern age had more honesty and sincerity about the pains of adolescence than Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, Eighth Grade. This comedy-drama stars Elsie Fisher as Kayla, an up-and-coming high schooler, who sets up her own motivational YouTube channel but finds trouble coping with the last days of middle school.
Grounded in the authenticity of the social media generation, the movie felt down-to-earth with its earnest approach, even in the hardest parts. Much like John Hughes’ movies at his time, Burnham’s effort speaks to every clique of teenagers living at this time. Molly Ringwald agrees.
The Edge of Seventeen
Speaking of which, this is where Kelly Fremon Craig’s underrated flick enters the list. The growing pains of social awkwardness and teenage sexuality that Hughes gave much light to are manifested in the form of Hailee Steinfeld’s Nadine, a socially awkward 17-year-old, who is still devastated by her father’s death and has to deal with the gawkiness of her social relationships.
As usual, Steinfeld is excellent as a teen drowned in isolation and pressure. It almost feels that her performance is out in the same league as Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore and Mary Stuart Masterson. And Craig’s writing spoke to girls.
Lady Bird
For her directorial debut, Greta Gerwig told her semi-autobiographical story of a Catholic-raised teenage girl who pined for a finer life in New York after high school. That soon became one of the best films of 2017 and cemented Gerwig’s status as a formidable filmmaker who would soon direct a great adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.
As Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan breathed full life, down to the interchanging emotions and her self-fulfilling pursuits. But it was her relationship with her struggling mother, played by Laurie Metcalf, which becomes the heart of the film, moving it to great directions.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Adapting young-adult novels to the big screen can either result in mediocre outings or film classics. This story centers on a wallflower named Charlie (Logan Lerman), who found support during his time in high school from Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Erza Miller).
Like how Hughes showed in The Breakfast Club, this film handled heavy subject matter like social acceptance, intimate friendships, adolescent sexuality, mental illness, childhood trauma, and teenage experimentation. And the way it deals with Charlie’s arc lets one step in his shoes to feel the highs and lows of high school life. For that, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a prime example of a film influenced by John Hughes. It is infinite.
