On August 6 one of the film industry's greats left us. John Hughes came onto the scene writing, directing and producing films that helped define a generation of young adults struggling to define themselves. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Weird Science (to name a few) brought the humor and teenaged angst to the big screen and eloquently illustrated the need for teenagers to identify as unique individuals yet have connection with others. He has disappeared from the landscape, retreating back to rural Chicago some number of years ago, but he has certainly not been forgotten.
Facebook was all a flutter with news and runs to capture the great one-liners and quotes from his movies. There was an instant connectedness that broke through the virtual barrier and it felt like we were sitting around reminiscing about the good times, laughing until our sides ached.
In honor of his contributions, a local art house theater ran a Hughes film marathon this week. Several of my friends and I ventured out for a double feature of The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, his only two films I hadn't seen on the big screen. It was a bit of crazy experience ... pure nostalgia ... like running into an old friend with whom you can pick up like no time has passed, while at the same time all-too easily slipping back into the same discomforts and awkward feelings of an earlier and seemingly distant time. Funny how I felt like I was right back in it all.
What a wonderful legacy he has left for a generation. My generation.
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