★★★½ Sixteen Candles

[Gino: 3.5 sp]

Gino says: 'Yes, I am really reviewing Sixteen Candles. The fact is I have never seen in their entirety many of the films that my generation seems to have grown up on. So, this was the first time I saw this all the way through.

One of my first reactions was "Holy Crap! I'm identifying with Molly Ringwalds' dad!" My second thought was "Holy Crap! that is the more appropriate thing for me! (i.e. I am closer to being a 16 year old's father than a 16 year old.) I guess my point there is that I am no longer the target audience. So when I was a teen I probably would have liked it even more.

Cons? The film has very little plot. It's politically incorrect (the "chinaman" character who is actually Japanese, I believe, the suggestions to take advantage of drunk women, etc.) And it has kinda a cheap feel to it.

But these are outweighed by the good bits: Anthony Michael Hall (as the geek) actually gives a fully-thought-out, and really funny performance here. And I hope my daughters grow up to be nice like Molly Ringwalds' character (Holy Crap! there I go again). '