John Hughes was prolific in the relatively short time he was with us on this earth. Whether his screenplays or when he jumped behind the camera as well, there is nothing like a Hughes film. From its opening salvo, it is immediately apparent that this is a “John Hughes movie.” Thanks to Paramount Home Entertainment, five of us utter gems are all available on Blu-Ray for the first time—including one in time for the 35th anniversary of its release—Some Kind Of Wonderful.
The set includes Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty In Pink, Sometime Kind of Wonderful, Plains Trains, and Automobiles, and She’s Having a Baby. One might immediately notice that one of his biggest and best films and most resonant flicks are missing—The Breakfast Club.
There’s a simple answer for this, that 1985 classic (that just celebrated its own anniversary last year) is a Universal Pictures flick.
When one removes the “Club” film from this list, something immediately glares out to me that is a thread that connects the Fabulous Five John Hughes Blu-Ray.
In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Hughes has crafted a world where his protagonist is immensely likable—so much so that when word gets out that the titular character is homesick, a fund drive is undertaking… to the sarcastic retort of the film’s scene-stealer, Jennifer Grey as Ferris’ sister. It’s a film that is part cat and mouse (will he get caught), a celebration of taking life one moment at a time and stopping on occasion to “smell the flowers”—because if you don’t, you just might “miss something out of life.”
Ferris has his girlfriend, Mia Sara’s Sloane, and the film has its laundry list of who’s who in the character actor world that elevates this rather simple premise to a comedy that is downright epic. Alan Ruck is dazzling as Ferris’ BFF, Cameron Frye, while Eddie McClurg gives Grey a run for her money as the film’s scene stealer. Her Grace is the personal assistant to another golden ensemble supporter… Jeffrey Jones’ Ed Rooney. Then there’s Charlie Sheen as a hood that Grey’s Jeanie meets at the police station, Ben Stein as the “Bueller, Bueller, Buller” teacher that put his name on the map, and even the great comic legend that is Louis Anderson, with his take on the Flower Deliveryman.
Top to bottom, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a must-own. It is the kind of film that warrants repeated viewing and if you don’t already have this classic in your collection, why wait? It’s just the tip of the awesome iceberg that is Paramount Home Entertainment Hughes’ package.
It was a busy year for the iconic storyteller due to the fact that also that year, 1996, he released Pretty in Pink. The work has its own uniqueness that sets it apart from Ferris, which illustrates the genius of Hughes. Yes, it still is a teenage-centric flick, but like so many of Hughes’ cinematic efforts, the message is the key. With Pretty in Pink, we have Molly Ringwald as the titular character Andie, while the apple of her eye is Andrew McCarthy’s Blane (Blane isn’t a name, it’s a major appliance!). Blane has a BFF named Steff (James Spader), which was one of the actor’s first slick roles that made him famous in the 80s. He’s not too keen on Blane dating Andie because of that classic 80s reason—perception and image.
The remainder of the supporting cast is mesmerizing. There’s Harry Dean Stanton as Andie’s pa, who is trying his darndest to give her the life he believes she deserves. He’s dear, sensitive and one just wants to give him a hug! Annie Potts is awesome as Andie’s boss at the record store where she works, who also works as a friend/mentor.
Speaking of scene-stealer, Jon Cryer’s Duckie has your eyes drawn to him every second he is on the screen. His scene lip-synching Try a Little Tenderness was a viral sensation before things could even go viral. He is a good friend to Andie, but truth be told, he would love it if their relationship went further.
Collectively, they all come together to deliver a film that has stood the test of time and is a go-to for anyone seeking a pick-me-up cinematically. Its soundtrack dazzles. Its messages are timeless, three decades later. It’s about the haves and have nots, but so much more. It is personal relationship-centric and how high school may be all-important at the time, but it is a blip on the personal radar of every single soul. Pretty in Pink is also about the fact that love will find a way, even if it’s hurtful, seemingly blind, and sadly heartless.
In Ferris, Hughes stepped behind the camera in addition to penning the script. With Pretty in Pink, he handed the reins to director Howard Deutch and smartly so—the film has a wildly different feel than Bueller and that may be one of Hughes’ more intelligent decisions of his career. What Deutch (father of Zoe Deutch) brings to the film is an edge that is absent from Bueller… and deservedly so.
The film could not be a better love letter to simply being yourself—a priceless message for teenagers, and for everyone for that matter.
Branching out from teenage interactions and relationships, Hughes tackled the crossroads of the holiday of Thanksgiving with having only so much patience for those we have to experience at the airport, the car rental counter, or even the train station. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles stars Steve Martin and John Candy as an “Odd Couple” if there ever was one. All of Hughes’ creations, whether just as a writer or as a writer-director, is chock full of quotable lines. But there is something of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles that finds those quotes more pointed and streamlined to get to the point. “Those aren’t pillows!” for example is one. It’s a little more adult than the filmmaker’s past work, but it is still pure Hughes-ian.
In that 1987 film, Martin is the somewhat strait-laced husband and father who just wants to get home for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Candy is a traveling salesman, Del Griffith—who is just as sweet as the candy he loves to munch on. We all know the story, but quickly, thanks to Griffith, Martin’s Neal Page has to travel using any means necessary, and ironically, the help of Del will be quite handy. Road trip!
As is the case with many of Hughes’ films, the supporting cast is sublime. Plains, Trains, and Automobiles feature Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean, Richard Herd, and Dylan Baker. Another aspect of the Hughes modus operandi to filmmaking (he directed Plains in addition to writing it) is to never let a gag run on too long. That’s a comedy killer and he keenly knows it. There are only so many situational comedic situations that you can put these two in, but what Hughes does is classic, pitch-perfect, and doesn’t run too long and thankfully, doesn’t run too slow.
1998 found the filmmaker getting even more grown up with the Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern (with Alec Baldwin) as the definition of yuppie comes to life with Bacon and McGovern characters and is emblematic of a storyteller that is growing with his audience. She’s Having a Baby didn’t do as well (box office-wise) as his previous entries, but audiences can be resistant to change, and thankfully with its arrival on Blu-Ray with this package, those who have learned to love Having a Baby will share their passion for this John Hughes movie with anyone who will listen! As the title suggests, just as the couple figures out this marriage and work dichotomy, along comes a little one that will add the most unpredictable element to their daily routines.
Hughes also directed Baby and one can tell that this is a very personal movie. How he approaches the baby announcement, the pregnancy, the prep for the arrival of the baby, and then—of course—the birth, is done by a tale-teller whose confidence and talent grows with each subsequent project.
Finally, the reason for the season, aka Some Kind of Wonderful is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and thus the impetus of the five-disc set that is a gift if there ever was one to Hughes appreciators, both passionate and passive. This film is a study in just how confusing this thing called love can be and could easily be considered the wise uncle of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 Almost Famous. It’s a he likes her, she likes him, the other she also likes him, but which she does he like?
Some Kind of Wonderful has Deutch back behind the director’s chair and his creative relationship with Hughes is a fascinating one and one that we can watch develop with this stunning collection. The prolific writer-director is responsible for so many films, it’s hard to know where to stop and when to end. Just a sampling includes Vacation, Home Alone, 101 Dalmatians, and many other culturally significant cinematic staples.
It is the perfect “fifth” film to complete this five-disc set that is a must-own for Hughes’ fans, but also anyone who appreciates good storytelling with well-written dialogue and characters that are so three-dimensional, one can feel a part of the story that Hughes has penned—like a fly on the wall. There are very few screenwriters that can achieve that.
Across the collection, there are some stellar bonus features that deserve a little spotlight. Given how much Hughes worked with Deutch so often, the Filmmaker Focus with director Howard Deutch is one fascinating and illuminating look at the helmer who brought some of Hughes’ best scripts to life. In Pretty in Pink, don’t miss The Lost Dance: The Original Ending. Yeah, did you know there’s a different ending out there for Pretty in Pink? No spoilers here, but one might want to dive into that as soon as one can.
There’s a new featurette found on the Some King of Wonderful disc and that is a fresh conversation with Deutch. His insight into the magic that is Hughes is priceless. The only other place you can find a Hughes commentary is on Some Kind of Wonderful. But there are some utterly amazing featurettes strewn throughout this five-disc set.
The Getting There is Half the Fun is an amusing and informative look at the making of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, as well as painting a picture of what makes Hughes so effervescent. Also on the disc is the highly recommended John Hughes for Adults. It addresses the very issues I’ve brought up here about writing for an audience that is growing/aging with him. On that Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, there is the most touching and endearing tribute to Candy. Feel free to watch it before even seeing the film itself!
Most have terrific behind-the-scenes, who did they do that?, featurette that will take viewers inside the making of those instant classics. Now, there isn’t much in the way of featurettes in She’s Having a Baby. The flick is the least popular of Hughes films in this package, but it shouldn’t lessen the urge to dive into a more adult, but still funny, landscape with the filmmaker we’re growing up alongside. There is one (besides the theatrical trailer, which is interesting to check out) featurette that is an utter delight.
On that She’s Having a Baby disc, do not miss From the Archives: Kevin Bacon Interviews John Hughes.
Now, on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, there is a featurette that is fabulous. Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off finds all our favorite Ferris characters sharing space together for the first time in years. It is wonderful, but just a warning: One might feel something along the lines of “where did the time go?” It’s a fair question, but with 5-disc collections of films such as Hughes’ finest during his Midas touch reign.
Grades:
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: A
Pretty in Pink:A-
Some Kind of Wonderful: A-
Plains, Trains and Automobiles:A
She’s Having a Baby: B
Bonus features: B+