John Hughes passed away this week. Most people remembered him for inventing the “teen comedy” genre with movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club. I’ll remember him for National Lampoon’s Vacation and Christmas Vacation and more most of late and equally great John Candy’s filmography.
Either way, the types of movies that John Hughes made were not Oscar grabs – they were usually lighthearted but with a sentimental, emotional side. They were funny and accessible, and made for great entertainment not only for families, but for kids growing up as well. In that way, Hughes’s films matched the 1980s perfectly because that was the peak of the video rental industry. Even if you didn’t see the Breakfast Club or Planes Trains and Automobiles in the theater, it made for great home viewing with a bunch of friends over at someone’s house or as a family bonding event.
You might say that in the field of local home entertainment HE WAS A GOD! But that line’s been written already – by Hughes himself:
Jim Eltringham 