A onetime writer for National Lampoon magazine who would go on to define a generation of teenagers, John Hughes was one of the most influential voices of the '80s and '90s. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, his screenplays were drawn from his own experience as a teen, and when he began making films, brought a hitherto unseen realism and gravity to the teenage experience, especially that of girls. Though he would be involved in quite a few adult-focused efforts as his career wore on, he's best remembered as the man who first established a template for the high school coming-of-age film.
With his death in 2009, much has been written about Hughes' legacy and how retrograde many of his films look in hindsight, especially in regards to feminism, racial politics, and sex-positivity. But, when taken in their proper context, there's plenty of good still left in them, and their influence is everlasting and undeniable. Below, we list Hughes' ten highest rated films, according to Rotten Tomatoes score.
Uncle Buck (1989): 61%
A family emergency calls buttoned-down parents Cindy (Elaine Bromka) and Bob (Garrett M. Brown) away, leaving them just one option: leave the kids in the hands of Uncle Buck! Bob's happy-go-lucky brother is a heap of trouble, but does his best to bond with his three charges (Gaby Hoffman, Macaulay Culkin, Jean Louisa Kelly) and learns a lot about adulthood, and himself, in the process.
John Candy and John Hughes proved to be a perfect match for this gentle comedy, which contains one of Candy's signature roles and an undercurrent of sadness to cut the belly laughs.
Home Alone (1990): 65%
When the humongous McCallister clan accidentally leave Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) all alone for the Christmas holiday, the precocious 8-year-old views it as a dream come true. But as his mother (Catherine O'Hara) races home to collect him and a pack of dangerous criminals (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) close in on his home, Kevin and his family come to a mutual appreciation they had hitherto lacked.
A perennial holiday classic, Home Alone put Culkin on the map, and despite its lower ranking on this list, is likely the most widely-adored of Hughes' output.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989): 66%
In the second sequel to National Lampoon's Vacation, the Griswold family (made up of Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Johnny Galecki and Juliette Lewis) have a hellish holiday ahead of them. With Scrooge-y next door neighbors watching their every move and their exhausting extended family coming to visit, The Griswolds will have to band together if they want to make it to next Christmas season.
This is John Hughes at his absolute broadest, but there's something about his blend of comic mayhem and emotional sincerity that makes Christmas Vacation as enjoyable as a smooch under the mistletoe.
Pretty in Pink (1986): 77%
Record store clerk and high school pariah Andie (Molly Ringwald) is gobsmacked when Blane (Andre McCarthy) who runs with the popular crowd, asks her out. Despite the protestations of her best friend, Duckie (Jon Cryer)–who secretly carries a torch for her–she pursues the relationship, but quickly realizes that she'll never fit into his social circle.
The dark horse fave (and last film) in Hughes' "Molly Trilogy," Pretty in Pink is competently directed by Howard Deutch, but always leaves one wondering if Hughes' touch may have given it a bit more spark.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): 80%
Matthew Broderick stars as the incorrigible Ferris Bueller: a high school kid who can weasel his way out of any situation. Jonesing to play hooky just once more before he graduates, Ferris fakes sick and hightails it to Chicago from his sleepy suburb. With his two besties in tow (Mia Sara, Alan Ruck), the three will have to keep their wits about them to avoid their obsessive principal (Jeffrey Jones) who wants to spoil their day and plans for graduation.
One of Hughes' lightest teen confections, Ferris Bueller's Day Off gets considerable mileage out of its Chicago setting and Broderick's iconic cool.
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987): 81%
When Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz) sets his sight on miss popularity, Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), he recruits his best friend, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) to help him woo her. Things don't go as planned however, when Amanda's ex, Hardy (Craig Sheffer) tries to throw a wrench in things, and Watts realizes she has unrequited feelings for Keith.
Another Deutch-directed effort, critics were strangely kind to Some Kind of Wonderful, which plays like a gender-swapped retread of Pretty in Pink, minus the effervescent charisma of Ringwald or Cryer.
Sixteen Candles (1984): 85%
When Samantha (Molly Ringwald) awakens on the day she turns sixteen, she's bummed to realize that her family completely forgot about the occasion. Over the course of her worst birthday ever, Samantha wrestles with an unspoken crush for jocky dreamboat, Jake (Michael Schoeffling) and the attentions of super-nerd Ted, who she strikes up a friendship with that may bear surprising romantic fruit for them both.
Let's get this out of the way: Sixteen Candles contains some utterly indefensible elements in the light of 2020, but it was an important film for an entire generation of teen girls who saw their perspective presented seriously on screen for the first time. It was also the film that announced Hughes as an artist to watch, and though much of it has dated poorly, there's still a well-intentioned, sweet core to embrace.
The Breakfast Club (1985): 89%
Wiling away their Saturday locked in detention, a group of high school students find themselves connecting in ways they never could in the outside world.
Expanding upon Sixteen Candles' central thesis that teens have rich inner lives that should be treated seriously (though, reportedly, Hughes hoped to make this film first) The Breakfast Club, for many, remains the ultimate film about the experience of being an American teenager.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987): 91%
High strung family man, Neal Page (Steve Martin) winds up waylaid on his trip home to spend Thanksgiving with his loved ones. To make matters worse, he's stick with Del Griffith (John Candy), a gregarious a happy-go-lucky opposite to Neal's buttoned-down demeanor. What will be harder to survive, holiday travel or each other?
A mismatched buddy comedy bursting with heart, Planes, Trains and Automobiles pairs two of the '80s most beloved comic dynamos to hilarious effect.
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983): 93%
The hapless yet maniacally chipper Clark Griswold will do anything to get his wife, (Beverly D'Angelo) and kids, (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall) to Walley World, "America's Favorite Family Fun Park." Of course, things don't exactly go according to plan, with car trouble, alluring lady motorists, and unexpected deaths making the journey more of a gauntlet than a pleasurable road trip.
Directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, it may have been easy to dismiss Hughes' contribution to this film had he not gone on to such great things. As it stands, this early project was his first brave step into Hollywood, and remains a screwball comedy as only the '80s could produce.