Sixteen Candles

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Sixteen Candles

PG

Released May 4, 1984

1h 30m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

With the occasion all but overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding, angst-ridden Samantha (Molly Ringwald) faces her 16th birthday with typical adolescent dread. Samantha pines for studly older boy Jake (Michael Schoeffling), but worries that her chastity will be a turnoff for the popular senior. Meanwhile, Samantha must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted (Anthony Michael Hall), the only boy in the school, unfortunately, who seems to take an interest in her.

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Critics Consensus

Significantly more mature than the teen raunch comedies that defined the era, Sixteen Candles is shot with compassion and clear respect for its characters and their hang-ups.

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Neil Jillett

The Age (Australia)

Its Middle American cast of plastic females and self-regarding males look and behave like delegates to a Republican convention. The slight plot is strung out on a series of gross jokes.

May 3, 2022

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Watch with compassion.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 22, 2019

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

There's also a darkly handsome high school heartbreak kid (Michael Schoeffling), a merciful brisk pace, some quick humor (visual and verbal), and a solid music track.

Jul 18, 2007

Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

Sixteen Candles is a genuinely funny film with plenty of throwaway gags that betray Hughes' Lampoon origins.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 26, 2020

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

At times it's laugh-out-loud funny, highlighting the awkwardness of adolescence through alternations of clumsiness, low self-esteem, and misadventures of maturation.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 7, 2020

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Meandering and kind of dull and doesn't quite manage to be as sweet as its romantic final scene.

Jul 30, 2020

Full Review

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Paige

Perfect story, acting, and casting. I was 14 years old when this movie came out back in 1984. Sadly, I missed seeing it in the theatre when all my girlfriends went together cuz I was on a date (Im just now realizing that my parents let me date at 14?!? What were they thinking?). Anyway, my girlfriends talked about the movie for months and months and I couldnt wait for it to finally be released to video it seemed to take forever! Fast forward to 2023 and Im taking my 14-year old son to see Sixteen Candles for the first time today. Wow, even though Ive seen it 100or maybe 1000 times on TV, what an incredible experience it was to watch it in the theater for the first timeAND with my teenaged son by my side! He LOVED the movie, just like his mom! Maybe in 40 years, my son will be taking his son or daughter to watch Sixteen Candles for the first time, too! Grandma (yours truly) will be there melting over Jake Ryan, just like she did in the good old days!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/23

Full Review

Miriam B

Still great after all these years

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/23

Full Review

James McCurley

Great movie! Love flashback cinema

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/23

Full Review

Jon G

A classic John Hughes movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/30/25

Full Review

Ava S

4.3 rounded up- March 11 2025

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/25

Full Review

Melissa M

John Hughes wrote and directed films that anybody could enjoy. A lot of his films were family-friendly. And now are considered timeless classics. The soundtracks to his movies were just as awesome as the films themselves. I think it's cool that he used a lot of the same actors and actresses in his movies. John Hughes not only made movies the teenagers can enjoy but so could adults. 16 candles is one of the best teen movies of the '80s. It really captures the essence of being 16. In a funny and satirical way. It's one of the few movies worth watching more than once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/25

Full Review

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John Hughes

Director

Molly Ringwald

Samantha Baker

Anthony Michael Hall

Farmer Ted, 'The Geek'

Michael Schoeffling

Jake Ryan

Paul Dooley

Jim Baker

Justin Henry

Mike Baker

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - Can I Borrow Your Underpants for 10 Minutes?

2:32

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - The Crazy Party

2:27

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - Drunk as a Skunk

1:49

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - Jake & Caroline Break Up

2:19

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - Sam's First Kiss

2:50

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - They Forgot My Birthday

2:35

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - Here Comes the Tipsy Bride

2:13

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - The Geek and The Panties

2:16

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - The Geek Dances

2:33

Sixteen Candles: Official Clip - Am I Turning You On?

1:57

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Synopsis

With the occasion all but overshadowed by her sister's upcoming wedding, angst-ridden Samantha (Molly Ringwald) faces her 16th birthday with typical adolescent dread. Samantha pines for studly older boy Jake (Michael Schoeffling), but worries that her chastity will be a turnoff for the popular senior. Meanwhile, Samantha must constantly rebuff the affections of nerdy Ted (Anthony Michael Hall), the only boy in the school, unfortunately, who seems to take an interest in her.

Director: John Hughes
Producer: Hilton A. Green
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Distributor: Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 4, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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