John Hughes was a master at getting inside the teenage psyche in the 1980s, so much so that his films have resonated with generations of teenagers since then. He took teenagers seriously, perhaps for the first time since Rebel Without a Cause was released. Until Huges started making teen films, the only films geared toward teenagers were the Beach Blanket movies and counterculture films of the 1970s. Many people claim Hughes centered these movies around Molly Ringwald; while she was the star of many of his films, it was Anthony Michael Hall’s characters that people connected with, possibly with the exception of John Cryer’s Duckie in Pretty in Pink. Let’s take a look at why Michael Anthony Hall’s characters were the most relatable in John Hughes Films.
Sixteen Candles (1984)
In Sixteen Candles, Hall played “Farmer Ted,” a firm member of the geek caste. What made this character so appealing was his determination to better his social status in the face of numerous obstacles and his awkward charm. Ted is a freshman in the movie, and although somewhat of an annoyance to Molly Ringwald’s Samantha, he truly cares about her sixteenth birthday being forgotten by her family. In the end, he turns out to be one of her true friends, and his persistence gains him a girlfriend by the end of the movie. It was Hall’s willingness to take the character seriously that made Ted work. In the hands of another actor, he could have been a slapstick caricature of a teenager in the 1980s.
Hear T.J. and Jay give their takes and trivia on “Sixteen Candles” on this edition of the “We’ve Seen That!” podcast by clicking play below,
The Breakfast Club (1985)
No movie crystalized Generation X’s teenage years more than The Breakfast Club. Hughes had an archetype for each type of clique that teenagers in the 1980s were associated with. Hall’s character, Brian Johnson, was the studious type who appeared to be fine on the surface but was crushed by the pressure his parents put on him to succeed academically while struggling to fit in at school. As you probably know, the other students in detention with him forge an unbreakable bond that Saturday morning and dub themselves “The Breakfast Club.” Hall’s character finds that he is not as alone as he thought and that his future is his to decide. Again, Hall’s acumen in subtly portraying Brian’s anguish made the character perhaps the most relatable in the film. Who at any point in their life has felt external pressure to succeed at something?
Characters With Real Heart
Even in Weird Science, a true farce, Hall’s character was relatable and likable. It is because he portrayed all his characters with real heart. His affable charm and self-deprecating humor were so well done that he had trouble breaking out of being typecast as the same character. It would take him years to get Rolls like the TV series The Dead Zone or the role of the ill-fated reporter in The Dark Knight. Maybe next time you watch one of Hall’s latest performances, you will appreciate the acting skills that so many take for granted.
