This first film as a director from writer John Hughes, who cut his teeth on National Lampoon comedies, struck a chord with teenagers. Hughes found a way to tap into their neuroses, anxieties and dreams and put them over in the language of the moment. He also discovered a new leading actress in carrot-topped Molly Ringwald, who went on to play the same sort of role in Hughes' follow-up films, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. But when their friendship foundered, she turned down Laura Dern's star-making role in David Lynch's Wild at Heart (on the advice of her mother! ) a bad decision from which her career has never recovered. Sixteen Candles is basically about a girl becoming a young woman - and having the worst day of her life. The film bubbles along nicely but the greatest fun today can be found in spotting future stars in the supporting cast, including brother and sister Joan and John Cusack and Jami Gertz (who later co-starred in Twister).