Sixteen Candles (1984 John Hughes & scr)

I was two years out guessing the date from the music (1986). And very obviously aimed at the teen market through its overuse of pop songs, 'funny' incidental music and unsubtle sound effects, all of which add nothing.

Molly Ringwald's family has forgotten her birthday - they are Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, Blanche Baker and Justin Henry (Kramer vs Kramer) as the smartarsed kid. Anthony Michael Hall (still acting, recently in Affleck's Live By Night, some way down the cast list) is the nerd, Michael Schoeffling the hunk and Haviland Morris the other girl, with Cusacks John and Joan in smaller parts (Class the year before was John's debut; Joan was in it too, but before that My Bodyguard (1980) and Cutting Loose (1980)). Joan's scenes in neck brace are painfully unfunny.

Familiar-looking grandparents include Max Showalter (piano playing drunk from How To Murder Your Wife), Edward Andrews (Avanti's J.J. Blodgett and a million TV shows) and Billie Bird. Gedde Watanabe is embarrassing as exchange student.

Less sentimental than some of the others, the best joke being that when Watanabe crashes his car, the couple making out in the other car don't even notice.

Hall kept reminding me of Hayley Mills.