Sweet 16

Leaving my niece's sweet 16 party last month, I was struck by how meaningful that age is for a young woman. It's a terribly precarious age and an emotionally vulnerable time. It requires a great deal of love and support to navigate those rocky, adolescent years. I wasn't sure my gift was the most relevant, but I think she liked it -- a simple locket. As I turned the corner, I couldn't help but travel down memory lane and recall that seminal film that has since become something of a cultural touchstone, SIXTEEN CANDLES.

Written and directed by John Hughes, the story follows the mis-adventures of Samantha Baker (played by Molly Ringwald) as she pines for the class hunk, Jake Ryan (played by the since-enigmatic Michael Schoeffling). Samantha is just trying to get through her 16th birthday without breaking down -- her parents have become obsessed with her sister's impending wedding. Compounding her woes is the fact Jake doesn't even know she exists. Tough times for a young woman.

When a note spelling out how much she loves Jake gets passed to him by mistake, Samantha's day goes from bad to super bad. Anthony Michael Hall moves the subplot along, playing the awkward freshman known only as "The Geek." Of course, he's got a crush on Samaritan, but is far outclassed by her, literally. Playing Poncho to his Villa is Long Duk Dong (played by Gedde Watanabe), the foreign exchange student from no-one's quite sure where.

Blurring reality and fiction, it's easy for me to think of my niece as Samantha. I've seen her have those kinds of days and hope she can pull through as gracefully as Ringwald. It's hard to watch someone be in a bad mood for two hours, but she pulls off the roll with grace and vulnerability. I think it's a testament to Hughes's directing and pace.

I think we draw parallels between fictional characters and the people we know. Maybe that's how we can understand them, or at least get an idea of how to approach them. Like Ringwald, my niece is very sweet and very compelling and very bright. Actually, I wish I had thought to get her this film for her sweet sixteen.