Best John Hughes Movies

If you’re looking to have a movie marathon celebrating the 80s, be sure to include some of the best John Hughes movies. Hughes wrote and directed some of the most beloved and successful movies of the decade. In addition to the following classics, John Hughes also wrote the scripts for “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Christmas Vacation,” “Pretty In Pink,” “Home Alone,” and many more.

1. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986). One of John Hughes’ most popular movies, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” stars Matthew Broderick as the charming titular teen. Set in Chicago, the story follows Ferris, his best friend and his girlfriend as they skip school for a day. The movie features Jeffrey Jones as the principal who is out to catch Ferris in the act and Jennifer Grey as his older sister. Ben Stein also makes a memorable appearance as a monotone teacher.
2. “The Breakfast Club” (1985). “The Breakfast Club” is widely regarded as one of the definitive movies of the teen comedy genre. As with all of the films to make the list, John Hughes wrote the script and directed. The movie stars Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall as teens from different social groups thrust together during Saturday morning detention.
3. “Uncle Buck” (1989). In this John Hughes movie, John Candy plays the slovenly and inappropriate Uncle Buck, enlisted to take care of his nieces and nephew while their parents are out of town. Gaby Hoffman, Jean Louisa Kelly and pre-“Home Alone” Macaulay Culkin play the children under Buck’s care. CBS attempted a television show based on the movie, but it was short-lived.
4. “Sixteen Candles” (1984). Another classic coming-of-age movie by John Hughes, “Sixteen Candles” stars teen queen Molly Ringwald as Sam Baker. Sam wakes up on the day of her 16^th birthday and realizes that her entire family has forgotten it. Michael Schoeffling plays Jake Ryan, the object of Sam’s affection, and Anthony Michael Hall plays the nerdy freshman kid who adores Sam.
5. “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987). “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” stars John Candy and Steve Martin. Their characters are strangers who end up working together to make it home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. What should be an easy undertaking becomes a series of misadventures over several days.