
Sixteen Candles Ringwald Schoeffling with Birthday Cake - H 2013
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It's been 35 years since Sixteen Candles was released in theaters on May 4, 1984.
The film, which was written and directed by John Hughes, follows high school student Samantha (Molly Ringwald) on her 16th birthday. As Samantha's family prepares for her older sister's wedding, they forget to acknowledge her milestone birthday.
Michael Schoeffling, Anthony Michael Hall, Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, Haviland Morris, Blanche Baker, Gedde Wantanabe and John Cusack round out the cast.
While the film is beloved by many, Ringwald penned an essay for The New Yorker in 2018 in which she reevaluated problematic aspects of the movie. In the essay, Ringwald questioned a scene when Ted (Hall) takes photos with Caroline (Morris) that imply they hooked up. The following morning, Caroline wakes up with no recollection of the night before.
"In her mind, Caroline bears some responsibility for what happens, because of how drunk she gets at the party." Ringwald wrote.
The film has also been criticized for its racist portrayal of Long Duk Dong, a Chinese foreign exchange student who stays with the Bakers over the wedding weekend.
Read on to see what the cast of Sixteen Candles has been up to since the film's debut.
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