Recently Read: "Don't You Forget About Me: contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes" by Jaime Clark

Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes by Jaime Clarke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I bought this at the Dollar Tree a few years back and finally got around to reading it. If you are looking for a collection of essays that critique, analyze or otherwise delineate John Hughes' movies, keep moving. This is clearly a collection of point of view essays, most of which are somewhat self-indulgent reflections of the writers' youth. It's actually rather good, and some of the essays remind me of trying to connect profound academic thought with pop culture in college papers for the "cooler" professors that were more indulgent of such things. Sometimes I really miss being a student. Many of the essays are witty yet poignant, funny and irreverent yet nostalgic and sensitive. I found it comforting to know that I'm not the only one who thought Molly Ringwald's dress at the end of "Pretty in Pink" was atrocious after she finished altering it (it looked much better as a vintage dress before she hacked it barbarically with those scissors), nor am I the only one disappointed that Annie Potts' character sold out her uniqueness to date a square.

Follows are my notes on the individual essays.

The forward by Ally Sheedy was touching and gave a small glimpse of what production was like on the set of an iconic movie. The introduction left me thinking that the editor is a bit full of himself, yet still a somewhat witty writer.

Steve Almond - an insightful essay that drew attention to details I've missed in countless viewings of "Ferris." This was one of my two favorite essays (the other one being Ryan Boudinot's), and left me wanting to rewatch "Ferris" and note the instances in the movie he referenced.

Julianna Baggott - I didn't agree entirely, but she made a few good points regarding sexism in high school society. Not much has changed.

Lisa Borders - Her premise is that the fantasy ending of "Sixteen Candles" is plausible as long as you leave off "happily ever after." My premise is that there isn't much of a point unless you assume they wind up together and eventually have a good life together, not perfect ... just good.

Ryan Boudinot - I rather enjoyed this essay despite the fact that I couldn't really relate to the subject matter. He made some excellent points and I thoroughly appreciated how he connected Mitchell-Smith's post acting collegiate work with the themes in one of the campiest movies ever. This one was perhaps the only essay in the collection that felt academic in style.

T Cooper - The writer, as a LGBTQ youth identifies with the sexually ambiguous characters in movies. A fun read, but hardly enlightening.

Quinn Dalton - While just as self indulgent and introspective as T Cooper's essay (less about the subject movie and more about the writer), her interpretation of "Sixteen Candles" and application of it to her experiences is interesting.

Emily Franklin - The perils of trying to turn friendships into romances. I would say it only happens in the movies and on TV, but it happened to me. The lesson here is that you can't force it.

Lisa Gabriele - A touching, bitter portrait that compares poor and rich classes as illustrated in the movie "Pretty in Pink."

Tod Goldberg - Grown man blames random actor for lack of high school dating success, and later embarrasses himself in front of said actor. Not one of the better essays in the book.

Nina de Gramont - Woman finds self-realization in an online quiz. Deeper than you would think.

Tara Ison - Less of an essay than a reflection on being on the edge of adulthood, of stalling that last step into the real world of grownups, and of using movies to escape from it.

Allison Lynn - Ferris Bueller teaches us that life is better with harmless adventures, even when they don't go as planned, and that everyone is equally cool.

John McNally - Taking out his bitter resentment of the socioeconomic class division between the North Side and South Side of Chicago on the otherwise endearing characters in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

Dan Pope - Rather superficial view of life and relationships, and how even when peaking early means you don't realize your dreams, you can still be content with your lot in life. Not a great essay.

Lewis Robinson - Ally Sheedy' s character in "The Breakfast Club" inspires a young man to pursue batshit crazy.

Ben Schrank - I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Schrank has a Mary Stuart Masterson shrine hidden behind the clothes in his closet, not to mention a rather large therapy bill.

Elizabeth Searle - Hughes' movies, particularly those featuring Molly Ringwald, are incredibly accurate portrayals of teen angst and insecurities. Especially if you seriously over think them.

Mary Sullivan - Evidently the majority of John Hughes movies can be simplified into the Cinderella archetypal story pattern, which the writer tries to apply to her own experience while referencing a completely unrelated yet classic song.

Rebecca Wolff - Psycho babble about Ferris Bueller by a former high school mean girl who thinks her self-centered life might have been somewhat better if she had made friends with the unpopular kid who dressed weird and didn't give a hoot that Wolff and her ilk ignored her. This essay, and writer, are just annoying to me.

Moon Unit Zappa - Not so much an essay on John Hughes movies as it is an autobiographical sketch of her teen years and how she decided to become a writer. The most interesting item is that evidently Molly Ringwald once dated her brother Dweezil. The only thing Zappa really notes about the movies is how they reflected a life and culture completely foreign to her own upbringing. It is interesting as a glimpse into the life of the child of a rock legend, and amusing how much she name drops.

Overall, it was an amusing read, but not a book I will revisit, hold onto or necessarily recommend to friends or family unless I know they would be interested in something exactly along these lines. I cannot think of anyone this description would apply to at the moment.


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