Product Details

• Actors: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, Justin Henry
• Directors: John Hughes
• Writers: John Hughes
• Producers: Hilton A. Green
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: September 2, 2003
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (323 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008438T
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,666 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Sixteen Candles (High School Reunion Collection)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Molly Ringwald established herself as the teen queen of the '80s in this fresh comedy. The movie is a day in the life of Samantha, whose 16th birthday is turning out to be anything but sweet. All the traumas of teendom come down on one long day, which sees Samantha surrounded by dithery relatives, mooning over a high school hunk, and pursued by a sawed-off Lothario. Sixteen Candles marked the directing debut of John Hughes, and its goofy energy displayed a promising talent with a great ear for high school lingo ... a promise neglected since Hughes became, after Home Alone, a one-man entertainment industry. There are some pretty crass moments (Why the stereotype of the foreign-exchange student from Asia?), but Ringwald's steady appeal smoothes over the rough spots. As the pubescent, self-styled lady-killer, Anthony Michael Hall turns in a hilarious portrait of a young swinger; he and Ringwald would reteam with Hughes for The Breakfast Club, another key teen picture of the decade. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, John Cusack. Directed by John Hughes. It's Samantha Baker's 16th birthday, and it seems no one in her entire family has remembered! 1984/color/93 min/PG.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

141 of 148 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I wish they'd left the soundtrack alone... November 6, 1999

By A Customer

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to agree with the reviewer who complained about the "butchered" soundtrack. I grew up with "Sixteen Candles" -- I've seen it so many times I practically know it by heart -- and the songs are as much a part of the movie as the dialogue. I wonder if someone forgot to get permission to use some of the songs when the original movie was released -- but that wouldn't explain the cheezed-up "muzak" version of the opening credit music. And why substitute "Strangers in the Night" for "New York, New York" as background music for the post-party conversation between Jake and The Geek? The replacement music, as a whole, seems thrown together -- the songs are obviously meant to sound "almost like" the originals but for anyone who really knows the movie "almost like" just doesn't cut it. The most awkward moment is when the family is leaving the house the morning of Ginny's wedding. In the original version of the film, David Bowie's "Young American" is playing in the background as the family piles into two cars. In this version, there is NO music playing -- the family enters the cars in silence. What used to be a funny, quick scene now seems agonizingly drawn out.

"Sixteen Candles" is still a great movie, of course, and I'm glad that I have it in my DVD collection. But I found myself cringing every time a song was changed -- I could barely concentrate on the diaglogue at times. (I don't know what I would have done if the Thompson Twins' "If you were here" was replaced at the end of the movie; thankfully, it wasn't.)

85 of 89 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Clarification on soundtrack and PG rating controversies. January 20, 2011

By RH

Format:DVD

Soundtrack Issues
In the first DVD release of Sixteen Candles, several of the songs from the original soundtrack were missing due to licensing rights. For anyone looking for a version of the movie with the original soundtrack, get the "High School Reunion Collection" (released in 2003). This is the version I own and it has all of the original songs in it. I believe the "Flashback Edition" (released in 2008) also has the original songs, but I cannot verify that. The original release (released in 1998) has no special heading/title and is the version with several missing songs.

MPAA Rating Controversy
As far as the "PG" rating, do not buy this movie thinking you are going to enjoy introducing your young kids to a great 80's throwback. Prior to buying this movie, I had only seen it on TV. I assumed that the edited TV version was similar to the unedited movie because of the "PG" rating. As it turns out, Sixteen Candles came out in May, 1984, 2 months before the "PG-13" rating was implemented. So at the time, movies were either rated "G", "PG", or "R". Sixteen Candles was originally going to be rated "R", but prior to release, just enough F-bombs were edited out to make the "PG" cut and reach the targeted teenage audience. This is NOT equivelant to a modern day "PG" film. There are still at least 2 F-bombs in the movie as well as several more S-words, A-words, slanders to sexual orientation, and other explicit language. There are also underage drinking, sexual innuendo, and a shower scene with blatant up close nudity....

Summary
In short, this is a great classic 80s movie worth owning with the understanding that it should be considered a "PG-13" movie that just missed being a rated "R" movie, as would have been the case if it were released just a few months later than it was. For purists, get the "High School Reunion Collection" to experience the movie with the original soundtrack as it was intended. Read more ›

75 of 85 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the soundtrack?!! August 22, 1999

By [e-mail]

Format:VHS Tape

This is one of my all time favorite movies, and I bought this video because my old copy had worn out. After watching 10 minutes of the new copy, I felt physically ill. The entire soundtrack's been changed! No "Love of the Common People", no "Happy Birthday". I couldn't watch any further. Some moron has butchered this film, and I'd return this copy if I could. If you've never seen the original version of this film then go ahead and buy it because the actual film is great and you won't notice the difference in the music. But to anyone who has seen it before, find an original copy. Watching this version will make you sick.

57 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 80's Teen Flick January 29, 2001

By Thomas Magnum HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Sixteen Candles takes place basically over the course of one day when a family forgets the sweet sixteenth birthday of a girl amid the preparations for the oldest daughter's wedding. The sixteen year old is played by the 80's teen queen Molly Ringwald. It was the movie that helped her gain that title and is the best of her career. She plays the role of Samantha Baker with ease and charm. We feel all her range of emotions from the hurt of being forgotten to the longing she feels for a boy, Jake Ryan, who she has a major crush on but doesn't think he knows that she's alive. Little does Samantha know that Jake wants to meet her and the movie goes through a series of near misses between the two. Anthony Michael Hall plays "The Geek" who is constantly hitting on Samantha. He acts like he is a man of the world, but really is full of hot air. Mr. Hall is extremely funny and the scene where he gives Jake advice on women and eventually drives the prom queen home in Jake's father's Roll Royce are priceless. Both sets of Samantha's grandparents are funny, one set are the worriers and the other the carefree sort. Gedde Wannabe is funny as an exchange student who comes with one of the grandparents. He does take the Asian stereotypes to the max but he comes across with a nice degree of charm. John and Joan Cusack show up in bit parts and the movie has a great soundtrack. The Thompson Twins' "Wish You Were Here" perfectly frames the ending scene where Jake and Samantha finally hook up. Sixteen Candles was the directorial debut of John Hughes and set the stage for the Brat Pack movies that would be the dominant teen movies of the 80's.... Unlike his other movies like The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink or Some Kind Of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles isn't full of teen angst, self-examination and skepticism that the others are. It is a charming look at the life of a teenager that seems to be the most real. Read more ›