John Hughes & His Most Problematic Movies: Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, & More!

What a CreepSome of the Creepiest Plots to John Hughes FilmsSeason 28, Episode 1John Hughes accomplished the remarkable feat of being a quintessential Baby Boomer while still resonating with Generation X and Millennials through his films. Movies—such as 16 Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, and She’s Having a Baby—became essential viewing for generations that felt overlooked by mainstream media. He genuinely seemed like “one of us.”However, when we examine his work through a modern lens, it is difficult to overlook an alarming pattern of racism, homophobia, white privilege,  and sexism, as well as some questionable behavior exhibited by the male leads in his films from the 1980s and 1990s. Some of his movies also reveal a rather creepy element when viewed today.Sources for this episode:New Yorker essay by Molly Ringwald, 2018CrackedThe Franklin PostSplice TodayFar Out MagazineThe Daily BeastLooperHollywood ElsewhereRankerVanity FairYouTube Shrink Tank Literate ApeElle AustraliaScreen Rant MediumBustle Trigger warning: Sexual Assault, Grooming, Sexism, Racism, Ableism, and HomophobiaFor our non-creep, check out https://save-la.org/ for ways to help or be helped in the Los Angeles area. Be sure to follow us on social media. But don’t follow us too closely … don’t be a creep about it! Subscribe to us on Apple PodcastsBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/whatacreep.bsky.social Facebook: Join the private group! Instagram @WhatACreepPodcastVisit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreepEmail: [email protected] We’ve got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.com Our logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud