It is with a rather sad and reluctant hand that I type this today. I have just heard that John Hughes has died of a heart attack. Now his name may not be instantly recognised by all. But for those of my generation his movies were nothing short of inspirational to our genre.
In this day and age of High School movies and comedies without Hughes portrayal of the 1980’s youth they would not even be on screen. They way he captured how that generation acted, cared and lived would bring a sense of comedy, sadness but more importantly realism.
His iconic movies including National Lampoons vacation, Ferries Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink were ground breaking and some of the grittiest and funniest movies written in the 80’s.
Yet it was one movie that he would ultimately be remembered for. The Breakfast Club. This movie that followed five teenagers from all walks of life being forced into detention on a Saturday that defined our generation. No matter who you were or where you came from you could relate to one of the characters. I have watched that movie for the last 20 years and it just gets better and better each time. Even now I still hear children who were born after the film was released say that is was an influence on their adolescent life.
Hughes was a reluctant man, not really into the limelight and parties like so many writers and directors of today. Born in 1950 in Michigan, where he set many of his films, Hughes started out as a journalist and advertising copywriter before turning to script writing.
His biggest hit of all came in 1990 with Home Alone, which he wrote and produced, but did not direct.
The film made the central character, the 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin, the biggest child star for decades and grossed almost $500m (£300m) worldwide.
“I was a fan of both his work and a fan of him as a person,” Culkin said. “The world has lost not only a quintessential filmmaker, whose influence will be felt for generations, but a great and decent man.”
In a statement, Matthew Broderick said: “I am truly shocked and saddened by the news about my old friend John Hughes. He was a wonderful, very talented guy and my heart goes out to his family.”
By the mid-1990s, Hughes had disappeared from the public eye almost totally, though he continued to produce and write screenplays.
He wrote under the pseudonym of Edmond Dantes, a character in the Alexandre Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.
His credits under the name include Beethoven and Maid in Manhattan.
Dowd says Hughes will above all be remembered for a small number of movies which perfectly captured the spirit of 1980s America.