Sixteen Candles: John Hughes forgoes all subtlety in this teen comedy; he is not very interested in telling a story, preferring instead to display the havoc happening around the main character. The characters are, for the most part, pointedly (and sometimes insultingly) archetypical; thankfully, one of the few exceptions is the sweet main character, but it’s a disservice when her story is half-forgotten and the focus shifts away. Molly Ringwald is appropriate at that role, giving one of the few performances that is not insufferably large; Michael Schoeffling falls at the other end of the spectrum, being dull and bland, despite having the expected hunky looks. The film looks simple, and it moves at a fast clip, in great part helped by the good and varied nature of the soundtrack.