Image: TMDB
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
National Lampoon's Vacation
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Sixteen Candles
This was Molly Ringwald's coming-out party in the world of John Hughes films. She plays Sam, the girl having the title birthday.
Home Alone
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone
Baby's Day Out
Uncle Buck
Beethoven
Hughes wrote "Beethoven" under a pseudonym, but it was one of his favorite creations. It went on to spawn seven sequels, most of which you've probably never heard of.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
National Lampoon's Honeymoon
National Lampoon's Class Reunion
National Lampoon's European Vacation
The original vacation film was such a hit that it didn't take long for Hughes to come up with a sequel. The entire movie is a fish-out-of-water joke, with the clueless Americans bumbling amongst European culture.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
"Home Alone" caught lightning in a bottle, but the sequel proves that you can't do that twice. It's funny, especially with Tim Curry as the hotel concierge, but the sentimental bits come off as treacly and the entire plot is fairly predictable. Watch it just for Curry, though.
Pretty in Pink
Some Kind of Wonderful
Curly Sue
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Sixteen Candles
Weird Science
Pretty in Pink
Brat Pack fans can be split into two groups, based on whether they prefer "Sixteen Candles" or "Pretty in Pink." For me, the immortal character of Duckie in the latter film makes it the clear winner.
The Breakfast Club
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Curly Sue
Uncle Buck
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Home Alone
The '80s loom large in this movie, from the hairdos and clothes to the music and TV shows. But the spirit, especially for boys under 12, is completely timeless.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Baby's Day Out
Beethoven
Dennis the Menace
As a Mr. Wilson, I found this movie to be tremendously annoying. However, as comic adaptations go, it was a pretty good one. Casting grumpy Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson was a stroke of genius.
Uncle Buck
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Baby's Day Out
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Only the Lonely
She's Having a Baby
You might be surprised at how young Kevin Bacon looks in this movie, but you should really be frightened at how little he's aged. Alec Baldwin, also looking fairly baby-faced, plays his best man.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Miracle on 34th Street
Macy's wouldn't participate and Gimbel's had long gone out of business, so fictional stores Cole's and Shopper's Express were created. The story's the same, though, and Richard Attenborough makes a great Santa.
Home Alone
Christmas Vacation
European Vacation
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Only the Lonely
Baby's Day Out
Think of this as a poorly executed "Home Alone," but with a baby instead of Kevin. Three kidnappers grab the baby of a wealthy family, the baby escapes and ... well, it just gets sillier from there.
Curly Sue
Beethoven
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Weird Science
The Breakfast Club
This is the movie that created the Brat Pack. It's been picked for countless "best of" lists and even enshrined in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress for being "culturally significant."
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Baby's Day Out
Flubber
On its face, remaking a cherished (but completely daffy) old Disney live-action movie seemed like a bad idea. Then Robin Williams signed on as the lead, and suddenly it all made sense ... and money.
Beethoven
Just Visiting
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Beethoven
Reach the Rock
Only the Lonely
101 Dalmatians
Glenn Close chewed scenery and wore lots of fur as Cruella de Vil, the villain in the movie. She scored a Golden Globe nomination for the part, but lost to Madonna in Evita, proving that the Golden Globes is nutty.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Before the term "buddy comedy" was invented, this was one of the finest of the genre. Steve Martin and John Candy play polar opposites who, through a series of transportation misadventures, form a bond. The end is just as sappy as it needs to be.
Uncle Buck
Flubber
Class Reunion
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Uncle Buck
Baby's Day Out
Weird Science
Beethoven's 2nd
How do you make a movie about a cute dog even cuter? Add puppies, of course! In this sequel, Beethoven finds a lady friend, and four puppies soon join the four-legged cast.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Uncle Buck
John Candy plays his classic bumbling, largely unaware guy in this comedy. This time, he's the titular uncle called on to watch his young nieces and nephews while their parents are away, with predictably wacky (but heartwarming) results.
The Great Outdoors
National Lampoon's Vacation
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
National Lampoon's Vacation
Uncle Buck
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Just when you think this movie can't get any more gonzo, it does. There's a kidnapping, a Christmas light-induced power outage and, finally, a flaming Santa and reindeer launched skyward by a sewage gas explosion.
National Lampoon's European Vacation
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone
She's Having A Baby
Beethoven
Curly Sue
John Belushi's brother Jim stars in this fairly treacly dramedy about a homeless father-daughter pair. It turns out he's not really her father, but of course in the end everything works out fine.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone 3
This third film in the series probably would have stood fine on its own, but as a sequel to the original it suffers from the comparison. This time, four hit men after a missile guidance computer chip harass a precocious 8-year-old who unwittingly got the chip after it was hidden in a remote-controlled car.
Dennis the Menace
Uncle Buck
The Great Outdoors
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Baby's Day Out
New Port South
Uncle Buck
Maid in Manhattan
Jennifer Lopez reached the apex of her movie career with this film, a Pygmalion-tinged poor-girl-meets-rich-guy romantic comedy. Ralph Fiennes, the future Voldemort, is considerably less evil here as her erstwhile love interest.
Advertisement
youtube
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Mr. Mom
Class Reunion
Stephen Furst is aboard from the original "Animal House" (not as Flounder), but none of the other cast members appear. Also missing are the humor and gonzo antics that made the first film such a timeless classic. This one was a flop.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Reach the Rock
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone 3
Baby's Day Out
She's Having a Baby
Beethoven's 3rd
This first of several direct-to-video sequels to the shaggy original wasn't actually a Hughes creation, but used his canine character. It starred Judge Reinhold, whose comedy staying power can be measured by the fact that you have no idea who he is.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Drillbit Taylor
This was Hughes' last film as a writer, and while one could wish he'd gone out with a bigger box-office win, it still held echoes of his high school-set films. Owen Wilson plays a homeless doofus hired by some high school kids as their bodyguard. He slack-jaws his way through the film, but it's got some funny moments.
National Lampoon's Vacation
She's Having a Baby
Pretty in Pink
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Uncle Buck
The Great Outdoors
Oddly enough, this is the only time Dan Aykroyd and John Candy ever headlined a movie together. Seeing the chemistry they have on-screen, it's surprising nobody else ever hired them. They could have been the Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock of the '80s!
Curly Sue
Flubber
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Baby's Day Out
Weird Science
She's Having a Baby
Mr. Mom
This movie would never get made today, but it's an absolute classic. Michael Keaton and Teri Garr have to swap roles when he's laid off, and he goes through culture shock trying to make it as a stay-at-home dad. Hijinks, of course, ensue.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Dutch
Uncle Buck
Vacation
The premise of this sort-of reboot of the original is that Rusty, Clark Griswold's son, decides to replicate the original family cross-country vacation experience. It manages a good deal of yuks, and Chris Hemsworth is a scream as a guy who's way too proud of his body and certain ... assets.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Advertisement
TMDB
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
The Great Outdoors
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Home Alone 2
Uncle Buck
One of the unsung heroes of this movie is Buck's car: a 1977 Mercury Marquis that belches more smoke than a tramp steamer. Seeing Candy heave his ponderous self in and out of the vehicle is a sight gag in and of itself.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone
Flubber
There are some subtle jokes in among the uproar and wackiness. For example, two security guards (one played by the always-awesome Clancy Brown) sent to try to steal Flubber are named Smith and Wesson.
Mr. Mom
Curly Sue
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Pretty in Pink
The Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Not many movies sold as many T-shirts as this one did in the '80s. If you were a teen then, and you didn't have a "Save Ferris" shirt in your closet, you probably weren't in the in-crowd.
Sixteen Candles
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
101 Dalmatians
Those familiar with Hugh Laurie as Dr. House will have a surprise with this movie. He plays one of Cruella de Vil's thieving henchmen, drawing on his early comic training with Stephen Fry in "Fry and Laurie."
Beethoven
Beethoven's 2nd
Baby's Day Out
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
The Breakfast Club
European Vacation
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
This movie hit like an atom bomb for a certain segment of the teen/young adult population when it came out. The idea of, just for one day, walking away from life and all your responsibilities and doing whatever you wanted was, understandably, highly attractive.
Weird Science
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Uncle Buck
She's Having a Baby
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The Great Outdoors
There are sight gags aplenty in this movie, as you'd expect with Aykroyd and Candy around. The ski-less water ski ride, with John Candy being pulled along behind Aykroyd's boat, will make you wince and howl at the same time.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone
Curly Sue
Alisan Porter, who played the title character, seemed poised to have a Culkin-like career breakout, but she instead stepped back and ended up doing musical theater on Broadway and releasing a couple of albums. She even won season 10 of "The Voice!"
Dutch
Miracle on 34th Street
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
National Lampoon's Vacation
Home Alone
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Fans of Tim Allen's "Home Alone" series will recognize the Christmas lights gags in this film. I'm not sure if Allen was directly inspired by the film, but Tim Taylor's yearly attempts to outdo the neighbors certainly relate.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Weird Science
The title of the movie was taken from an old comic from the days before the Comics Code cleaned them up. The plot came from a story in the fifth issue of the comic, titled "Made of the Future."
Uncle Buck
Some Kind of Wonderful
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Sixteen Candles
Pretty in Pink
Weird Science
The Breakfast Club
Fitting in was a big thing in the '80s, even more so than now. Cliques of various types ruled the social scene with iron (or fingerless gloved) fists. "The Breakfast Club" poked holes in that ethic and gave all us secret misfits a chance to breathe.
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Career Opportunities
This workplace comedy takes place in a Target store after hours. The hero is a night-shift cleanup guy whose boss locks him in the store all night. Hijinks, of course, ensue.
Home Alone
Dennis the Menace
Baby's Day Out
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Only the Lonely
Nate and Hayes
Tommy Lee Jones leads the cast of this pirate adventure flick, which degenerates into a series of cliffhanger set pieces reminiscent of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Bet you didn't know Hughes wrote a pirate flick, did you? This was a flop, thus explaining why you didn't know.
Dutch
Just Visiting
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Maid in Manhattan
The theme of this movie goes back at least as far as Victorian England: The rich man who falls in love with the serving-girl and elevates her by marrying her. J-Lo puts a modern spin on her character, though, making her a success in her own right.
Nate and Hayes
Career Opportunities
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Baby's Day Out
Home Alone
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Miracle on 34th Street
Richard Attenborough takes a powder from his "Jurassic Park" duties to play Kris Kringle in this one. I kept expecting velociraptors to be pulling his sleigh.
Advertisement
TMDB
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Ask 100 people their favorite line from this movie, and it's a safe bet 99 of them will say, "Those aren't pillows!" I won't spoil the movie by telling you where that line comes in, but you'll laugh. Trust me.
The Great Outdoors
Home Alone
Uncle Buck
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Just Visiting
The Great Outdoors
Some Kind of Wonderful
This is one of the simpler of Hughes' high school-based movies. Boy has poor girl as friend. Boy meets rich girl. Boy ends up happy with poor girl. The end.
Sixteen Candles
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Dutch
Ed O'Neill, of "Married... with Children" fame, plays a blue-collar guy who fetches his would-be girlfriend's snobby son from a boarding school for Thanksgiving. Fireworks accidents, car wrecks and male bonding ensue.
Curly Sue
Only the Lonely
The Great Outdoors
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
The Breakfast Club
Sixteen Candles
Weird Science
Hughes himself didn't exactly have a happy high school career, and you can see him indulging in a little wish fulfillment here. From Kelly LeBrock having magical powers to a Trident missile appearing in the middle of a house, there's all manner of adolescent fun in progress.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
European Vacation
National Lampoon's Vacation
Has there ever been a funnier road trip movie? Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold is every father who's ever piled the family into the roadster and headed out for the Great Unknown, although hopefully without a dead grandmother strapped to the roof.
The Great Outdoors
Uncle Buck
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
European Vacation
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Vacation
National Lampoon's Vacation
So much of this movie has made its way into the modern lexicon, with Facebook memes and Photoshopped movie stills of all types. None, perhaps, is more popular that John Candy's wistful, "Sorry, folks, the park's closed. The moose out front should have told you."
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Pretty in Pink
Sixteen Candles
Molly Ringwald's character, Samantha, has a classic Hughes trainwreck of a life in this movie. One boy's after her, she's in love with another, there are people out to sabotage her and, on top of all that, a "sex quiz" she filled out is circulating around campus.
The Breakfast Club
Weird Science
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Just Visiting
This absurdist remake of a French film is almost saved by Malcolm McDowell as a barely competent wizard, but only almost. Christina Applegate, as a museum employee, shows all the dramatic depth of Kelly Bundy.
The Great Outdoors
Reach the Rock
Weird Science
Advertisement
tmdb
Which John Hughes movie is shown in this screenshot?
Home Alone 4
You might be excused for needing to shake your head to clear the confusion if you watch this one. Hughes actually had nothing to do with it, but it uses some of the same character names ... but played by different actors.
National Lampoon's Class Reunion
The Great Outdoors
Reach the Rock
Advertisement
You Got:
/49
TMDB