Sixteen Candles(1984)

Universal Pictures

1h 33m
- Comedy
- Romance

Release Date: May 4, 1984 | Wide

81%
85%
7

A high school girl's sixteenth birthday is anything but special, her family forgets about it while preparing for her older sister's wedding, the boy she has a crush on has a girlfriend, and she suffers from multitude of embarrassments.

Releases

Original Release | May 4, 1984

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Box Office Results

Updated as of Aug 04, 2026 02:08 PM ET

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$4,461,520
Total US & Canada:
$23,686,027
Total Worldwide:
$23,686,027

Current Showtimes

orround

Sun Aug 16
Mon Aug 17
Tue Aug 18
Wed Aug 19
Thu Aug 20
Fri Aug 21
Sat Aug 22

Director & Top Cast

John Hughes
Director

Molly Ringwald
Samantha

Anthony Michael Hall
Geek

Justin Henry
Mike Baker

Michael Schoeffling
Jake

Haviland Morris
Caroline

Gedde Watanabe

Long Duk Dong

Paul Dooley

Jim Baker

Carlin Glynn

Brenda Baker

Blanche Baker

Ginny

Edward Andrews

Howard

Billie Bird

Dorothy

Carole Cook

Helen

Max Showalter

Fred

Liane Curtis

Randy

John Cusack

Bryce

Darren Harris

Cliff

Debbie Pollack

Lumberjack

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Mono

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

Awkward high school sophomore Samantha "Sam" Baker (Molly Ringwald) struggles to get through her 16th birthday, which her entire family forgets because her older sister, Ginny (Blanche Baker), is getting married the next day to a sleazy guy whose father may be involved in organized crime. Sam is also plagued by her ongoing infatuation with popular and attractive senior Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling). Her day at school fares no better when only one of her friends acknowledges her birthday, she finds out that her completed "sex quiz," which she surreptitiously slipped to her friend, never reached her (and, unbeknownst to either of them, was intercepted by Jake Ryan himself). Sam panics, as the quiz contains personal information, including the fact that she is a virgin and is saving herself for Jake. At the same time, she doesn't know that Jake has the hots for her as well, but is too insecure to even talk to her.Samantha has a whole new set of problems when she arrives home to find that both sets of grandparents are staying there for the duration of the wedding visit. On top of it all, one set of grandparents is occupying her room and have brought along their bizarre Chinese exchange student Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe). Sam's grandparents force her to take him along to her school dance that night and, to Sam's amazement, it takes "The Donger" only five minutes to find an unlikely girlfriend: the tallish, large-breasted jock, Marlene, promptly nicknamed "Lumberjack."A running subplot involves a geeky freshman, (Anthony Michael Hall) who continually (and unsuccessfully) tries to bed his love interest, Sam, to satisfy a bet with his friends. The character is referred to on several occasions in the movie as either "Ted" or "Farmer Ted", but he is credited solely as "the Geek." On the dance floor, he boldly confronts Sam and does a wild bit of dancing in front of her friends and she runs out of the gymnasium embarrassed and in tears.In the auto-shop room during the dance, Sam, who'd retreated there to hide, and Ted begin talking, and Sam confesses her love for Jake. Upon hearing this, Ted tells her that Jake has been asking about her at the dance, and they agree that Sam should just go and talk to him. As she's leaving, Ted reveals the wager to Sam, who, in her excited state, agrees to loan him her panties to help him win a dozen floppy disks. She goes to confront Jake and though he appears happy to see her, she freezes up and runs away.Later (after a peepshow of Sam's panties for $1 admission, which she does not find out about until the next day), Ted and his equally unwelcome friends, Cliff (Darren Harris) and Bryce (John Cusack), crash the senior after-party at Jake's house during which the entire house is completely trashed. A small group of beer-chugging jocks pin Farmer Ted under a glass table, abduct his two geek friends, and take them for a joyride in the trunk of their car before releasing them unharmed at their home.At night's end, Jake finds Ted trapped under the table and they begin to talk. Jake inquires further about Sam, and Ted explains the situation. Jake makes a deal with Ted: If Ted lets Jake keep Sam's panties, then he will let Ted drive home his inebriated, stuck-up, prom queen girlfriend, Carolyn Mulford (Haviland Morris), in Jake's father's Rolls Royce. They never get home because the very drunk Carolyn makes moves on Ted while he's driving before passing out. Ted the Geek takes the opportunity to drive over to Cliff and Bryce's house to ask them to take a photo of him with Carolyn together in the back seat of the car. The inept duo snap a picture but only half of Ted's face is visible.Back at Sam's home, her father, having a short bout of insomnia over the chaos of the wedding, talks to Sam, who's stuck sleeping on the couch. He apologizes for forgetting her birthday. Her father still senses that Sam is upset over something and gently presses her to talk to him. Embarrassed at first, she admits that's she's sad because of her crush on Jake, feeling he wouldn't ever want her. Her father boosts her spirits by telling her that if Jake isn't interested in her, then he's worthy of her, mentioning that she's smart, pretty and should feel more secure about herself. Sam seems to feel a great deal of relief.The next morning, during the ensuing madness with all her obnoxious relatives, Sam's mother apologizes for forgetting her birthday. When Sam's mother tells her rude and obnoxious little brother to wish Sam a happy birthday, drops a rude comment and walks away, leaving the two to laugh over his ignorance. The family drive to the church, after taking care of a passed out Dong, whom they find passed out on the front lawn, drunk and bruised up after his evening with Marlene somehow went south. At the church the very nervous Ginny, who'd taken a few too many tranquilizers because her period had come early and left her miserable, causes a scene throughout the wedding ceremony.Meanwhile, Jake goes on a search for Samantha at her house, only to find Dong there getting over his hangover. Dong tells him where Sam went. Jake finds Carolyn and Ted the Geek passed out in the back seat of the Rolls in a nearby parking lot, where he uses the excuse of finding them together to break up with Carolyn (who had surprisingly fallen for Ted, and thus doesn't mind the breakup very much).Afterward, Jake drives to the church just in time to meet an incredulous Sam after her sister's wedding. Jake admits his attraction to her and invites her over to his house rather than to Ginny's wedding reception. Sam accepts and the story concludes with Jake and Samantha sitting in front of a birthday cake. Jake tells her to make a wish. She replies that it already came true and they kiss.

Storyline

Samantha's life is going downhill fast. The 16-year-old has a crush on the most popular boy in school, and the geekiest boy in school has a crush on her. Her sister is getting married, and with all the excitement the rest of her family forgets her birthday. Add to all this two sets of horrendously embarrassing grandparents, a foreign-exchange student named Long Duk Dong, and behold the makings of a hilarious journey into young-womanhood. — Rick Munoz <rick.munoz@his.com> Samantha Baker's Sweet Sixteen is anything but. Her high-school crush doesn't know she's alive, her parents forget her birthday, and she suffers every humiliation possible through the course of one day. Will things turn around for Sam? Will this turn out to be the best birthday ever? On the pivotal morning of her Sweet Sixteen, bright-eyed high school sophomore Samantha realises her family has forgotten her birthday. And with her older sister's wedding ceremony only hours away, Samantha has a lot on her plate: pluck up the courage to win over Jake, the handsome boy of her dreams; fend off persistent admirer Ted the Geek, and, hopefully, find love. But will Jake ever notice her? Will Samantha blow out her sixteen candles and make her wish come true? — Nick Riganas

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