It was announced last week that Selena Gomez is rebooting the John Hughes film, Sixteen Candles. Selena is producing it and turning it into a series for Peacock. The new show will be called 15 Candles and will feature four Latina young ladies gearing up for their quinceañeras. So how does Sam feel about this? The star of Sixteen Candles Molly Ringwald (Samantha), said she’s thrilled. She loves the concept, she loves the updates and thinks the whole thing, “just sounds fantastic.”
Molly Ringwald won’t forget to tune in to this reboot.
Though the star said she’s usually not a fan of movie reboots, she’s “so happy” about the Selena Gomez-produced reboot of Sixteen Candles.
“I am so happy about that,” said Ringwald, 54, per Deadline. “I really do feel like when people always ask me about rebooting my movies, I am like, ‘No those movies were wonderful,’ but what they should do is take inspiration from them and do something completely different but inspired, so that just sounds fantastic.”
Gomez, 29, looks like she’ll be delivering on that idea of “completely different but inspired.” For starters, the project won’t be called Sixteen Candles. Instead, 15 Candles — which will stream in 30-minute episodes on Peacock — will tell the story of four young Latina women who are preparing for their quinceañeras.
Molly’s blessing is important for two reasons. First, those of us who grew up with the original hold Molly on a pedestal for these coming-of-age roles. Nothing is sacred until they come for the treasures of our youth, right? I’m usually indifferent with remakes until they hit on something that I saw at a pivotal moment in puberty. Then I break out the pitchforks and torches. But if Molly says she’s cool with it, so am I.
It’s also important that Molly signs off for the reasons she stated in the article. Molly has been vocal about understanding how problematic many of the John Hughes films were. But not everything in them were bad. I agree with her, by the way. She talked about not being able to watch many of her films with her daughter because she has to explain how some parts are grossly inappropriate or should not have been in the film. We’ve done that with a few 80s ‘classics’ as well. But Selena’s 15 Candles sounds like an interesting update. Focusing in on what we identified with from Sixteen – like feeling invisible, having one foot in childhood and one foot in adulthood, basically anything to do with the high school social strata – and eliminating the racist and sexist elements that the original included. I like the balance Molly’s struck here – don’t throw the whole film out, but definitely don’t make the same mistakes twice. Update them and turn them into truly relatable films.
Maybe Selena can find room for a Sam cameo?
Photo credit: Avalon Red and Getty Images
This doesn’t sound like a reboot, just a show with a similar name? The original aged like old milk and is incredibly problematic with date rape, racist stereotypes, non consensual touching, the list goes on. It should not be rebooted but doesn’t really seem like it is.
But who will play the Jake Ryan role? Forever known as the eternal hottie of horny teen girls every where.
Mistakes lived, learned, growth and pain. This is why it’s next to impossible for me to watch nostalgically (unless it’s fantasy, cheesy scifi, or historical). I’ve never watched John Hughes with my boys lol. But have I watched Alien? Star Wars? Godzilla? I honestly can’t be hit with our earlier culture in the face like that, it makes me sick. And it’s also always a reminder of everything going on surrounding the movies’ timelines which annoys the hell out of me that I can’t just not do that if you know what I mean.
As it’s always been, really. Movies are time capsules of times past. Maybe more evident than books and music which are the same.
If they make you physically sick, I wouldn’t advise it, but watching with an older child and talking about how things are different or what was going on in your life at that time could make for some interesting conversation.
Maybe they can serve as inspiration. Things do and will change.
I don’t think I could watch any of my pre-teen/teenage favorites again. Does Lost Boys hold up? Doubtful but I really only watched it for Corey Haim. License to Drive? Dream a Little Dream? I’m pretty sure I saw every Corey Haim/Corey Feldman movie made in the 80s. I think I was slightly too young for brat pack worship but I saw all the John Hughes movies.
This reboot sounds like a completely different thing.
The Lost Boys was always campy, though, and there’s nothing offensive in it. I still enjoy it. And there are some scenes that are a still a bit, er, sultry, involving a certain vampire of my dreams.
But this 15 Candles sounds interesting. I’ll give it a watch, but since it’s about a Quincenera I somehow doubt it will involve the parents forgetting her birthday. If anything is similar to the original, it’ll probably just be teen girl awkwardness and crushes, maybe a more glamorous older sister getting married, which is hardly unique to Sixteen Candles.
Holy Hell, Sixteen Candles! I liked it when it came out, but I think it warped my pre-teen mind’s views of romance!
The lead character gives her underwear to a boy she doesn’t like in order to get access to a boy she likes, who then returns said underwear to her in a “romantic gesture.” Happy ending!
One part that still sticks with me is the girl with the full-on dental head gear sitting next to Sam on the bus and mortifying her. That wasn’t as bad as the racist and sexist stuff, but it was still obnoxious. Like, we’re supposed to root for Sam as the “underdog” but let’s make fun of this other girl because she has crooked teeth!
Anyway, the reboot sounds fine and I’m glad Molly is OK with it. She’s great.
Let’s not forget that the boy she likes puts his passed out girlfriend in a car with a 14 year old who has no license and tells him to “have fun.” Is he inviting him to rape his girlfriend or kill her in a fiery crash? Both? They left that ambiguity up to a teenage mind to figure out.
But as I’ve said above, I’m not judging the new show by any of that. I don’t think it’ll be very closely connected.