No matter how many times I see it, or even portions of it, usually at some odd hour in the middle of the night, Sixteen Candles teleports me instantly back to that most special of decades -- The 80's.
I don't know what it is about those years that seems so idealized in my present-day memory, but even way back then, I knew that the era would always hold a special place in my heart.
It must be that we all have a particular part of our lives which, at least for our own selves and for whatever reasons, are more special than the others. Perhaps these were times when we were the happiest, or the most optimistic, or at the height of our youthful powers.
I can't say for certain.
Nevertheless, the people, the places, and all the various parts of my life in the 80's suddenly rush back like a soccer-mom running late to practice, whenever this movie finds its way into my local cable t.v. schedule.
The funny thing is, it all seemed so awkward and angst-filled, and insecure in those "deified" days. The pressure to do well in school, fit in with the "cool" crowd, and to be otherwise socially acceptable (which meant different things, depending on which crowd you hun out with: The Rockers, The Guidos, The Jocks, The Weirdos, or The Nerds) was enough to make anybody second-guess their very existence, let alone try to be cool.
Oh, but how I tried.
Maybe that's what I miss the most -- I was cool. Believe it or not, ALL the band geeks were the coolest kids in school. Clearly, we lived in some experimental, underground, super-secret society of Artsy-Fartsy Band Dorks.
Youth is not wasted on the young, it just fits them better.
Oh yeah, and Molly Ringwald is still hot. I know, I know -- but all the other guys in my band class think so, too.
