Time is measured in many things, one of which is the popular films that happen to hit in any given year. It’s way too early to get deeply nostalgic about the 2025 movies, but it’s something to definitely keep in mind, as people’s life experiences could be colored by upcoming movies like Paddington in Peru.
Who better than the ever mindful Gwyneth Paltrow to prove this point, as she invoked Sixteen Candles, widely regarded as one of the best ‘80s movies, to highlight the eventual betrayal of time. It’s all about age, dear readers; and as a child born in the 1980s, I can’t fault this veteran of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for making an observation about this John Hughes classic.
Taking to social media, a story on Paltrow’s Instagram account dropped this would be bombshell about that film’s Hughes-ian heartthrob, Michael Schoeffling’s Jake Ryan:
Now before you look for where you can stream Sixteen Candles to soothe your jangled nerves, let me say two things. First, you only need a Netflix subscription to return to the halls of Shermer High School in 1984. But second (and more importantly), it feels like a good time to really dig into how Gwyneth Paltrow’s feelings could actually lead to something positive.
While I wouldn’t put this fan favorite on the list of popular ‘80s movies that actually suck, I’d have to agree with the sentiment that Sixteen Candles hasn’t aged well. We can still celebrate the adventures and life lessons that Molly Ringwald’s Sam Baker takes away from this eventful day, it just helps to remember that some portions of the story do need to be talked about with greater care.
No, I’m not trying to distract myself, or any of you from the fact that Michael Schoeffling, and by extension his character, is closer to collecting Social Security this year. Instead, this just proves the point of how memories of our most beloved cinematic treasures can evolve over time.
While Jake Ryan may be 65 this year, we should all hope that the years have been kind in the aftermath of that iconic kiss that doubles as a memorable ’80s music moment. If those crazy kids from Sixteen Candles could carve out a good life together, then what’s to stop the rest of us from doing so, in theory?
Returning to Ms. Gwyneth Paltrow for a moment, she certainly has had some pretty exciting times in her own story. And even taking my own childhood favorites into account, it'll be 32 years this summer since I was first struck with the need to actually visit Jurassic Park. Which, in a sense, actually did happen.
So keep all of this in mind when reflecting on how your childhood crushes and role models have grown. It not only does them a kindness, it also gives us a chance to be a bit nicer to ourselves in the process.
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