Thank you John Hughes

John Hughes helped a generation make it through those angst-ridden days of high school life in the 80s. First, my 20 year high school reunion takes me back in time and now, reading Hughes' biography does it again. He happened to write and direct my favorite movie of all time - Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

For the record, I love a lot of his movies. If you're not familiar with his body of work he gave us a day off of school, a forgotten sixteenth birthday (complete with a panties display for a bunch of geeks), a Saturday of detention, a crazy cross country road trip to visit a moose with our dead aunt tied to the roof and so many others. You just need to see the list of his work to really appreciate how many movies of his you've enjoyed over the years. However, as I mentioned earlier, my very favorite movie of all time, which he wrote in one weekend, is Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

That movie is a perfect blend of laughter and sentimentality. I always laugh when Del and Neal end up cuddling in the hotel bed and I always cry when Del is sitting alone in the train station on Thanksgiving. Of course there's the scene at the rental car agency that is well worth watching by itself if you get an uncensored version. Oh my.

I didn't mean for this to be a movie review, there's just such a flood of memories for me when I think of his movies. I remember who I was with when I saw them and what was going on in my life at the time and how much fun it was to watch his characters.

I never got to hang out with the jock or bad boy during detention because I went to an all girls' school AND I was a goody two shoes (where does that expression come from anyway?); I never skipped school like Ferris (again, I was a good girl); my uncle never went to the Principal's office and told her to have a rat gnaw the mole off of her face (I don't think she had one and she was a pretty nice lady - a nun, no less); and I never would have lent a geek my underwear so he could make a few bucks (ew). Maybe that's what I liked so much about them. They did things that I never would have done or thought to do and at the end, it all turned out okay. Del got to have a family Thanksgiving, Cameron stood up to his dad, the girl got the guy, families reunited and we went home with a content feeling in our hearts and a smile on our faces.

What are the chances of me forgetting John Hughes? I'd have more luck playing pickup sticks with my butt-cheeks.

Thank you John Hughes and rest in peace.