MovieChat Forums > Can't Hardly Wait (1998) Discussion > The '16 Candles' of my generation

The '16 Candles' of my generation

posted 16 years ago by Guybrush_Lechuck
12 replies | jump to latest

I love the Hughes Brat Pack movies from the 80's but I could never fully relate to them simply by the fact that I was in elementary school when they came out.

Can't Hardly Wait came out when I was 17 and in my senior year of high school, so basically the time frame in the film mirrored my own. Pretty much, this falls in line with those like myself that are too young to be Gen X but too old to be Gen Y.

I worked in a movie theater at the time and recall walking in on this movie at random times during my shifts. Back then I could relate to Preston's character(Vonnegut was my hero too, I had a secret crush on a girl I'd known for years), with a bit of William in there as well.

Can't believe it's been 10 years already!

Me being 17 at first viewing + JLH's huge mammaries + memorable characters = special place in my heart.

Can't help but get all sentimental when watching this film.

"Dammit, Sulik died again! I'm taking back my Mega Powerfist, worthless tribal!"

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Guybrush_Lechuck 16 years ago

Yeah, I agree that it far surpasses the "PIE" movies. The American Pie films focused on pushing the raunchiness to the limit, and were basically one big sex joke. Good for some laughs but didn't have the charm of this film.

"Dammit, Sulik died again! I'm taking back my Mega Powerfist, worthless tribal!"

[–] Doc110894 16 years ago

Yeah, this movie is like a big homage to Sixteen Candles, with a dab of The Breakfast Club thrown in, with the Kenny/Denise bathroom subplot.

[–] dude63636363 16 years ago

Just a really great movie, I love talking about it and watching with friends. I wonder what the feeling around shooting was about the quality of the movie. Keep your Oscars, this is a terrific movie.

[–] Disucrayeo 16 years ago

I guess this is sort of my generation because I graduated the same year as then, was 18 when I saw it.

But movies like Scream and Clueless seem more like my generation because i was still in highschool when they came out.

[–] rusher-5 13 years ago

Hard to say what movies is the one for my generation... I graduated in 2007, I liked Superbad but saw it already when I was at the university. Other than that I can't imagine any other movie I could relate to... Eurotrip maybe but it was soooo exaggerated and as I'm from Europe it didn't really do anything for me, it'd be like me shooting a movie about going to the states and meeting Jay-Z and ni**as from da hood in New York, then going to Texas to see some cowboys and play football, during the trip getting raped in the ass by hillbillies God knows where and then getting stoned on Golden Gate bridge...

Other than that can't imagine a decent flick about teens... that would fall in the period of 2003-2005 approximately. Only later I discovered Napoleon Dynamite that is now probably my top 00s teen movie. But still I'm surprised of how few real and honest teen flicks were made in 00s (and set in 00s too, not in 80s or like Dynamite some mix of weird 80s-90s...)

80s was definitely the golden age for these kinds of movies, now I'm starting to re-discover 90s too.

[–] MacsDuster 12 years ago

I'm in a similar predicament; I graduated high school in '07, but I don't really connect to any of the newer teen movies. Growing up I rabidly watched almost every teen movie from the 80's and 90's. I can't really say I could relate to most of them(back then as a tween, or now that I've been through all of high school and college), but I can say I feel most connected with the teen films of the 90's. There was a certain light-hearted, but still edgy feel to them.

This is an environment of welcoming, and you should just get the hell outta here. -Michael Scott

[–] lexiever-1 12 years ago

Same here, I graduated in 07 and grew up watching all the teen movies from the 80s and 90s. Of course like you said I couldn't exactly relate because I was young watching them but now I relate to them completely. The only teen movie of the 00s I can slightly relate too because I was in high school when it came out was Mean Girls,my friends and I quote it to death. But most other teen movies that came out in the 00s, I feel nothing for them. Saw Superbad my senior year but I feel nothing for that movie but I think that's because it was so over the top and was typical male teen movie where losing your virginity is the main goal.

Lonely Chicago pie

[–] Seriona1 12 years ago

I like to think this movie is the 16 Candles for men.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Suriname86 12 years ago

I'm generation Y (26) but, a lot of the cultural elements of Gen X impacted my generation as well because alot of us were preteens and very much into the music, films and fashions of the late 90s. A lot us who were 12, 13, 14 remember the late 90s music and films that were coming out. In fact, I was only 10 when "Clueless", "Scream," and all those movies came out but my friends and I saw them right along with everyone else, as did most of my classmates.

I'm surprised the OP feels o distant from Gen X since he/she is a late-GenXer (early '80s birthyear) ; Gen-Xers are usually pretty hardcore about representing their generation. It's usually my generation or generation Z that tries to pose like they're "90s kids."

[–] Doc110894 12 years ago

When I first saw this, I was comparing it to "The Breakfast Club". When I watch it now, it's like a 90's mix of "Dazed and Confused" and "Sixteen Candles".