Do you find John Hughes movies nostalgic and identifiable as a Chicago suburbanite? (Des Plaines: condo, houses)

[Tex?Il?]

Do you?

As a someone who was a young kid in the 80s and early 90s growing up in the northwest suburbs,

I find that living away, I personally feel that although there is little that is specifically Chicago that I feel attached to that is common experience to a wide range of people from the Chicago area, I will say that John Hughes movies is one thing I can point others to, and say this is what makes me think of home, where and when I grew up, and what makes me feel warm feelings and make me look forward to visiting family a couple times a year for a week or two.

As much as I love living in California. and prefer the lifestyle over the Chicago area lifestyle, if I WAS wealthy, I would absolutely prefer a colonial or georgian style house in a woodsy north shore neighborhood over a beach house or somewhere in the hollywood hills.

Are you a fan of his movies? If you are a gen exer or Gen X/Millenial transition (Carter babies like me) Do you feel as if they are the "soundtrack to your life" that you can point to?

He was an amazing director and writer, but he kind of got fed up with the movie industry and didn't want to put out sub par work. His last film he directed was 91, he continued to write for some movies, but after the turn of the millenium, he became kind of a recluse

As a reminder, these are the most well known films he directed or produced RIP (1950-2009):

Sixteen Candles ('84)
Weird Science ('85)
Breakfast Clubs ('85)
Pretty in Pink ('86)
Ferris Buellers day off ('86)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles ('87)
Shes Having a Baby ('88)
Uncle Buck ('89)
Home Alone 1 ('90) and 2 ('92)
Curly Sue ('91)

Also was involved in most of the National Lampoon movies, but did not direct or produce them, only wrote them.

[Lookout Kid]

In my mind, I think the John Hughes movies INVENTED my idea of upper-middle class suburbia. I was not raised in the suburbs, but still felt connected to this culture of "older kids", and figured my high school experience would be just like that when I got there a few years later (I was born during the Ford Administration). It wasn't. But I think I still used those movies as benchmarks against what was actually going on around me. In some ways, life imitated art. EVERYONE had seen pretty much all of those movies by the time I was in high school, and perhaps wanted to experience some things in a similar way--even though they were completely fictional.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

In my mind, I think the John Hughes movies INVENTED my idea of upper-middle class suburbia. I was not raised in the suburbs, but still felt connected to this culture of "older kids", and figured my high school experience would be just like that when I got there a few years later (I was born during the Ford Administration). It wasn't. But I think I still used those movies as benchmarks against what was actually going on around me. In some ways, life imitated art. EVERYONE had seen pretty much all of those movies by the time I was in high school, and perhaps wanted to experience some things in a similar way--even though they were completely fictional.

Good point. Even though I was really actually too young for the big five teen oriented movies when they first came out (I was born in early 1980), the later movies I distinctly remember the later ones, and MacCauley Caulkin is about my age. However, by brother, cousins, and the kids on the block were all 5-15 years older than me (born between '65 and '75) so was a little more aware of what was popular in the 80s than many others born around the same time.

Still though, its cool to think there are a series of great movies filmed and directed only several miles from where I grew up at about that time.

[SaveStRene]

Nope, could not relate to these movies at all. Grew up on the southwest side of Chicago near Midway

[matzoman]

I think those movies gave an ideal of what it is was like to grow up upper middle class in 1980's suburban america. The truth was very few people experienced it. People who grew up in condensed urban neighborhoods like myself only experienced the zeitgeist of a Hughes movie if we crashed a party in a gated suburban neighborhood. At that time period real life people from that background had their lives already mapped out for them, their parents had good careers with money that went a lot further than today, their kids went to college and came out with no debt. Urban places with tiny parking spaces and neighbors on house arrest with screaming kids was a different world to them. They did not plan on living in the city unless it was a luxury condo.

[UKWildcat1981]

Uncle Buck was a classic

[Tex?Il?]

I should note I did NOT grow up in those neighborhoods where these movies were filmed. I grew up in a early 70s ranch with aluminum/vinyl siding on a quarter acre lot west of 294/Des Plaines river. So, I was definitely a notch below the socioeconomic status of those neighborhoods were those movies took place.

For me personally the other side of the socioeconomic status that I think of when I think of 80s Chicago is the Blues Brothers. Both my parents grew up in working class Polish neighborhoods, and still had friends of the family in those neighborhoods, but that side of Chicago always felt fading to me (which it has proven to be). The Blues Brothers was deliberately showing a fading side of Chicago. (Opening with steel mills, Polish or Italian widowed grandmothers, jalopy of a car, flophouses, blues, etc. Minorities were Black, and pre 80s Chicago had a very small hispanic population, etc.)

[matzoman]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

I should note I did NOT grow up in those neighborhoods where these movies were filmed. I grew up in a early 70s ranch with aluminum/vinyl siding on a quarter acre lot west of 294/Des Plaines river. So, I was definitely a notch below the socioeconomic status of those neighborhoods were those movies took place.

For me personally the other side of the socioeconomic status that I think of when I think of 80s Chicago is the Blues Brothers. Both my parents grew up in working class Polish neighborhoods, and still had friends of the family in those neighborhoods, but that side of Chicago always felt fading to me (which it has proven to be). The Blues Brothers was deliberately showing a fading side of Chicago. (Opening with steel mills, Polish or Italian widowed grandmothers, jalopy of a car, flophouses, blues, etc. Minorities were Black, and pre 80s Chicago had a very small hispanic population, etc.)

Good description and comparison to The Blues Bros, the other side of the coin. Reminds me of south side polish/Irish Milwaukee as well.

[Steve-o]

I grew up lower middle class, and even though I couldnt exactly relate to those movies or lifestyles, they were definitely something I looked up to and admired. I think Pretty In Pink showed the lower class society portrayed by Molly Ringwald and Duckie's characters quite well. It reminded me a bit of the neighborhoods that werent too far from where I grew up. Of course John Hughes had to throw in the wealthy aspect into his movie as always (Blaine's character).

But anyways, the movies themselves and soundtracks to each movie were (even Risky Business) were all classic, and instantly recognizable. Growing up in the 80s, John Hughes did me proud with his movies. He put IL at the center of the map.

RIP Mr. Hughes, you are missed.

[SaveStRene]

Blues Brothers now that is a movie I love LOL