Sixteen Candles
Universal Pictures | Release Date: May 4, 1984 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago TribuneGene Siskel
The best teenage comedy since last year's "Risky Business." Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Molly Ringwald is radiant here as the eternal teen looking for love. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is a fresh and cheerful movie with a goofy sense of humor and a good ear for how teenagers talk. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
The premise is ordinary, but the film is distinguished by funny gags and excellent performances by Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
The movie is cheerful and light, showcasing Mr. Hughes's knack for remembering all those aspects of middle-class American adolescent behavior that anyone else might want to forget. Read full review
70
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
Ringwald is engaging and credible. For the boys, there's a bright, funny performance by Anthony Michael Hall. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Screenwriter John Hughes, making his directing debut, is at his best when he empathizes with the sensitivity in the ugly-duckling Ringwald and Hall characters. [04 May 1984]
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay Scott
There are individual sequences alternately amusing and touching. [08 May 1984]
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Along with the lapses of taste that have become standard in pictures aimed at teen audiences, filmmaker John Hughes offers moments of wit and warmth. Read full review
50
EmpireStaff (Not Credited)
Hall is very funny as the energetic adolescent pest and a good supporting cast includes the Cusack sibings John and Joan. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderDave Kehr
Hughes invokes the classical unities of time, place, and plot symmetry, yet he trashes his careful structure every time he needs a gag - destroying the integrity of his characters, shattering the plausibility of his situations. Read full review
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