Great Character: The Geek (“Sixteen Candles”)
This month we are looking at memorable teenagers in John Hughes movies. Today guest poster Jason Cuthbert considers another iconic character from a Hughes’ film: The Geek from the 1984 movie Sixteen Candles.
With the 1984 comedic romance Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald emerged as Hollywood’s Teen Queen and John Hughes followed up his Mr. Mom and Vacation screenwriting victories with this directorial debut. Sixteen Candles was the first of a three-film deal with Universal Pictures that also included The Breakfast Club and Weird Science, both released in 1985.
Many future staples of the John Hughes Style Guide punched their way into the pages of Sixteen Candles: teen life taken seriously, situational humor, a love triangle, authentically curated New Wave tunes and the Chicago-centric fictional suburb of Shermer Illinois.
It may not have been about Anthony Michael Hall’s Sweet Sixteen Party, but lets be clear, the 16-year old actor most definitely flourished after Sixteen Candles. Fresh off of Hughes’ Vacation in 1983 as Chevy Chase’s first fictional son Rusty Griswold, Anthony Michael Hall went on to become the youngest Saturday Night Live cast member ever during the 1985–86 season at the age of 17, as well as featuring prominently in all three of John Hughes’ initial director moments. It has been said that Hall represented Hughes’ on-screen stand-in, all starting with the premature confidence of The Geek in Sixteen Candles.
Sixteen Candles from IMDB:
A young girl’s “sweet sixteenth” birthday becomes anything but special as she suffers from every embarrassment possible.
John Hughes wisely wastes no time informing us about what The Geek is after — a girl that can raise his social status at school.
With the satirical sound of the theme to the television cop series Dragnet, The Geek’s sneakers make their grand entrance towards the front of his school bus in a hilariously rehearsed fashion. No, it’s not his bus stop yet, but he only has about two minutes before the beautiful birthday girl Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald) makes her own exit without his phone number. Opportunity knocks, whether the door to Samantha’s heart opens for The Geek is another story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzeNMZcP8Xg
Getting unanimously dissed by Samantha may be enough to humble any male ego, but not The Geek. This guy stares embarrassment directly in the eye and gambles his pride without flinching. This time the venue isn’t a practically vacant school bus; it’s a crowded school dance, with a jury of his peers to witness the verdict of his unfavorable flirtations. The Geek may not be the central protagonist, but his mission is a cleanly crafted straightforward subplot that is entertaining to watch him stumble his way through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWvAYNw8r9o
The Geek’s nonchalant shtick warms up every scene he saunters into, offsetting the more typical ultra-ego serious presence of his schoolmates. He has clearly mastered the socially awkward computer–addicted scene. Now he feels due for an upgrade to first class, eager for a Cool Kid Co-sign to co-exist in both worlds.
THE GEEK: Yeah, but, the thing is, I’m kinda like the leader, you know? Kinda like the king of the dipshits.
Scoring game-winning cool points is clearly more of a priority to The Geek than trying to out-heart-throb Samantha’s not-so-secret admirer Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling). These purely status-inspired motives make it easier to believe that The Geek would become a defacto matchmaker for that same exalted redhead he has had some major heat for.
Having promised Samantha’s panties on a platter as a trophy of accelerated manhood to his geeky minions, one played by John Cusack very early in his career, The Geekster becomes quite savvy when acquiring said undergarments, and even earns a little coinage off of the celebration of this fabricated evidence of deflowering Samantha.
THE GEEK: Relax, would you? We have seventy dollars and a pair of girls underpants. We’re safe as kittens.
The intriguing aspect of The Geek’s character is that he is not just some completely innocent insult receptacle. Sure, he gets ridiculed when he drifts outside of the guarded gates of Geek Paradise. But we also get to observe The Geek’s scheming trickster ways get revealed. Aside from fibbing to his friends about his fictitious “panty raid,” The Geek also falsely convinces Jake that he is tight with Samantha and fools Samantha into believing Jake and himself are best buds to make both of these popular personalities rely on his “friendship” to connect.
THE GEEK: But I feel compelled to mention to you, Jake, I mean, if all you want of the girl is a piece of ass, I mean, I’ll either do it myself, or get someone bigger than me, to kick your ass. I mean, not many girls in contemporary American society today, would give their underwear to help a geek like me.
Even though the truth may not always factor into The Geek’s aggressive approach towards approval, he still embodies the socially driven priorities that countless teenagers are consumed by during that ever-so-illusive journey to becoming comfortable in our own skin.
The Geek remains likable almost because of his illusions of grandeur, plus his verbal manipulations aren’t exactly getting anyone killed. In fact, they ironically help lead everyone towards what they spent the entire movie searching for in the first place: Samantha getting Jake, Jake getting Samantha and The Geek actually getting with another preppy princess — with legitimate proof this time.
For his witty adaptations to any situation, his persistent self-confidence in the face of defeat and that You-Only-Live-Once motto that makes him the life of his own party — The Geek is truly a GREAT CHARACTER inhabiting the heralded high school hallways of John Hughes’ imagination.
A particularly noteworthy analysis by Jason, so please head to comments to give him some kudos!
Thanks once again to Jason! You may follow him on Twitter: @A2Jason.
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