I’ve seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at least 100 times – how could you miss it when it’s on TBS every other weekend? I practiced scenes from The Breakfast Club in drama class in high school. I loved Jake Ryan. So it is with a heaviness in my heart that I reflect on the passing of John Hughes – the 80’s teen flick director who made teenage angst compelling time and time again. From Ferris skipping school to Claire Standish putting on her lipstick using her boobs, John Hughes was a freaking genius. Need I mention he wrote National Lampoons Vacation, giving us such quotable lines as “I don’t know why they call this stuff hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself, huh?” and “First ones here!” which we quote on a regular basis in my house.

Edited to add: Amy posted this amazing story of a teenaged girl who was pen pal to John Hughes during the 80’s. Good stuff.

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