ARTS The Michigan Daily Sunday, May 20, 1984 Page 8 '16 Candles' burns dimly 0 By Gordon Jay Frost I N THE LAST few years Hollywood has seen fit to move from blaxploitation films to sexploitation films and finally, and perhaps most profitably, the teen sexploitation genre. The characteristics are obvious to anyone who has had the unfortunate luck to view Porky's, Hot Dog or Up The Creek. This vein is wearing out its commercial welcome, however, and now films such as Sixteen Candles are beginning to take their place. Not very far removed from its forerunners, this new release seeks to soften the sexual edge and increase its credibility through characterization. Unfortunately, this effort is impeded by other stereotypes and stylizations. The film begins on Samantha's (Molly Ringwald) 16th birthday. Her family, in the rush to prepare her ob- noxious sister's wedding, have forgot- ten all about it. The major subplot revolves around Samantha's attraction to a handsome and popular boy at school. That night there will be a school dance and a senior party, all of which, Samantha hopes, will change her life. One would think that such a premise couldn't go too wrong ... but it does. There are extensive faults in the film's attempt at slapstic comedy. Joan Cusack, listed in the credits as Geek Girl #1, wears a back/neck brace and is forced to constantly embarrass herself on screen. Is it funny to watch an un- comfortable young woman having dif- ficulty drinking water from a fountain? Undoubtedly the director, John Hughes, who also wrote the screenplay, has never worn such a device. Gedde Watanabe, trained at the American Conservatory Theater, plays a demeaning stereotype of the Chinese exchange student Long Duk Dong. His persistent use of cliche Americanisms like, "What's happening hot-stuff," along with gong sound-effects, is only surpassed in its stupidity by his ob- session with tall American women and large breasts. In the end, he is portrayed as an ungrateful, lazy drunkard. This choice of a Chinese exchange.student is ironic: there are no Chinese exchange students in U.S. high schools - it is against Chinese law. In addition to these two offensive two- dimensional portrayals, the Italian community gets it share of barbs by depicting the fiancee of Samantha's sister, and his family as unmannered womanizing mafiosos. Adults and other teenagers in Sixteen Candles are portrayed as incon- siderate, irresponsible and selfish. Samantha's family forgets her birth- day, usurp her room, "feel her up" because she is developing breasts, for- ce her to take Long Duk Dong to the school dance, turn her male fantasy away on the phone and leave her behind after her sister's wedding. Samantha's father, as he is more un- derstanding than the rest, becomes a sympathetic figure. But he doesn't really do anything to deserve such recognition - his is simply the first to admit some of his mistakes. This technique is used often in Sixteen Can- dles - withholding emotional interac- tion from the audience; interpersonal relationships are equated with feeling. There is a false sense of affection created when the other teens talk or act 01 Samantha (Molly Ringwald) finally settles down to a normal moment on her sixteenth birthday in the overly-offensive 'Sixteen Candles.' on love. The rest of the film is devoid of healthy emotional outlets. Technically, Sixteen Candles is a product of an inactive imagination. On- ce again, a perennial problem in ex- ploitation films is the microphone boom. It is particularly annoying to spend $4 to see a film where the editor lacks the ability to properly cuta scene where this third, unscripted character bobs down from the ceiling into the ac- tion. The director of photography also must have enjoyed himself since it does not appear that the director was ever. behind the camera or helping to plot the sequence of shots. The only way to describe the camera work is as dull. Without a doubt, however, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall were superb in their performances, of- ten exceeding the stagnant nature of an uninspired script. As Samantha, Ringwald makes sense out of the con- stant asides used to explain to the audience what is deficient in the narrative. As a girl of 16, she is impeccable - insecure, three-dimensional, in- telligent and thoughtful. Not only does she give her lines an honest reading, but her body also adapts to the contor- tions of a budding beauty. Anyone who may have seen her in the dreadful Spacehunter: Adventures In the For- bidden Zone or The Tempest would un- derstand this observation. As the Geek (or Farmer Ted), An- thony Michael Hall is on target. The coolest of the uncool guys, he has sex on his mind - but admits that it's just a status quest. Obnoxious and yet sen- sitive, Hall gives his reading a free- wheeling and truthful performance. Together Ringwald and Hall feed off each other in a remarkable way: they understand the game that they are playing and still maintain enough in- tegrity to pursue their dreams without being untrue to themselves. Their life is not an ideal one but they make the most of their predicament. Sixteen Candles could possibly be viewed as an enjoyable film. Its im- plicit message, however, does not differ drastically from other films made for this target audience. Aside from a sen- sitive and mature performance of two slightly immature teens, and two ab- stract but strong supporting roles, this film seems to reach for the same pocketbook as the screenwriter's last two errors: Mr. Mom and National Lampoon's Vacation. Hopefully, this "writer" will focus his future efforts in the most successful direction of Sixteen Candles - sensitivity and camaraderie. 0 0 Poor Samantha, not only does her family forget her Sweet 16th, she also must deal with Farmer Ted, the nerdy admirer who just won't leave her alone in 'Sixteen Candles.'