Five essential John Hughes classics arrive in one fantastic Blu-ray Collection from Paramount Home Entertainment. The JOHN HUGHES 5-MOVIE COLLECTION includes the beloved favorites Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, as well as the Blu-ray debuts of She’s Having a Baby and Some Kind of Wonderful. The Collection also includes access to a digital copy of each film.
The movie critique portion of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful was written by my colleague Jessica Gonzales.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
In New York the marketing executive Neal Page wants to travel home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. He has difficulties getting a taxi and his flight is cancelled. He meets in the airport the clumsy and talkative shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith who has taken his cab and they travel side-by-side to Chicago. However the bad weather shuts down O’Hare Airport and they land at Wichita, Kansas. They both want to go to Chicago and they decide to travel together. Along their journey Neal changes his viewpoint about Del Griffith and his own behavior.
While John Hughes may be best known for the work he did in the “teen film” genre, one of the high points of his career is the hilarious and heartfelt Planes, Trains and Automobiles. In lesser hands, this could have been a film that played all of the obvious notes and went for the cheap laughs again and again. This may have been good for a solitary viewing, but the film would not be known as the stone-cold holiday classic that it is today. The characters of Neal and Del are fully developed creations rather than broad caricatures that anyone could have embodied. No one else but the great John Candy and Steve Martin could have brought such life and nuance to these two characters. Each of them have their obvious flaws throughout the narrative, but there is all a poignant undercurrent to each character that makes you really care about what happens to them in the end. In a career filled with hysterical performances, this may just be John Candy’s greatest achievement. The relationship he has with Steve Martin on screen is the stuff of magic; if you cast a buddy picture incorrectly the entire film would fall flat on its face. Hughes brings great humor and sentimentality to a story that is relatable and endearing in all of the best ways.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
One fake sick day sends high school senior Ferris Bueller, his girlfriend Sloane and his best friend Cameron on the adventure of their young lives, as they ditch school and take off on a raucous journey through Chicago as they stay one step ahead of their principal and Ferris’s sister.
Have stolen best-friend’s-dad’s Ferrari, will travel. What kid didn’t think Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) was the coolest? He was sticking it to the man in not just a “bad boy” way but a clever, smart-ass way, and honestly, that is the superior method. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of a kind. We have a wise ass kid who convinces his anxiety-riddled best friend, Cameron (Alan Ruck), to ditch school in favor of an all day adventure that Ferris believes is necessary to their well-being, but you can’t truly have an adventure without your best girl, Sloane (Mia Sara), so of course, Ferris poses as her father and picks her up from school as well. The gang gets into all kinds of scrapes during the adventure, but nothing that Ferris can’t seem to handle. These sticky situations ultimately lead up to one of the greatest lip sync performances of “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles of all time that renewed an obsession with the song altogether. Just me? Ok. Ferris even learns that his big sister, Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), may not be such a narc after all. Maybe it’s time you gave yourself a mental health day and watched this movie because after all life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.
She’s Having A Baby (1988)
Jake and Kristy Briggs are newlyweds. Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of marriage and all that it (and their parents) expect from them. Do they want babies? Their parents certainly want them to. Is married life all that there is? Things certainly aren’t helped by Jake’s friend Davis, who always seems to turn up just in time to put a spanner in the works.
Of all of the films in this collection, this is by far the one that is most forgotten. It also might be the one most ripe for a reevaluation. Looking to make something a bit more mature, Hughes took to crafting this not-quite autobiographical tale of young love and the responsibilities that come with seeing it through. As someone who has been married for a handful of years and with my wife for much longer than that, there are elements of this story that hit very close to home even thirty years after its release. Of course, Hughes has to inject some gimmicks to connect with a larger audience, but the movie is at its best when it is showcasing the smaller, more personal moments. The biggest issue with this particular film is the editing. It is readily apparent that Hughes had a great number of ideas he wanted to pack into this narrative, but quantity slightly outweighs quality as worthwhile moments are rushed through in favor of moving on to the next situation. The movie feels rushed and seems like it could have benefitted from an outside perspective if they did not want to make this film substantially longer. Even as is, the film is quite good and stands out as one of the most personal films he ever created.
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Teen sensations Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club) and Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo’s Fire) drew rave reviews for their starring performances in this timeless love story. Andie (Ringwald) is a high school girl from the other side of town. Blane (McCarthy) is the wealthy heartthrob who asks her to the prom. But as fast as their romance builds, it’s threatened by the painful reality of peer pressure. The film also stars Jon Cryer, James Spader, Harry Dean Stanton, and Annie Potts and features a phenomenal new wave soundtrack, including the title track by the Psychedelic Furs.
Pretty In Pink was reviewed previously here.
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
The teenager Keith is a high-school student and mechanic that lives with his working class family. His father’s ambition is that Keith goes to college but it not his priority since he loves Arts. His best friend is the tomboy Watts and the girl of his dreams is the popular Amanda. When she breaks up with his wealthy boyfriend Hardy Jenns, Keith invites Amanda to date and she accepts to get even of Hardy. But the rich boy plans a scheme to humiliate the couple with his friends. Meanwhile Watts discovers her true feelings for Keith.
Just like its title, Some Kind of Wonderful is truly some kind of wonderful. Keith (Eric Stoltz) is in love with Amanda (Lea Thompson), but Amanda’s ex-boyfriend and all-around dickhead, Hardy (Craig Sheffer), will not release his vice grip of the control he has over her life. He learns of Keith’s feelings for Amanda and teenage-angst-chaos ensues, but wait, let us not forget about Keith’s best friend, Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) which has to be the coolest name for a girl in the history of names. She is supportive of Keith and his quest to win Amanda, but all the while she is secretly battling feelings for Keith and playing moody yet kick-ass rhythmic patterns in the dark on her drum set at home. Will she reveal her true feelings to Keith or watch her best friend shower another girl with the love she wishes was for her? If none of this interests you in the slightest, at least watch the movie for plentiful shots of Eric Stoltz’s soulful eyes.
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray set from Paramount brings all five of these classic stories together on five separate discs with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in their original aspect ratio. Pretty In Pink was reviewed previously and thoughts on that excellent presentation can be found here. As the remaining four films share similar qualities, I will talk about quality as a whole with additional information when necessary. The truth is, these four films should all look better than they do, but the lack of a new scan leaves these a bit of disappointment. Ferris Bueller and Some Kind of Wonderful have a pretty solid grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing some details in the thoughtful production design of each film. Planes, Trains and Automobiles unfortunately employs some artificial looking grain management that feels like a misstep. She’s Having A Baby fares the worst out of all of these thanks to a pretty rough older master that gives the film a very soft, ill-defined appearance. Skin tones are a bit of a mixed bag throughout this set. Most of the films look pretty good in this regard, but She’s Having A Baby appears to be kind of lifeless in the skin tone department.
Colors pop off the screen nicely, especially with the eye-popping production design throughout each film. This is by far the element that holds up best under scrutiny. Once again, She’s Having A Baby is probably the weakest disc overall, as it clearly sourced from an ancient transfer. It is nice to finally have this film in high definition, but it would have been nice for Paramount to give it a new scan. Not far ahead in quality is Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which largely looks nice but showcases some specks of occasional damage. Black levels tend to be an issue on these four releases as precise definition suffers in shadows. The thrill of having all of these films in high definition is dampened somewhat by the fact that more care was not put into truly upgrading most of them with a fresh scan. The discs in the set are solid and will surely please most who buy it, but fans of the film want more than passable. Paramount has done a decent job with these releases, but we would not object to another release down the road with a fresh scan.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set provides immersive tracks for all of the films, with Planes, Trains and Automobiles being given a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track and the other four are provided a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix. While the video portion of these discs may not knock it out of the park, the audio side of things are pretty spectacular. John Hughes films can be counted on to provide an interesting sonic landscape from the parade in Ferris Bueller to the destructive driving in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. No matter the scenario, environmental sounds come through with a dynamic clarity that help enhance the experience quite a bit.
The activity focuses heavily on the front channels with some quality 80s pop hits bumping out and filling the room appropriately. Music is used skillfully throughout these presentations, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The classic dialogue from John Hughes comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers get some occasional activity with ambient sounds, but it is not a standout in that regard. There is a healthy amount of low-end support when the scene calls for it, as well. These tracks accomplish everything they need to do really well. Paramount is commended for providing lossless audio to all of these features.
Special Features
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
- Getting There Is Half The Fun – The Story of Planes, Trains and Automobiles: A 17-minute featurette in which John Hughes, Steve Martin, and John Candy speak to the press about the idea for the story, the casting of the film, the writing process of Hughes, the colorful language in the film, shooting the infamous bed scene and more. This is intercut with other interviews with talent such as Kevin Bacon and various crew members. Hughes has a very dry sense of humor that can be hilarious but quite awkward.
- John Hughes – Life Moves Pretty Fast
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- John Hughes – The Voice Of A Generation: A 28-minute piece in which a cadre of celebrities come together to speak on the one and only John Hughes. The participants discuss Hughes as a person, his writing style, his talent for creating memorable characters, the way in which he captures the truth of life and so much more that pays proper tribute to the man.
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- Heartbreak and Triumph – The Legacy of John Hughes: A 26-minute piece that further explores Hughes and his connection with his actors and the way in which they give life to them. This piece pays more attention to his talents as a director, the use of music in his films, difficulties that he weathered in the industry, his untimely death and more. These two pieces together create a piece that is essential for fans of these films.
- John Hughes For Adults: A four-minute piece that focuses more on Hughes’ work on more adult-oriented fare. This piece is culled from the interview session featured in the first supplement.
- A Tribute To John Candy: A three-minute featurette in which the cast and crew pay tribute to the late actor, his immense talent and his big heart.
- Deleted Scene – “Airplane Food”: A nearly four-minute scene not used in the film in which Del discusses his process of ordering special food on each airline. This is pretty hilarious and more than worth a watch.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Getting The Class Together – The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: A 28-minute featurette that traces the assembly of the cast through cast and crew interviews. This piece touches on Broderick’s initial hesitation with the project, the friendship between Broderick and Ruck, Jennifer Grey being sold on the film after meeting John Hughes and much more.
- The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: A 16-minute piece in which the cast and crew once again discuss the rapid pace at which the film was written, the abilities of Hughes as a director, dissect the creation of various scenes and more.
- Who Is Ferris Bueller?: A 9-minute featurette in which the cast and crew discuss the various characteristics that are key to the titular character and what makes him such a special creation.
- The World According To Ben Stein: An 11-minute piece in which Stein discusses the importance of Bueller in his career, his start in the entertainment industry, the fame he has gained from the project, the themes of the film and more.
- Vintage Ferris Bueller – The Lost Tapes: A 10-minute featurette in which Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, and Jeffrey Jones joke around and discuss their experiences working on the film. This is one of the more informal and enjoyable pieces on the disc.
- Class Album: A photo gallery is provided here.
She’s Having A Baby
- From The Archives – Kevin Bacon Interviews John Hughes: A 24-minute featurette from 1986 in which Bacon poses various questions to Hughes concerning both She’s Having A Baby and Some Kind of Wonderful. Hughes provides some very interesting insights about the universal truths of becoming a parent, the way he uses humor in the film, creating the soundtrack for the film and more. It is always great to hear directly from Hughes about his films.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here that sets up the film quite well.
Pretty In Pink
Pretty In Pink was reviewed previously here.
Some Kind of Wonderful
- Audio Commentary: Director Howard Deutch and actress Lea Thompson, who just so happen to be married, deliver a fun and insightful commentary track in which they reflect fondly on the project while sharing very worthwhile anecdotes from the production that fans will love.
- Back To Wonderful – A Conversation with Director Howard Deutch: A new seven-minute interview with Deutch in which he discusses his experiences on the film, the bad advice he received from Brian De Palma, the shifting of the tone from a comedy to a genre, how Howard The Duck helped convince Lea Thompson to take this role and more.
- The Making of Some Kind of Wonderful: An eight-minute archival featurette that focuses on the casting and production of the film with interviews from Howard Deutch and actors Lea Thompson, Eric Stoltz, and Mary Stuart Masterson. This piece explores some of the tension that arose from Stoltz staying in character, the evolution of the script, the numerous amounts of takes necessary to make the film work and more.
- Meet the Cast of Some Kind of Wonderful: A nearly 14-minute piece that features interviews from Deutch, Hughes, and actors Stoltz, Thompson, Masterson, John Ashton, Maddie Corman, Molly Hagan, and Chynna Phillips. There is a nice discussion about specific character choices, the way in which each performer was cast, and even a heartbreaking story from Maddie Corman that I will not spoil here.
- John Hughes Time Capsule: An 11-minute piece that comes from the same piece featured on the She’s Having A Baby disc in which Kevin Bacon interviews John Hughes about various aspects of the film.
Final Thoughts
The John Hughes 5-Movie Collection encompasses some of the most beloved films to come out of the 80s. Whether your preference is for some premium teen angst, an effortlessly cool and clever adventure or some adult-skewing hilarity, this set has a little something for everyone to tickle their funny bone. These five films are given Blu-Ray discs that present something of a mixed bag in the A/V department. Most casual viewers will be pleased with having these films in high definition, but the fact that only Pretty In Pink was given a fresh scan (released separately last year) is an unfortunate misstep. With this being said, the set is a great value and remains the only way to get She’s Having A Baby. John Hughes should be in your collection one way or another. Recommended
John Hughes 5-Movie Collection is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
