I've just finished You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation. Now, i'm a huge fan of John Hughes. I mean, name me an iconic film in the 1980's that used the library as its central place of events occuring in the film? It has to be the breakfast club? I had already had a cup of reminiscence reading Pretty in Pink and watched the excellent Don't You Forget About Me, which had a group of film-makers trying to meet the reclusive John Hughes to look at there documentary on him and the interviews they had with his former stars.
Anyhow, the book is by a real fan of the Hughes genre Susannah Gora. In the midst of writting this book she looks at Hughes early life, his body of work (Sixteen Candles, Breakfast club, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful and Home Alone. Gora also discusses the impact of David Blum's Brat packstory, and the impact it had upon there career. Gora, also looked at the two other directors that shared the same space whilst working in the 1980's together. These are Joel Schumacher and Cameron Crowe. Joel directed St. Elmo's Fire, whilst Cameron Crowe created Say Anything.
Well, Gora is VERY knowledgeable (the library in Breakfast club is actually in made in the gym in the school). She got to interview all the major stars in the films (but not John Hughes obviously). Its quite sad as well, because if anyone's watched Hughes films, its really sad that he'd stop talking to his muses such as Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.
I love Hughes for many reasons, one being I took my brother to see Home Alone and I can still here him laughing.
What I did find problematic with the book was that there was little mention of Weird Science, Uncle Buck and Planes, trains and Automobiles. Also, the book Pretty in Pink discussed Breakfast Club, and why that dance sequence? Its just wrong.
Overall, its just a book you have to read. Because 'When you grow up, your heart dies."
