The 8 Films Directed by John Hughes – Ranked

If you lived through the ‘80s, John Hughes was synonymous with great movies. Of course, he continued on past the ‘80s, but that decade is without a doubt the one he is most associated with. Though he wrote many movies over the years, he directed just eight of them. Today, we’re taking a look at all eight of John Hughes’ movies and, because everyone loves a list, ranking them all amongst each other. Which one will reign supreme? Well you’re just gonna have to keep reading to find out.

8. She’s Having a Baby (1988)

Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern star in She’s Having a Baby, one of Hughes’ lesser known movies that, it’s said, most closely resembles his own life. Bacon and McGovern play a young married couple who aren’t quite prepared for all that the married life entails. While Bacon starts to long for the single life, McGovern wants to have a baby. By the title of the movie, you can guess where this movie goes. Even though it’s at the bottom of our list, that doesn’t actually mean it’s bad, it’s just not as memorable as the rest of Hughes’ movies.

7. Curly Sue (1991)

Curly Sue is Hughes’ last directed film, and stars Jim Belushi and Alisan Porter as a homeless man and his young companion who survive by conning people. But, when they meet a wealthy woman, their plan to con her turns into something more when they both end up caring about each other. Though some might rank this in the lowest spot, if you grew up in the ‘90s, we’re sure you probably have a soft spot for this movie.

6. Weird Science (1985)

Definitely Hughes’ wackiest movie, Weird Science stars Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith as two nerdy high schoolers who decide to try to create the perfect woman a la Frankenstein. They succeed, but of course things go a bit off the rails for them after they realize they are in over their heads with their created woman, Lisa. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a watch just for the goofiness of it all, but it’s definitely not Hughes’ best.

5. Sixteen Candles (1984)

For his directorial debut, Hughes chose Sixteen Candles, which stars Molly Ringwald as Sam, a high school sophomore whose family forgets it’s her sixteenth birthday with the looming wedding of her older sister just a day away. The movie revolves mostly around Sam’s crush on Jake, a popular older guy at her school, while fending off the advances of the geeky Ted, played by Anthony Michael Hall. It’s definitely one of Hughes most remembered movies, but when you watch it back these days, it’s not as tightly plotted as the rest of the movies we have higher here on this list.

Love ’80s teen romance movies? Check out our other article: The Top 10 ‘80s Teen Romance Movies to Remember – Ranked

4. Uncle Buck (1989)

John Candy stars as the eponymous Uncle Buck, a boozing, gambling bachelor who ends up looking after his brother’s children while they are away. Buck has to deal with the antics of his rebellious teenage niece, and learns that he’s ready to be more committed to his longtime girlfriend through the course of the film. You can’t beat John Candy in his prime in this fun comedy that also stars a young Macaulay Culkin prior to Home Alone.

3. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

In one of the only movies that exists that’s about Thanksgiving (seriously, there are hardly any Thanksgiving movies compared to Christmas movies), Planes, Trains and Automobiles stars Steve Martin and John Candy as, respectively, a high strung marketing executive and a goodhearted but kinda annoying salesman. The pair are forced to spend a three-day odyssey together trying to get Martin’s character home in time for Thanksgiving dinner with his family. The movie is a gem, and one of the rare adult movies in Hughes’ repertoire. If you haven’t seen it, get on it!

2. The Breakfast Club (1985)

A classic that takes on the stereotypes that kids find themselves in high school, The Breakfast Club captures a sort of magic. And when you watched it as a teenager, you probably thought to yourself, maybe I should try to get Saturday detention so I can have a Breakfast Club experience. Of course, real Saturday detentions probably aren’t quite so interesting, and probably don’t end in quite as many romantic moments. But do we care? Not one bit.

1. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Not only funny but a lot of just plain fun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a true high school fantasy all about a group of friends ditching school to have a pretty awesome day. While some may rank Breakfast Club higher, and we wouldn’t fault them, in the end we had to put Ferris Bueller on top as it’s a movie that we’re always in the mood to watch. It’s the rare movie that has the main character actually talking to the camera, which normally would be a big turn off, but here it works. You just can’t help but love Ferris Bueller.

What’s your favorite John Hughes movie? Do you agree with our ranking? Let us know in the comments!

Hughes was very close with John Candy, who passed away in 1994. Many have said that Candy’s death likely contributed to Hughes stepping back from Hollywood.
Hughes passed away in 2009 after suffering from a sudden heart attack while on a walk in New York.
He held grudges against Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall when they turned down roles in some of his later films of the ‘80s.
Hughes started his career in the ‘70s as a writer for National Lampoon magazine.
Hughes wrote the original script for Dumb and Dumber, but part of the deal when the script was bought was that his name be removed from the project in any form.

Hughes was very close with John Candy, who passed away in 1994. Many have said that Candy’s death likely contributed to Hughes stepping back from Hollywood.
Hughes passed away in 2009 after suffering from a sudden heart attack while on a walk in New York.
He held grudges against Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall when they turned down roles in some of his later films of the ‘80s.
Hughes started his career in the ‘70s as a writer for National Lampoon magazine.
Hughes wrote the original script for Dumb and Dumber, but part of the deal when the script was bought was that his name be removed from the project in any form.