Anthony Michael Hall is proposed as the greatest teenage actor based on Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science within three years. — Bill Simmons
DiCaprio’s This Boy’s Life, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Romeo + Juliet, Growing Pains, and The Basketball Diaries are compared, with uncertainty about whether some fall within his teenage years.
Phoenix’s case includes Stand by Me, The Mosquito Coast, Running on Empty, The Last Crusade, My Own Private Idaho, and Little Nikita.
The Hall claim is softened toward most successful or beloved rather than best; his consistently welcome presence remains the defense. — Bill Simmons
Hall’s teenage SNL membership underscores his stature, while later Vacation-series child casting is criticized as inferior. — Bill Simmons
The salesman was right about the family truckster because it completes the trip and survives an enormous crash.
Clark’s attempted infidelity is provocatively defended as a response to repeated rejection; the claim of a sexless marriage is disputed and the pool-waitress excuse remains indefensible. — Van Lathan
Hall’s characters in Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science are defended as distinct, and he can serve as Chase’s straight man. — Bill Simmons
Estevez turned down Cameron; he could have done it, since his Breakfast Club jock has dad problems, but the result with Ruck is preferred.
Estevez, fresh off Repo Man, would have played a punk-rock version rather than Ruck's Cameron. — Chris Ryan
Ruck had auditioned for Bender, which would not have worked. — Bill Simmons
Molly Ringwald wanted to play Sloan; per the hosts, Hughes wanted Mia Sara for her elegance and maturity, and telling Ringwald the part was too small is what you say when you do not want to cast someone. — Bill Simmons
Hughes had only Broderick in mind; the backup is said to be John Cusack, who got his iconic high schooler as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything. — Bill Simmons
Anthony Michael Hall told Vanity Fair his relationship with Hughes ended after Weird Science and believes roles including Ferris were written for him; one host doubts this, another believes it and calls Hughes vindictive. — Bill Simmons
Bill Paxton was offered the garage attendant, turned it down as too small, regretted it, and was never offered another Hughes role. — Bill Simmons
Paul Gleason was considered for Ed Rooney; as Dick Vernon he would presumably be on administrative leave after the Breakfast Club detention. — Bill Simmons
Gleason would have been distracting; Jeffrey Jones's sitcom, Laurel-and-Hardy energy was the right choice over Gleason's A1-asshole energy. — Sean Fennessey
It is unclear why Zabka did not become a bigger star, possibly pigeonholed as the 80s villain as Anthony Michael Hall was as the nerd; Macchio or Morita won at the time, but Zabka won over the years as the best and hardest part. — Bill Simmons
Anthony Michael Hall first gets a no, withdrawn ('let me rephrase that') for a yes - it is his Apex Mountain because it leads to Weird Science - with the Full Metal Jacket missed chance noted. — Bill Simmons
For Sheedy, St. Elmo's Fire is named as the peak for her and Estevez, though she is good in High Art and Bad Boys.
Hughes's peak is Ferris Bueller; Gleason's Trading Places is called pretty strong. — Bill Simmons
Ringwald's three Hughes films are seen as one work and her stardom as brief but important; Fresh Horses cost her momentum, while Betsy's Wedding is said to hold up. — Wesley Morris
Maine North High School location; built library set; shared Ferris Bueller location; 150-minute director's cut; deleted scenes; Hall's growth spurt; Don't You Forget About Me origin; Parmesan-cheese dandruff; Carl as Man of the Year
Filming took place at Maine North High School in Illinois, already closed, with the library built as a set. — Bill Simmons
The research says Bender's flinch at Vernon's fake punch was genuine. — Bill Simmons
The same location served Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and the research says Hughes shot the two concurrently to save time and money. — Bill Simmons
As read on air, Hughes was disappointed that Nelson stayed in character and tormented Ringwald off camera, and considered firing him until other cast members intervened. — Bill Simmons
At a 25th-anniversary reunion Sheedy is said to have revealed a 150-minute director's cut, held by Hughes's widow, with deleted scenes including a dream sequence where Sheedy falls asleep and a steamier Claire-Bender scene; the hosts call them good cuts. — Bill Simmons
Vernon is said to be based on a teacher and wrestling coach Hughes had in high school. — Bill Simmons
A scripted scene of Vernon and Carl spying on a teacher swimming naked was cut after Ringwald pushed to remove it. — Bill Simmons
The songwriter approached for the soundtrack wrote 'Don't You Forget About Me' inspired by Brian's will-we-still-be-friends question; Bryan Ferry was approached before Simple Minds recorded it, and it became their most famous song, unlike their other work. — Bill Simmons
The hosts relay a story that the actor playing Carl clashed with Estevez after a remark about Martin Sheen's heart attack while Estevez and Nelson tried to make him laugh. — Bill Simmons
Allison's dandruff was Parmesan cheese.
The flare-gun damage is visible on Brian's locker early on, and Carl appears as Man of the Year. — Bill Simmons
A deleted Carl scene predicted the five kids' futures 30 years on, and was cut. — Bill Simmons
