FILM: 46 Candles...but who's counting?

[This promo photo for the film obviously never happened in the film, just an image to inspire fan fiction]

Sunday, May 3rd is the 30th anniversary (30 YEARS!) of the release of the epic 16 Candles. One of the first American films to take the journey of a teenager from the girl's perspective as the lead. And what a lead: Molly Ringwald.

If you didn't want to date her, you wanted to be her, or be her BFF, or just steal her clothes and music collection. Is this from the '80s? Those are some serious AggroPastels [product placement]:

OK, maybe not that track but how about the soundtrack to the moment your crush sees you while he's dancing with his heartless Stepford teen girlfriend ("God, I love it when your parents are out of town. I fantasize that I'm your wife and we're the richest, most popular adults in town.")

Or the moment you're crying to yourself in an empty school hallway at the dance, while Stepford and her minions walk by with a casual "How'sitgoin'?"; "Let's blow off this dance; I'm bored to the brink of insanity."

I think millions of straight girls and gay boys may have sat in study hall, post-1984 and dreamed of their own Jake Ryan. Oh, dreamy Michael Schoeffling and those boots; I wanted them (both):

But it all comes down to missing your sister's wedding reception, driving in a cherry red Porsche (duh; it's the '80s), getting a big birthday cake and sitting on a glass-top table (hoping it doesn't shatter under the weight; has this happened post-1984?)

"Make a wish."

"It already came true."