Director: Matt Austin
Producers: Michael Facciolo, Kari Hollend
Starring: Kevin Smith, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Kelly LeBrock, Jason Reitman
MPAA Rating: NA
Running time: 77 min.

(3/5)

When John Hughes passed away earlier this year, an entire generation mourned the death of a friend. Hughes had been a voice of a generation, a man whose films spoke about teen life without embellishment or speaking down to kids; it was as though someone finally understood what it was like to be a teen. His films may date back to the 80s but the themes and stories he explored are as relevant to day as they were in 1985 and so Hughes has continued to champion teen films though he hadn’t made a new one in decades.

Last year, a group of Canadians led by director Matt Austin (along with producers Michael Baker, Michael Facciolo, Kari Hollend and Lenny Panzer) headed on a road trip to find and speak to one of their idols except Hughes had been gone from Hollywood for over a decade and finding him was not going to be as easy as expected. The trip, documented in Don’t You Forget About Me eventually takes them to Chicago but not before a series of trips and interviews with the kids that have enjoyed and continue to enjoy Hughes’ films and some of the individuals who starred in those now classics.

Though the film spends much of its time documenting the filmmaker’s trip to Chicago and the search for Hughes’ home, the highlights are easily the discussion of what makes his films so timeless and why they speak as well to today’s youth as they did to kids in 1985. The clothes and music may be different, but Hughes captured what it was like being a teen, the confusion, elation, misunderstanding and perhaps most importantly, the wanting to fit in (not necessarily be popular but to be accepted). This conclusion is drawn from a series of interviews with everyone from filmmaker Kevin Smith and Roger Ebert to a group of high school students.

Though it focuses primarily on John Hughes, Don’t You Forget About Me also does something interesting: it opens up discussion on teen films. Among discussion of Hughes classics, there is talk of the current trend of teen films and it was interesting hearing high school students speak of how unsatisfied they are by today’s crop of teen films. They simply can’t relate to fucking a pie or sex crazed band camp excursions. The teen film market was at it’s peak with Hughes behind the camera but little has been learned since then and the crop of new offerings is pathetic.

Don’t You Forget About Me isn’t particularly memorable nor does it provide any new insights into John Hughes that we weren’t already aware of but it works as a sort of tribute (a very entertaining one) to a man who gave voice to a generation; a great companion piece to any of Hughes’ films.

Don’t You Forget About Me is available on DVD, at the moment only in Canada, on Tuesday, November 3rd.