Robert Downey Jr.’s 39-Year-OId Comedy Created a Weird Paradox with A $52 Million John Hughes Movie
Robert Downey Jr.’s 39-Year-OId Comedy Created a Weird Paradox with A $52 Million John Hughes Movie
Robert Downey Jr. first gained notoriety in the 1980s as a member of the Brat Pack, but one of his most well-known early appearances involves an odd conundrum involving John Hughes. Teen and coming-of-age comedy dominated movie theaters in the 1980s, and many of them helped launch their young performers into stardom. During this time, well-known actors including Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Downey Jr., and Molly Ringwald all received their big breaks. John Hughes was, without a question, the greatest influence on teen comedies of the 1980s.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Hughes produced, wrote, and directed some of the most well-known comedies. A few John Hughes films went on to become box office and critical favorites; National Lampoon’s Vacation, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are just a few examples. The performers, many of whom were regarded as Brat Pack members, were frequently paired with the director on projects. Nevertheless, there is an odd plot hole created by his repeated partnerships with a single young star.
Anthony Michael Hall’s Weird Science & Breakfast Club Characters Both Went to Shermer High School In 1985
There were two suspiciously similar students at the same school
Anthony Michael Hall, one of the director’s most regular collaborators, acted in four John Hughes films in the 1980s, beginning with National Lampoon’s Vacation in 1983. Two years later Hall was cast in Weird Science with Kelly LeBrock and Downey Jr. Weird Science is an adolescent science fiction comedy that revolves around two high school geeks, Gary, and Wyatt, who use a doll and a computer program to magically create the ideal woman. Although Gary and Wyatt are Shermer High students in the movie, Anthony Michael Hall has other characters that also attend the made-up institution.
The Breakfast Club, another film directed by Hughes, was a box office success six months prior to the release of Weird Science. Like Weird Science, Anthony Michael Hall plays a major role in The Breakfast Club, which is likewise set at Shermer High School. This leads to a significant paradox: basically, Gary Wallace from Weird Science and Brian Johnson from The Breakfast Club—two of Hall’s characters—went to the same school at the same time. There would have been at least a raised eyebrow if there had been two students roaming around who happened to look exactly alike but had nothing in common.
In The Breakfast Club, John Hughes makes an uncredited cameo as Brian Hall’s father.
John Hughes Frequently Used Shermer High School for His Teen Movies
There is a personal reason behind Hughes’ love of Shermer
It appears that Hughes enjoyed returning and time again to the same location for his big-screen productions, in addition to working with the same performers. Shermer High School was the setting for Ferris Bueller’s education in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, in addition as being mentioned in Weird Science and The Breakfast Club. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off does not really mention Shermer High School, in contrast to Weird Science and The Breakfast Club. But “Go Shermer!” is written on a banner in the school building’s hallway.
Like the school, the town of Shermer is a creation of John Hughes; it is meant to serve as a stand-in for Northbrook, Illinois, the town in which he spent the most of his teenage years.
I North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, which served as the filming site for all three of the Shermer High movies, was the genuine Shermer High School. Like the school, the town of Shermer is a creation of John Hughes; it is meant to serve as a stand-in for Northbrook, Illinois, the town in which he spent the most of his teenage years. The director has previously mentioned that Shermer is the hometown of every main character in his films. This implies that Shermer High School was probably attended by Del Griffith from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Samantha Baker from Sixteen Candles, and Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.
Weird Science (1985)
In the 1985 comedy Weird Science, directed by John Hughes, two high school students use their computer to construct a virtual woman, only to have her come to life. In the lead roles of youths Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly, Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith are joined by Kelly LeBrock as the synthetic Lisa, and Bill Paxton and Robert Downey Jr. in supporting parts.
RECTOR: John Hughes
RELEASE DATE: August 2, 1985
STUDIO(S): Universal Pictures
DISTRIBUTOR(S): Universal Pictures
CAST: Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr. , Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Rusler, Kelly LeBrock
WRITERS: John Hughes
RUNTIME: 94 minutes
BUDGET: $7.5 million
Every ’80s Actor in The Brat Pack Explained
A group of adolescent actors known as the “Brat Pack” gained notoriety in the 1980s for their popular teen coming-of-age movies, which dominated the film industry. The “Rat Pack” of the 1950s and 1960s served as the inspiration for the nickname. The “Brat Pack” was supposed to follow in the footsteps of the “Rat Pack,” which included Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, and others as they grew older. Many of the members of the “Brat Pack,” who starred in many of the 1980s’ top teen films, are still well-known in the business.
The 1980s were dominated by coming-of-age movies, with writer-director John Hughes making significant contributions to the genre with The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. While people searched for the next big movie star among the youth, these flicks made their performers huge box office attractions. Teen actors do occasionally go on to become well-known movie stars, and fans were counting on the “Brat Pack” to be the next in line. They may not have been successful for everyone, but they will always be recognized as a member of one of the most recognizable bands of the 1980s.
OVERVIEW
The “Brat Pack,” a group of gifted teenage actors who acted in well-known coming-of-age movies, dominated the 1980s.
These performers became well-known and teen idols thanks to films like The Breakfast Club, which were directed by people like John Hughes.
Some have forged their own paths after being well-known in the 1980s, but others, like Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, continue to rule Hollywood.
Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez Is 62 Years Old
Emilio Estevez, an actor, and filmmaker, was born in New York City on May 12, 1962, to Janet Templeton and Martin Sheen. With his upbringing, Estevez wanted to forge his own path, using his father’s more ethnic birth name rather than Sheen as his younger brother Charlie did. In 1982 at 20 years old, Estevez made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age film Tex starring Mat Dillion, Jim Metzler, Meg Tilly, and more.
From then, Estevez starred in a succession of successful coming-of-age films, including The Outsiders, The Breakfast Club, and St. Elmo’s Fire, which confirmed him as a member of the “Brat Pack.” During the 1980s, Estevez also made his directing debut with Wisdom.
Anthony Michael Hall
Anthony Michael Hall Is 56 Years Old
On April 14, 1968, Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and became an actor. He chose to go by Anthony Michael Hall after learning that there was already a Screen Actors Guild member with the same name when he started acting. With performances as a good guy nerd in movies like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science, Hall rose to prominence as the 1980s industry’s most adored geek.
The newest member of the “Brat Pack” was Hall. When he landed his big break with Six Pack at the age of 14, he was only 22 years old when the 1980s came to an end and the “Brat Pack” began working on other kinds of projects.
Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy Is 61 Years Old
June 13, 1962, saw the birth of Ally Sheedy in New York City. At the age of six, she began performing, dancing for the American Ballet Theatre. She was gifted; at the age of twelve, she penned a book that went on to become a best-seller, She Was Nice to Mice, but she gave up dancing to concentrate on acting. After starring in Bad Boys, her first feature film, Sheedy went on to star in WarGames, Oxford Blues, The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, and other films.
Sheedy regrettably dealt with heroin addiction at the same time; she later used this experience to inform her performance in 1998’s High Art, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. From 2009 to 2013, she appeared in the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh season finales of Psych. In recent years, Ally Sheedy starred in Single Drunk Female, where she briefly reunited with fellow “Brat Pack” member Molly Ringwald before it was canceled in 2023.
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe Is 60 Years Old
Born on March 17, 1964, in the United States, Rob Lowe is an actor, filmmaker, and podcast presenter. He began his acting career on television at the age of 15, appearing in the brief comedy A New Kind of Family in 1979. Lowe led the gifted group as Sodapop Curtis in his feature film debut, The Outsiders. This performance cemented him as a part of the “Brat Pack” and as a teenage idol, along with his parts in Class, Oxford Blues, St. Elmos Fire, and other shows.
Lowe’s career was in jeopardy in 1988 after he was embroiled in a sex tape scandal, which followed his early success in the 1980s. With parts in Parks & Recreation, Brothers & Sisters, The West Wing, and other television shows, Lowe was once again on the rise in the 2000s. Lowe has played Captain Owen Strand in the popular 9-1-1 spinoff since 2020. 9-1-1: He is working on other projects in addition to the upcoming fifth season of Lonestar.
