In his debut film as writer-director, John Hughes immediately cemented himself as the king of teen cinema with Sixteen Candles, and in the process also introduced one of the most iconic faces of '80s Americana: Molly Ringwald. For high schooler Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald), her 16th birthday might be the worst day of her life. Her entire family has forgotten about it due to her older sister's impending wedding; her biggest crush, high school hunk Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) has discovered an embarrassing "sex quiz" filled out by Sam in which she details how she is saving herself for him; and to make matters worse, she is hounded by a relentless nerd (Anthony Michael Hall) who won't take no for an answer. But Sam's sweet sixteen isn't over yet, and before the end of the night, all her birthday wishes could still come true... Taking the rude and crude humor of the teen sex comedies that came before it and placing it within the intimately portrayed perspective of a girl's mid-teenage-life crisis, Sixteen Candles is a bombshell of 80s pop culture that continues to be debated and beloved over three decades after its release.
This film can be used with loyalty cards or our 2026 annual CinemaSF passes
Due to a rights issue, the screening of Pretty in Pink that was scheduled for February 14 has been replaced with a showing of Sixteen Candles at the same time.
If you would like to exchange your purchase for complimentary tickets at any CinemaSF location (usable for shows at the Vogue, as well as the 4-Star and Balboa) or an in-person refund, please email our venue manager Michael at michael@cinemasf.com