John Hughes films -- common denominator/style?

Without really trying to remember all of his pictures, and a broader detail:

Underdog theme.
 
1. actually caring about and respecting teenagers as real human beings (he didnt use stereotypes much more than any other filmaker).
2. that indefinable humanism that characterizes the work of him, chris columbus and robert zemeckis, that is almost completely missing from filmakers in our too cool for school, overly self aware, everythings-ironic post 90's culture. heart, you might call it.
3. comedies (mostly teen comedies) taking place in chicago, or the fictional shermer, illinois.
4. anthony michael hall claiming he has a girlfriend in canada.

the guy was a freeking genius.
 
I will chime in with a reply to my own question. I agree with lots of what has already been said on this thread-- teenagers, locations in Illinois (Hughes lived just a bit northwest of Chicago in a suburb), comedy. In a lot of his films I see issues with familiy relationships (Dutch, Home Alone, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck, etc)-- often the kids/teens versus the parents/adults but also interpersonal conflict between the kids, but in the end the members of the family come to realize they love and depend on each other. Ordinary families-- well sometimes large (unordinary) families (Home Alone, Cheaper by the Dozen) with obvious money (Home Alone, Dutch), but for the most part just ordinary families in ordinary homes and ordinary neighborhoods-- no 90210 super rich teens or whitehouse daughter of the President, etc. Mostly ordinary and few locations. Strong theme usually involving the importance of 'family', relayed before FADE OUT.
 
People keep mentioning stereotypes but actually most of his teenage stories (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink) were about characters defying their own stereotypes, breaking out of the molds society has placed on them. Even his adult stories like Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains & Automobiles contain this theme pretty strongly. Hughes uses stereotype as a starting point, not as a lazy shorthand.
 
Batutta said:
... Hughes uses stereotype as a starting point, not as a lazy shorthand.
Click to expand...

I like that.

Home Alone-- starts out with Kevin stereotypical of a little runt of the litter, unable to do anything right, a total goof up. Then when he is on his own, he does everything right, to defend the home and foil the burlars.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles-- John Candy's character appears as the completely annoying stereotypical traveling salesman that nobody would or could ever love, and then we learn that he is a widower, was deeply in love and was deeply loved, and even gains the love of Steve Martin and his family.

Both examples start out with stereotypes, then completely flip those expectations to show us how stereotyping can be so incorrect.
 
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