With his finger on the pulse of American teenage life in the 1980s, John Hughes earned a reputation for making some of the most realistic high school movies of his generation. A common thread among the best movies he wrote and directed is the presence of strong, capable, independent, and fully dimensional female characters, like Sam in Sixteen Candles and Andie in Pretty in Pink, both of whom were played by Hughes' teenage muse, Molly Ringwald.
But Ringwald isn't the only actress to play a great female character in the countless films John Hughes wrote and eight feature films he directed in his career. As Hughes' legacy lives on, so does the celebration of his best female characters.
10 Allison Reynolds - The Breakfast Club (1985)
Despite her scant dialogue, Allison (Ally Sheedy) in The Breakfast Club remains one of Hughes' most memorable female characters. The Gothic loner who attends detention because she has "nothing better to do" and believes "when you get older, your heart dies" has a commanding presence that complements the colorful tapestry of angsty teenage characters.
Defined by what she is not -- a girl who seeks attention and popularity -- Allison represents the outsiders, pariahs, and so-called "basketcases" who are also able to overcome a troubled home life, evolve for the better, and become whatever they want if they open their heart and allow other in.
9 Tia Russell - Uncle Buck (1989)
Tia Russell (Jean Louisa Kelly) has one of the most positive arcs of any female character in a John Hughes movie. She begins as a coy, calculating, and mean-spirited teenager who loathes her uncle (John Candy) and tries to rip his romantic relationship apart. Over time, though, she becomes a loving and understanding relative who redeems herself and accepts Buck for who he is.
Tia is extremely important to Buck's growth as a parental figure. While he's good with the younger children, he fails to get through to Tia, who is old enough to see through his act and call him out on his hypocrisy. By testing him time and again, Tia helps Buck be a better uncle, while also tapping into her forgiving side.
8 Claire Standish - The Breakfast Club (1986)
Since The Breakfast Club features more of an ensemble cast, Molly Ringwald's character isn't as prominent as some of her others. Still, Claire Standish lends a well-observed nuance and emotional pathos to an otherwise one-dimensional character.
On the surface, Claire is a popular "Princess" and model of perfection, whose only problem is going to detention for ditching school to go shopping. As Claire opens up to her classmates, she reveals a layered young woman who struggles with peer pressure, societal standards of beauty and class affiliations, and an unwillingness to befriend her less popular classmates. However, she changes her mind upon giving Allison a makeover, underscoring her evolved maturation.
7 Watts - Some Kind Of Wonderful (1987)
In the underrated Some Kind of Wonderful, Hughes introduces one of his coolest and most original female characters in Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson), a tough but vulnerable tomboy harboring a secret crush on her childhood best friend, Keith (Eric Stoltz). Keith falls for the rich and beautiful Amanda (Lea Thompson), only to realize what a special thing he had in front of him the whole time in Watts.
In what is essentially an inverted version of Pretty in Pink, Watts plays the female Duckie character who painfully pines for their best friend while feigning happiness for their newfound romance. The character fends off homophobic rumors and social stigmas while remaining true to her heart, making her wildly relatable and rootable all the way up to the satisfying finale.
6 Curly Sue - Curly Sue (1991)
Going toe-to-toe with Jim Belushi in a brilliant child performance, the precocious turn by Alisan Porter as Curly Sue is matched by how well the title character is written on the page. Endearingly funny and charmingly mature beyond her years, Sue is a convincing conniving con-artist who just wants a home to call her own.
Curly and her criminal compatriot, Bill (Belushi), cruise the city streets looking for people to bilk money out of for food to eat, with the little girl capitalizing on her cuteness to swindle hordes of cash. Aside from the impressive performance by a child actress, Sue's dedication to finding her long-lost mother's tin ring gives her more emotional resonance and a redemptive arc that some of Hughes' other female characters lack.
5 Andie Walsh - Pretty In Pink (1986)
Due to the emotionally heartfelt performance by Molly Ringwald, Andie Walsh in Pretty in Pink remains one of Hughes' best female characters. Andie's impoverished upbringing with her single unemployed father results in a meager living, making her own iconic outfits, and dreaming of a much better existence. The way she is bullied in school and dismissed by the rich kids bolsters her sympathetic nature and makes her triumphs that much sweeter.
Scarred by her mother's abandonment and her loyalties torn between her best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) and romantic crush Blane (Andrew McCarthy), Andie's class struggles and emotional quandaries tug viewers' heartstrings until the tear-jerking finale. Andie is never afraid to be herself, even if it's unpopular, which makes her character extremely admirable.
4 Jeanie Bueller - Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
No doubt the funniest female character in Hughes' resume, Jeanie Bueller's (Jennifer Grey) dogged attempt to prove her brother's chronic truancy on his well-planned day off provides endless entertainment in the teen comedy classic.
Fully aware of Ferris' ruse, nobody will believe Jeanie's story that Ferris is faking an illness in order to get out of school. This dynamic leads to her feverish attempt to get her brother in trouble at whatever cost, which ultimately backfires so badly that she ends up in the police station. By putting Ed Rooney in his place at the end, Jeanie proves she's just as capable as Ferris is in bucking authority.
3 Kristy Briggs - She's Having A Baby (1988)
Despite being one of Hughes' lowest-rated movies, She's Having A Baby is one of the most memorable pregnancy movies of all time and one of his strongest female characters in Kristy Briggs (Elizabeth McGovern). She's extremely smart, loyal, pragmatic, and most impressive of all, she survives near-fatal childbirth that puts her newfound motherhood into perspective.
Compared to Hughes' adolescent female characters, Kristy is simply far more mature, sophisticated, and able to handle life's unforeseen challenges, and it's her steely resolve as motherhood approaches that makes her so strong.
2 Lisa - Weird Science (1985)
Due to the sheer ingenuity of the character and concomitant magical powers she wields, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock) in Weird Science will forever remain one of Hughes' best female creations. The character was so strong that Vanessa Angel reprised the character for the TV adaptation.
Nerdy best friends Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are sick of being rejected by girls and decide to build their own Frankenstein-like femme fatale on their computer. The ceremony brings to life Lisa, a sexy 26-year-old woman with the power to manifest cars and conjure clothing out of thin air, turn Wyatt's brother into a pile of poop, and most importantly, instill confidence in the gawky teenagers. With a sassy take-no-guff attitude and strong feminist viewpoint, Lisa is a bastion of female empowerment who decides her own fate.
1 Samantha Baker - Sixteen Candles (1984)
Samantha Baker (Ringwald) in Sixteen Candles is the first female lead character in a movie directed by Hughes. Akin to a first child, Hughes poured a lot of heartfelt pathos into the palpable teenage angst and painful neglect Sam feels and overcomes to enjoy a fairytale ending with her dream date, Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling).
Samantha is Hughes' best female character due to the achingly sympathetic circumstances she finds herself in. With her older sister's upcoming wedding, her whole family completely forgets about Sam's "Sweet 16" birthday, the one day of her life she's looked forward to the most. Moreover, winning the unlikely heart of the popular upperclassman makes viewers root for her happiness that much more. As the unseen underdog who triumphs in the end, Sam is the closest to Hughes' heart.
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