John Hughes created some of the best characters of all time; characters that we know, love, celebrate, and watch over and over again. His writing genius is unparalleled, which is one of the reasons why his characters stand out so much compared to others. Kevin McCallister from the Home Alone movies, the characters that make up The Breakfast Club, and Clark Griswold are some characters that are definitely familiar and that are some of our very favorites.
It’s hard to narrow down the array of phenomenal characters, but here are ten of the best characters from John Hughes movies to get audiences started.
Beethoven (Beethoven)
Despite being big, messy and a lot to handle sometimes, Beethoven makes a positive impact on the lives of the Newton family in Beethoven. The faithful dog comes to the rescue, helping the Newton son scare off bullies, helping the eldest daughter talk to her crush, and saving the youngest daughter from drowning in a pool; Beethoven is there when they need him the most. Though it takes a while, George Newton (Charles Grodin) eventually warms up to Beethoven and accepts him as part of the family, and helms the Newton clan in saving Beethoven from an evil veterinarian.
Chester “Chet” Ripley (The Great Outdoors)
Chet Ripley (John Candy) leaves Chicago on vacation with his wife and two sons, intending to spend some quality time with his family in the “great outdoors” and have a good time. Instead, his family vacation is crashed by his brother-in-law Roman (Dan Aykroyd), his wife, and two daughters. As tension mounts between the two families, Chet’s tolerance and sanity are both put to the test.
However, when push comes to shove, both men are there for one another, whether it’s locating Roman’s missing daughters or fending off a “Bald-Headed Bear.” We wish there would’ve been a sequel.
Del Griffith (Planes, Trains & Automobiles)
All Neil (Steve Martin) wanted was to get home in time for Thanksgiving, but nothing is going right, and initially, it seems meeting Del Griffith (John Candy) has made everything worse. However, Del turns out to be one of Neal’s greatest friends, helping Neal realize he needs to spend more time with his family. In turn, Del, who has been alone since his wife’s death, forges a great friendship with Neal and ends up spending Thanksgiving with Neal’s family. The two also manage to have a good laugh about the craziness of their trip.
Philip F. “Duckie” Dale (Pretty In Pink)
Duckie (Jon Cryer) is totally in love with his best friend, Andie (Molly Ringwald), but she is oblivious to his feelings and he’s afraid to tell her how he really feels. He frequently lashes out at Andie and by extension, Blane, as a result of his hurt and jealousy when Andie begins dating Blane.
However, Duckie does the mature thing and lets Andie go, realizing Blane truly cares for her. Luckily, Duckie does get his own happy ending as a girl signals to him to dance with her, so not all is lost.
Jack Butler (Mr. Mom)
Jack Butler (Michael Keaton) is laid off from his job as an engineer and suddenly finds his role in the household switched with his wife, Caroline (Teri Garr) who returns to work while Jack runs the house and takes care of the kids. At first, he struggles with cooking, cleaning, and even grocery shopping, as well as his kids, even becoming depressed by domestic life at one point. However, he turns his act around and finds his own rhythm. When this film came out in 1983, the character of Jack Butler was ahead of his time, given stay-at-home dads were far less common than they are now.
Brian Johnson (The Breakfast Club)
Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) was ahead of his time in 1985. Crumbling under the intense pressure placed upon him by his family to do well, and feeling awful about himself because of a bad grade, Brian had been considering suicide. He brought a flare gun to school that went off in his locker, which ultimately landed him in detention–and may have saved his life.
He’s the “nerd” of the group of five, and he connects with the others, despite their different backgrounds. They help him, and he writes the essay with the immortal words audiences love to hear. Brian is reassured he is not a failure because of a bad grade, and he has a fun Saturday with no studying, just healing and meaningful connection.
Long Duk Dong (Sixteen Candles)
From the moment we’re introduced to foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong (Gedde Watanabe), we love him. “What’s happening, hot stuff?” is his very first line, which makes him memorable in more ways than one. Once known as well-behaved and respectful, one night of partying changes all that, trashing the car lent to him and waking up on the front lawn the next morning. He definitely fought for his right to party, but he got in big trouble for it.
Kevin McCallister (Home Alone)
Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) really is a brilliant child. It’d be apt to describe him as an evil genius when it comes to the painful, and even deadly, traps he sets up for burglars Marv and Harry.
Kevin is a planner and original in his ideas for traps, but he’s also a lovable kid. He does tire of family every so often, making him relatable to some degree. Though, it’s a bummer he never got to go on vacation.
Clark W. “Sparky” Griswold, Jr. (The Vacation Movies)
We love, love, love Clark! Played by Chevy Chase, this character really is a true family man, but for the life of him, he can never quite get a family vacation to go smoothly. Try as he might, something (or multiple somethings) just go wrong no matter what. Christmas Vacation is definitely one of our favorite films that this character appears in; from his search for the perfect Christmas tree to the outrageous struggles he must face when it comes to having most of his family under one roof for the holidays, Clark’s patience, and sanity, is tested. Then again, Clark is tested in each of the Vacation films, but the fact that he still tries and truly cares is more than noteworthy, and audiences definitely appreciate the laughs that come with his struggles.
Buck Russell (Uncle Buck)
In 1989’s Uncle Buck, John Candy stars as titular character Buck, who’s called upon by his brother and sister-in-law to watch the kids while they hurry off to tend to a sick relative. Buck’s lifestyle (like microwaving socks and gambling) and personality clashes with his two nieces and nephew, but it turns out to be for the best, as he makes their lives better, and they do the same for him in turn. Family is there when you need them most, after all.
