Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Miss Molly in middle age

I was kind of ashamed of myself.

When I saw Molly Ringwald in 16 Candles a number of years ago all I could think was how much I’d like to kiss her on those luscious 16-year-old lips.

I was considerably older than 16 at the time.

I only make mention of Molly because last night I was watching her in an obscure Mazurski film called Tempest, which marked her screen debut at the age of 13. Even at 13 the mouth and flaming red hair gave her away.

Getting curious, I checked her out on the Internet and realized that Miss Molly turns 40 this year.

That was about the age I was when I thought it would be nice to kiss her yummy mouth.

Anyway, this isn’t a saga about middle-aged lechery; I’m really quite well-behaved. It is more to consider why Molly didn’t go as far as an actress as she showed the potential for when she was a kid.

She gained her initial fame in such delightful (and genuinely funny for the most part) John Hughes teen-oriented flicks as the aforementioned 16 Candles, the Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. And, you know, that was about it, which is amazing considering the almost preternatural talent she showed.

I liked her because she was a departure from the average adolescent female featured in movies. She wasn’t a bimbo, and she wasn’t an ugly ducking, either. Her strength came from the fact she played just ordinary girls, with all the angst, despair and also cuteness of ordinary girls of that age. Often, of course, it came to pass that young males recognized there was much more to this girl than the preconceived bombshells. She was genuinely attractive because she was so real. That should happen more often in real life. The divorce rate in young marriages would plummet if young bucks recognized 'potential' and character, rather than banal glitz.

That was why Anthony Michael Hall’s crush on her in 16 Candles had some veracity to it. He too was just an ‘ordinary’ kid with delusions of coolness, despite his geek friends (one of whom is an impossibly young and mega-geeky John Cusack). Therefore, who better to want to steal Molly’s panties?

Anyway, following her Hughes period, Molly’s career has been largely desultory. She has made films, but virtually none are notable. However, she is, as is the case with so many, invariably better than her material. I'm waiting for her comeback.

So, this is just my little nod to Molly. My teenage crushee long after I was young enough to be having teenage crushes.

But, there was that mouth, you see.

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13 Comments:

Blogger Ellee Seymour said...

I hope she is happy, and I am sure she would be very touched to know you are still thinking about her.

10:47 AM  
Blogger laughingwolf said...

other than having a soft spot for redheaded women, since ma was one, ringwald does nothing for me... but hey, kidman does not, either....

12:07 PM  
Blogger Jazz said...

Hell, I had a crush on Molly and I'm a girl. For me it was the hair.

12:48 PM  
Blogger AlieMalie said...

mhmm. even though i'm completely into guys, i can see that would be a nice mouth to kiss. boy in question has nice lips - thanks for reminding me of them. ;)

2:41 PM  
Blogger meggie said...

My eldest son had a bit of a crush on Miss Molly.
I rather liked her in the movies, when I saw her.

5:50 PM  
Blogger Tanya Brown said...

Isn't she lovely? She's always seemed more intelligent than the average actress to me, although that impression may be due to the early roles she took on.

6:34 PM  
Blogger Liz Dwyer said...

I think she's due for a comeback as well. If Patrick Dempsey and Anthony Michael Hall can have comebacks, why can't she? I always thought she was awesome.

6:57 PM  
Blogger Janice Thomson said...

She is a beautiful woman no doubt about it - and a pretty good little actress too. Wonder if her age is against her right now - too young to play old parts and too old to play young parts.

7:57 PM  
Blogger geewits said...

I'm sad you didn't mention the Steven King miniseries "The Stand." She had a pretty big part in it. I remember she did an almost soft porn cheesey film and things went downhill from there. I think it comes down to agents and knowing people in Hollywood. She should have had a better career, that's for sure.

10:43 PM  
Blogger Synchronicity said...

awww sweet miss molly...loved her in the breakfast club especially. and she was and is very pretty in a real girl next door way.

4:53 PM  
Blogger Echomouse said...

I loved those movies. Always had a thing for Andrew McCarthy myself. Same movie as yours but I wanted the guy. lol

Interestingly, or not maybe, my younger brother is married to a nearly exactly Andrew McCarthy lookalike. I weep. He's gay! He married my brother! Life is just not fair sometimes.

1:25 PM  
Blogger jmb said...

Golly Miss Molly is gorgeous now. Much better than she was at 16!

11:23 PM  
Blogger MartiniCocoa said...

I loved Pretty in Pink so much that I bought the soundtrack and played If You Leave by OMD obsessively for a good six months.

Even today if I see it is playing on TV, I stop everything and watch.

I understand.

10:17 PM  

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