Jessie Taylor
The 1984 film Sixteen Candles is a coming-of-age comedy that centres on the life of a teenager, Samantha Baker, on her sixteenth birthday. The film explores Samantha's infatuation with a senior at school, Jake Ryan, while also dealing with the unwanted attention of freshman Ted. The film also features Samantha's older sister Ginny, who is set to marry on the day after Samantha's birthday. Ginny's wedding day is marred by her excessive consumption of muscle relaxers to deal with menstrual cramps, leading to a scene where she appears to be drunk and incoherent. This article will explore the portrayal of Ginny's drunkenness at her wedding and its implications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the character | Ginny |
| Name of the movie | Sixteen Candles |
| Year of release | 1984 |
| Reason for drunkenness | Took muscle relaxers to deal with period cramps |
| Reaction to drunkenness | Her family was nervous about her behaviour, but no one seemed to mind that she was too out of it to take her vows |
| Other instances of drunkenness in the movie | Several, including drunk driving, drunk partying, and drunken sex |
| Other characters who were intoxicated | Caroline, Long Duk Dong |
Explore related products
![Sixteen Candles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81vduD78FxL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
!['80s Comedies Spotlight Collection [The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Fast Times at Ridgemont High] (Universal's 100th Anniversary)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81sXDoeZ+HL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Sixteen Candles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81gCKjoerPL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
Ginny takes muscle relaxers to deal with period pain
In the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, Ginny, the older sister of the main character Sam, takes muscle relaxers on her wedding day to deal with period pain. The film, starring Molly Ringwald, follows Sam, a high school sophomore, on the day of her 16th birthday, which her family has forgotten due to Ginny's impending marriage.
Ginny's wedding day is marred by the onset of her period, which causes her considerable pain and discomfort. In an attempt to find relief, Ginny takes muscle relaxers, a type of medication used to relieve muscle pain and spasms. However, it appears that Ginny takes more than the recommended dose, as she soon becomes intoxicated and incoherent.
This is evident in the scene where Ginny, under the influence of the muscle relaxers, causes a scene at her wedding ceremony. She is described as being "high" or "intoxicated" and "stumbling" or "reluctantly stumbling down." Her level of impairment is such that she is unable to meaningfully take her vows.
The use of muscle relaxers by Ginny to manage period pain reflects the desperation many individuals feel to find relief from severe menstrual cramps. While muscle relaxers are not typically the first-line treatment for period pain, it is possible that Ginny may have taken them due to their accessibility or previous effectiveness in managing her symptoms.
The portrayal of Ginny's experience with muscle relaxers and period pain in Sixteen Candles has been met with mixed reactions. While some viewers may find it comedic or relatable, others have criticized the film for its treatment of women and its use of intoxicated women as a source of comedy.
Flameless Candles: The Flicker Illusion Explained
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Sixteen Candles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71bkYWxFjbL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Sixteen Candles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kjuJ4gZZL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Caroline gets drunk and rowdy at a party
In the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, Caroline Mulford, the girlfriend of Jake Ryan, gets drunk at a party. She is described as a "party animal" and a "stuck-up prom queen". After getting drunk, she is passed out in Jake's bedroom. Jake tells Ted that he could "violate her ten different ways if [he] wanted to" and encourages him to drive her home, saying, "She's so blitzed she won't know the difference".
Ted takes the drunk Caroline home in Jake's father's Rolls-Royce Corniche. During the drive, Caroline acts recklessly, drinking, messing with the controls, and throwing bottles out of the window. She also feeds Ted a birth control pill and laughs hysterically. At one point, she makes moves on Ted, and they end up making out in the car.
The next morning, Caroline and Ted wake up next to each other in the car, with no memory of what happened. Caroline says she's fairly certain they had sex. They stop at a friend's house to get a photo of themselves in the back seat of the car to prove the encounter occurred, but the photo only shows half of Ted's face.
The scene has been criticised for its portrayal of drunkenness and its implication of date rape. While it was meant to be funny, it has not aged well and is considered uncomfortable and inappropriate by modern standards.
Creating Unique Mottled Candles at Home
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Sixteen Candles (VHS Retro Case) [Blu-ray + Digital HD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GBzRSt4jL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Sixteen Candles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91GZVLbzY8L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Sixteen Candles [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81g2xV9Y08L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Caroline's drunken confusion is played for laughs
In the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, Caroline Mulford is the girlfriend of Jake Ryan, the object of Samantha "Sam" Baker's affections. Caroline is a party animal and a drunk, rowdy presence at the film's party scene. After the party, Jake offers his drunk and passed-out girlfriend to Ted "The Geek" Farmer in exchange for a pair of Sam's underwear. When Caroline briefly comes to, Jake tells her that he is Ted and vice versa, and her drunken confusion is played for laughs.
Caroline's drunken confusion is meant to be funny, but some viewers have found it uncomfortable. After the exchange between Jake and Ted, Caroline acts recklessly in the car, drinking, messing with the controls, and throwing bottles out of the window. She also feeds Ted a birth control pill and laughs hysterically. Ted and his friends attempt to get a photo with Caroline in the back seat of the car to prove the encounter occurred, but only half of Ted's face is visible in the photo.
Caroline's drunkenness is not the only instance of intoxication in the film used for comedic effect. Sam's sister Ginny, whose wedding takes place during the film, takes too many muscle relaxers to deal with period cramps, causing a scene at her wedding. The constant intoxication in the film, including drunk driving, drunk partying, and drunken sex, may not embody comedy for modern audiences.
Sixteen Candles is a coming-of-age teen comedy written and directed by John Hughes and starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. While the film was well-received at the time, some of its content, including the handling of drunkenness and consent, has been criticised by modern viewers.
Keep Cats Away from Candles: Tips to Ensure Safety
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![Jenny's Wedding [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZT5yDAEnL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Jenny's Wedding [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u4nTHIWHL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Caroline acts recklessly in the car
In the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, Caroline, Jake's girlfriend, is depicted as drunk and rowdy at a party. After the party, Jake "gives" Caroline to Ted in exchange for a pair of Sam's underwear, with the implicit understanding that Ted could rape her if he wanted to. Jake tells Ted that Caroline is "passed out cold" and that he could "violate her ten different ways if [he] wanted to". Ted takes the drunk Caroline home in Jake's father's car.
Once Ted and Caroline are on the road, Caroline, who is still drunk, acts recklessly. She drinks, messes with the car controls, and throws bottles of alcohol out of the window. She also feeds Ted a birth control pill and laughs hysterically. Caroline's reckless behaviour in the car is part of a larger pattern of drunkenness and partying that characterises her behaviour in the film.
The scene in question has been criticised for its treatment of drunkenness and consent. In one interpretation, the scene only works because audiences in the 1980s were "stupid about date rape". The scene depicts two male characters conspiring to take advantage of a drunk woman, which would not be seen as comedic in contemporary films.
The film Sixteen Candles has been noted for its frequent depictions of drunkenness, including drunk driving, drunk partying, and drunken sex. The constant intoxication depicted in the film has been criticised as being out of step with modern sensibilities, where drunkenness is not typically seen as comedic.
Authentic Sterling Silver: Jackpot Candle Rings
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Long Duk Dong gets drunk and leaps from a tree
In the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, Long Duk Dong is a foreign exchange student who stays with the Baker family for Ginny Baker's wedding. After the wedding, Long Duk Dong gets drunk and leaps from a tree.
Long Duk Dong is portrayed by actor Gedde Watanabe. He is not one of the "cool kids", sporting a ""butt-cut" hairstyle parted straight down the middle. However, he has the night of his life at the high school dance, where he finds romance and gets seriously drunk. He ends up in a tree, yelling "Oh, sexy girlfriend!" before leaping onto the person below, who is not his new American girlfriend.
The next morning, Long Duk Dong is found splayed out in the front yard of the Baker home, where he had spent the night. As he comes to, he utters the now-infamous lines: "No more yanky my wankie, the donger need food!" The family also realizes that he has crashed their car, prompting the grandmother to kick him hard in the stomach.
Long Duk Dong's character has been criticized as a racist caricature and a stereotypical portrayal of Asian men in Hollywood. His every entrance in the film is accompanied by the mysterious sound of a gong, and he uses a fork and spoon as chopsticks. Despite this, Gedde Watanabe's portrayal of Long Duk Dong drew laughs from audiences, and his character became well-known, with teenagers in the '80s quoting him endlessly.
Kelvins of a Candle: Warmth and Light
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
No, Ginny, the bride, was drunk at the wedding in 16 Candles.
Blanche Baker plays Ginny in 16 Candles.
Ginny took four muscle relaxers to help with her menstrual cramps.
Jake surprises Sam at the church after the wedding and invites her to his house.
16 Candles follows Samantha Baker on the day of her 16th birthday, which her family forgets due to her sister Ginny's wedding.
![Drunks [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Jnx+ZemJL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Drunk [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ZO71Oa-qL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
