History YMMV / SixteenCandles

* EthnicScrappy: Long Duk Dong may be sympathetically portrayed and thrown a few bones, but he's still considered to be an offensively over-the-top racial caricature.

** Jake casually comments about how he could 'violate Caroline six ways to Sunday' if he wanted to. Sam is alone with him at the end of the movie.

* EthnicScrappy: Long Duk Dong may be sympathetically portrayed and thrown a few bones, but he's still considered to be an offensively over the top racial caricature.

* LesYay: Even though Samantha and her friend are discussing Carolyn's relationship with Jake Ryan, Carolyn has no idea that the two are watching her showering, and the expression on Samantha's face just screams she wants Carolyn instead.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: A landmark picture that had a major influence on the future of teen comedies, it's now regarded as a product of its time. The focus on teenage angst and sympathetic portrayal of losers and outcasts has been repeated many times over, and its use here has come under fire for stereotyping others ''and'' those it tries to present positively.

** The film also [[AcceptableTargets stereotypes old people]]. Sam's grandparents are either so out of it that they can't see that a giant hunk of ash is about to drop off a cigarette, or (like her other grandparents) boorish and crude enough to not only actually discuss her breast size in her presence but actually ''touch them''.

* DesignatedVillain: Caroline is viewed as a vapid, mean girl by Sam and her friend, when she never acts hostile towards either one of them throughout the film, and isn't even shallow as they believe she is (she's even open-minded to the point of giving Farmer Ted a chance in the end- ValuesDissonance aside). On top of that she is slut-shamed by both girls, is molested by a freshman- after her boyfriend hands her off to him, while she's completely inebriated, thus dumping her in a cruel manner, all because he found a new love interest in Sam.

** The male leads' casual encouragement of date rape is pretty cringe-worthy nowadays. Whatever may have transpired between Ted and Caroline is kept ambiguous and softened by the former having apparently gotten just as drunk as her offscreen. But the fact that both he and Jake were both sober when initially dealing with her intoxicated state gives their attempted drive home a very creepy edge. Jake does express remorse about letting Ted drive Caroline. Upon seeing her and Ted embracing the next day, and not knowing exactly what transpired between them, he tells her "I'm really sorry about gettin' you mixed up with that guy." Upon seeing Jake, Ted appears nervous. Caroline ultimately reassures Jake that everything is fine.

** The male leads' casual encouragement of date rape is pretty cringe-worthy nowadays. Whatever may have transpired between Ted and Caroline is kept ambiguous and softened by the former having apparently gotten just as drunk as her offscreen. But the fact that both he and Jake were both sober when initially dealing with her intoxicated state gives their attempted drive home a very creepy edge.

* FridgeHorror: If Caroline is already of legal age, her having sex with Ted could be viewed as statutory rape... even though it was consensual.

** A very brief moment in the beginning, but Sam and her friend are having a discussion in the school hallway about what Sam wants for her birthday. Her friend suggests a pink Trans-Am and gorgeous guy, to which Sam replies that she would prefer a black one (referring to the car). Her friend looks HORRIFIED at the thought of her being with a black man and even asks, "A black guy???" But then Sam corrects her saying "Black Trans-Am. Pink guy." The relief on her friend's face after the correction is telling.

** A very brief moment in the beginning, but Sam and her friend are having a discussion in the school hallway about what Sam wants for her birthday. Sam says she wants a Trans-Am and later says a black one. Her friend looks HORRIFIED at the thought of her being with a black man and even asks, "A black guy???" But then Sam corrects her saying "Black Trans-Am. Pink guy." The relief on her friend's face after the correction is telling.

* UnfortunateImplications: It's been [[http://www.salon.com/2009/08/11/16_candles/ argued]] that the film tacitly endorses sexual assault. Ted relentlessly harasses Sam and is rewarded for it throughout the story. Jake also tells Ted to take the drunk Caroline home, saying "she's so blitzed she won't know the difference". They're implied to have sex (initiated by Caroline) and though both are too drunk too remember, she says next morning that she thinks she enjoyed it.

** Nudity and dropping of the word "fuck" in a PG rated film would certainly catch many viewers off guard, especially the shower scene in the first quarter of the movie, which appears out of nowhere.[[note]]The PG-13 rating was only a few months away from being created.[[/note]] Though you can get away with a single use of the F word in PG-13 films nowadays, nudity, however brief, would land it an R rating without a doubt.

* EthnicScrappy: Long Duk Dong is a borderline example: he does come away from the story with more physical injuries than the other characters, but he's also had the night of his life and effortlessly found a really cool girlfriend.

* UnfortunateImplications: It's been [[http://www.salon.com/2009/08/11/16_candles/ argued]] that the film tacitly endorses sexual assault. Ted relentlessly harasses Sam and is rewarded for it throughout the story. Jake also tells Ted to take the drunk Caroline home, saying "she's so blitzed she won't know the difference". They end up having sex (initiated by Caroline) and she says next morning that she enjoyed it.

** The male leads' casual encouragement of date rape is pretty cringe-worthy nowadays.

*** For those aware of its meaning, "bohunk" (in reference to Sam's future brother-in-law) isn't much better.
** Nudity and dropping of the word "fuck" in a PG rated film would certainly catch many viewers off guard, especially the shower scene in the first quarter of the movie, which appears out of nowhere.[[note]]The PG-13 rating was only a few months away from being created.[[/note]]
** The treatment of geeks as weird and creepy social outcasts would be especially shocking today considering that geek culture is very trendy and mainstream.

** The film also [[AcceptableTargets stereotypes old people]]. Sam's grandparents are either so out of it that they can't see that a giant hunk of ash is about to drop off a cigarette, or (like her other grandfather) boorish and crude enough to not only actually discuss her breast size in her presence but actually ''touch them''.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: As mentioned above in Values Dissonance, despite being a PG rating, there's a lot of stuff in it that might be inappropriate for today's audience.

** More likely, since Sam has been lamenting her lack of breasts, she is probably wishing she looked like Caroline so Jake would notice her.

* FridgeHorror: If Caroline is already of legal age, her having sex with Ted could be viewed as statutory rape... even though it was nonconsensual.

** The film also [[AcceptableTargets stereotypes old people]]. Sam's grandparents are either so out of it that they can't see that a giant hunk of ash is about to drop off a cigarette, or (like her other grandfather) boorish and crude enough to not actually discuss her breast size in her presence but actually ''touch them''.

* TheWoobie: Sam. Her entire family forgets her 16th birthday because they're so focused on her older sister's wedding, and she's in love with Jake Ryan, who she thinks doesn't even know she exists.
** The disabled girl with the neckbrace, who's merely [[ValuesDissonance used as comic relief]], even though she clearly has a hard time being able to drink anything (from either a fountain or a can), and hardly seems to have any friends.

** The character Long Duk Dong is a pretty awkward walking, talking Asian stereotype complete with an exaggerated accent PlayedForLaughs and a gong sound effect whenever he shows up. In [[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88591800 their 2008 analysis]] of the character, NPR outright called him representative of how the 80's were the last decade in western history when such overtly racist caricatures were considered acceptable by the mainstream public.

** The character Long Duk Dong is a pretty awkward walking, talking Asian stereotype complete with an exaggerated accent PlayedForLaughs and a gong sound effect whenever he shows up.