Hughes The Force Mashes Up Star Wars And John Hughes
This article is more than 2 years old
In the Venn diagram of Fandom, you wouldn’t think Star Wars and John Hughes movies have much overlap. Sure, you’ll find plenty of people who love both, but as far as the tone, style, and subject matter, they’re very different. I would have assumed that any attempt to crossbreed them would result in a sterile, unwieldy hybrid that would quickly expire to the tune of a John Williams cover of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” It turns out, however, that I would be wrong. Exhibit A: this charming little short film called Hughes the Force, which tells a Hughes-ian tale of two awkward teens who quote too much Star Wars, wish they had the courage to ask out girls, and finally decide to pull a Weird Science and bring their mint-condition Slave Leia action figure to life. Using a bit of that old black magic – or rather The Force – Leia decides to help these crazy kids get their shit together and maybe even get a date.
Hughes the Force is hosted on Kevin Smith’s SModCo Internet TV YouTube channel, and both Smith and Jason “Jay and Silent Bob” Mewes put in appearances. Smith’s movies are littered with references to both the Star Wars movies and John Hughes films, so it seems perfect that he appears to give the two protagonists some advice and a metaphorical kick in the pants. Smith and Mewes aren’t the only noteworthy guest appearances, however. Actors James Arnold Taylor and Catherine Taber show up as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme during the bar scene. If they sound familiar, it’s because they’re playing the characters they voice on Cartoon Network’s Clone Wars animated series. They don’t look half bad in the costumes, either!
The internets are chockablock with Star Wars fan films, but Hughes the Force is a clever concept realized well, I actually laughed out loud several times, and their Pygmalioned Slave Leia pulls off the gold bikini quite well. You can watch it via the embed above, or download the entire film for free, as well as bonus content, over at HughesTheForce.com.
