John Hughes was a very successful film director in the 1980’s.
He made National Lampoon’s Vacation, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck and Home Alone.
After Curly Sue in 1991, he stopped directing. He has been involved in some things, but has generally has disappeared.
What happened?
God made him stop.
Sigh.
What, you think a deed like Curly Sue doesn’t have consequences? Have you no moral center?
According to IMDB he’s been writing crappy movies fairly steadily under the name Edmund Dantes–the latest one being “Drillbit Taylor.” Hasn’t directed since “Curly Sue.” Probably has enough money he never has to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to.
Drillbit Taylor notwithstanding, Hughes gets a lifetime pass for giving us the wonderful and very underrated She’s Having A Baby.
Perhaps he made enough from the 80s movies to more or less retire? (Home Alone was a monster hit, and presumably by that point in his career he was getting a big cut of the gross.)
This made me laugh out loud. Curly Sue is my sister in law’s favorite movie of all time. Yes, I’m a snarky bitch. 
John Hughes did one thing well: Brat Pack movies with a certain attitude. Perhaps he felt out of step in the 90s. I’d prefer to admire his works for (most of them) snippets of perfection they are, rather than plod through anything else he might want to create. YMMV.
See, this is what I was thinking, which just condemns him further, IMO. He’s not in it because he loves directing; as soon as he had enough money to stop, he did. Now there’s a dedicated artist.
Since we’re on the subject of John Hughes, I remember reading an interesting fact about him: in the early 1990s he supposedly acquired the rights to make a live-action “Peanuts” movie. I don’t know if he still has the rights (assuming he actually ever had them to begin with) but I find myself somewhat relieved that Hughes is now so rich he only wants to do a little uncredited script-doctoring now and then rather than inflict on us his take on Charles Schulz’s characters.
From his credits on IMDb, it looks like he’s always been more of a writer than a director. In the OP’s list, he didn’t actually direct Home Alone – that was Christopher Columbus. John Hughes wrote it. Could it just be that he likes writing a lot more than he likes directing?
Is that the one with Kevin Bacon and the female lead whose name I can’t remember? Elizabeth something? I agree, I found that film strangely affecting.
I suspect someone will SHOW the GIRLS and boys of the SDMB another lissener Pit thread in short order.
Yep, Elizabeth McGovern. When I say Hughes gets a pass, it’s mainly for this series of scenes. It’s not just because of the music, although of course I’m biased, but just the whole thing. Bacon’s character had been a boy who didn’t want to grow up, and McGovern’s character, who so badly wanted to be a grownup, trying to be the grownup for both of them. There’s no handbook for that, and they were just feeling their way. It took a near-tragedy to bring them to the same page in their marriage and life. It’s just so wonderfully done.
This is inappropriate for Cafe Society, Justin_Bailey. Discussions are about the topic-at-hand, and not the other posters. Please do not do this again.
Alright, I will rephrase.
John Hughes’ entire oeuvre is better than drek like Showgirls. And I saw Curley Sue in the theaters. Pity me.
And considering that the only person to bring up Showgirls in this thread is you, your post is still a jab at lissener. Knock it off.
So I guess the basic answer is that John Hughes has done what many of us have often considered we might do if we had success. He’s taken easy writing jobs, put in minimal effort, and lived off royalties.
I still can’t believe he doesn’t write something personal that he could come back and direct.
Anyone see what Curly Sue looks like these days? Yowzer. Hughes gets a pass.
I consider the previously mentioned She’s Having A Baby that “personal” film. It flopped, therefore he made Uncle Buck and Curly Sue. The lesson being “be careful what you wish for”.