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SCREEN: '16 CANDLES,' A TEEN-AGE COMEDY By Janet Maslin JOHN HUGHES'S ''16 Candles'' is a cuter and better-natured teen comedy than most, with the kinds of occasional lapses in taste that probably can't hurt it in the circles for which it is intended. The middle of the film wastes time on a bit more house-wrecking and car-crashing than is absolutely necessary, and there are some notably unfunny ethnic jokes. But most of the movie is cheerful and light, showcasing Mr. Hughes's knack for remembering all those aspects of middle-class American adolescent behavior that anyone else might want to forget. Mr. Hughes, who makes his directorial debut after having written ''National Lampoon's Vacation,'' ''National Lampoon's Class Reunion'' and ''Mr. Mom,'' is far from infallibly funny, but enough of his humor hits the mark. He begins ''16 Candles,'' which opens today at the Gemini and other theaters, with a quick introduction to Samantha (Molly Ringwald), the film's heroine, and to the large and seemingly affectionate family that is about to forget her birthday. From Samantha's home life, which is all intramural squabbling and fights for the bathroom, Mr. Hughes then moves on to high school. He captures, among other things, the sorts of messages that 16-year-old girls send one another in study hall, and the unbearable goofiness of freshman boys as they travel by the busload. The plot revolves around Samantha's birthday, which goes from bad to worse, and her crush on a handsome senior named Jake (Michael Schoeffling), who already has a girlfriend - the kind of girlfriend who tells him adoringly ''I fantasize that I'm your wife and we're, like, the richest, most popular adults in town.'' To make things worse, Samantha is being pursued by a character who is known as the Geek (Anthony Michael Hall), and for good reason. Back home, her prettier sister (Blanche Baker) is about to get married, and all of her grandparents have arrived for the wedding. When Samantha stumbles into her own room to find one set of grandparents in their underclothes, Mr. Hughes puts the ''Twilight Zone'' theme on the soundtrack. Sophomoric as it may be, ''16 Candles'' shows Mr. Hughes to be well able to direct his own dialogue and to juggle a cast of all-American comic caricatures. Miss Ringwald plays Samantha in a relatively natural style, which makes her virtually the only creature in the story with any feelings; the others are affectionately exaggerated, like the father (Paul Dooley) who never quite seems to be listening to his daughter, or the kid brother (Justin Henry) who has refined sister-baiting to an art form. When the movie goes too far, as it does with a stupid subplot about a sex-crazed Oriental exchange student or a running gag about a young woman in a body brace, at least it manages to bound back relatively soon thereafter. ''16 Candles'' is rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested''). It contains some adolescent talk about sex and some brief nudity. Adolescent Insanity SIXTEEN CANDLES, directed and written by John Hughes; director of photography, Bobby Byrne; edited by Edward Warschilka; music by Ira Newborn; produced by Hilton A. Green; released by Universal Pictures. At the Gemini, 64th Street and Second Avenue; Movieland, Broadway and 47th Street; UA East 85th Street, at First Avenue, and other theaters. Running time: 95 minutes. This film is rated PG. SamanthaMolly Ringwald Mike BakerJustin Henry JakeMichael Schoeffling CarolineHaviland Morris Long Duk DongGedde Watanabe GeekAnthony Michael Hall Jim BakerPaul Dooley Brenda BakerCarlin Glynn GinnyBlanche Baker HowardEdward Andrews DorothyBillie Bird HelenCarole Cook FredMax Showalter RandyLiane Curtis BryceJohn Cusack CliffDarren Harris |