‘Give People What They Expect’: John Hughes’ Family Films and Seriality in 1990s Hollywood

Holly Chard

doi:10.7227/FS.17.0007

‘Give People What They Expect’: John Hughes’ Family Films and Seriality in 1990s Hollywood

Holly Chard

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article explores serial production strategies and textual seriality in Hollywood cin- ema during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Focusing on John Hughes’ ‘high concept’ family comedies, it examines how Hughes exploited the commercial opportunities offered by serial approaches to both production and film narrative. This article first considers why Hughes’ production set-up enabled him to standardise his movies and respond quickly to audience demand. The analysis then explores how the Home Alone films (1990–97), Dennis the Menace (1993) and Baby’s Day Out (1994) balanced demands for textual repetition and novelty.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	111-127
Number of pages	17
Journal	Film Studies
Volume	17
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7227/FS.17.0007
Publication status	Published - 26 Jan 2018

Bibliographical note

The definitive, peer-reviewed and edited version of this article is published in:
Holly Chard, 2018, ‘Give People What They Expect’: John Hughes’ Family Films and Seriality in 1990s Hollywood, Film Studies, 17: 1, 111–127, DOI: http:dx.doi.org/10.7227/FS.17.0007 © 2017 Author(s). Published by Manchester University Press.

Keywords

seriality
Hollywood
comedy
family film

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Cite this

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abstract = "This article explores serial production strategies and textual seriality in Hollywood cin- ema during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Focusing on John Hughes{\textquoteright} {\textquoteleft}high concept{\textquoteright} family comedies, it examines how Hughes exploited the commercial opportunities offered by serial approaches to both production and film narrative. This article first considers why Hughes{\textquoteright} production set-up enabled him to standardise his movies and respond quickly to audience demand. The analysis then explores how the Home Alone films (1990–97), Dennis the Menace (1993) and Baby{\textquoteright}s Day Out (1994) balanced demands for textual repetition and novelty.",

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‘Give People What They Expect’: John Hughes’ Family Films and Seriality in 1990s Hollywood

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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