HOT GALLERY: Some Kind of Wonderful Turns 27! Where Is the Cast from the John Hughes Teen Angst Film Now?

Candace Cameron Bure, little sister to 1980s heartthrob Kirk Cameron, already had several television appearances under her belt on hit shows such as St. Elsewhere and T.J. Hooker when she landed her first film role as Eric Stoltz’s youngest sister in the film. She plays Cindy Nelson, the uptight sister who constantly chastises her older sister for talking about things like sex at family meals.

Candace has gone on to play roles in films such as Punchline (1988), but she is best remembered for her long run as D.J. Tanner in ABC’s hit series Full House (1987-1995). Most recently she was on Make It or Break It as Summer Van Horne which ended in 2012. She also authored a book, Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness. Her personal website highlights her writing and career milestones and serves as a forum for her religious beliefs, something she is passionate about.

Perhaps one of John Hughes’s biggest meanies of the 1980s, Hardy Jenns (Craig Sheffer) used Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson) and almost any other girl he found attractive by telling them to “trust me.” He can’t stand that Keith (Eric Stoltz) could snag a date with Amanda and sets out to destroy him. Perhaps his most laughable moment is when he refuses to personally beat up Keith because he is hosting a party. He expects his friends to do it for him. Too bad Keith made some badass friends in detention, because it looks like neither Hardy nor his friends will come out unscathed. A true 1980s teenage jerk. They don’t make them quite like that anymore.

Sheffer has been working constantly since his appearance in Some Kind of Wonderful. He went on to star in A River Runs Through It (1992) with Brad Pitt, then later with costar Eric Stoltz in the 1994 romantic comedy Sleep with Me, which involves yet another love triangle, this time with Meg Tilly. More recently he’s appeared on One Tree Hill and Criminal Minds and was seen in 2012's The Mark: Flight 777 with Eric Roberts.

Probably the most underappreciated character in the film, “Skinhead” has a fully satisfying character arc, going from bad guy to Keith’s savior by the end of the film. Who can hate a guy who carves out his art on a student desk during detention then pries it off to display it proudly? Or brings weapons, pornographic playing cards, cigarettes, and alcohol to school in the first place? If that happened now, he wouldn’t have graduated. Those French-Canadians know how to charm their way out of any situation!

Koteas has been extremely busy since appearing in Some Kind of Wonderful. He’s probably best known for the character Casey Jones in the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise during the 1990s. He also appeared in films such as Crash (1996), Gattaca (1997), Fallen (1998), and Collateral Damage (2002). On television he has guest-starred on The Sopranos, House M.D., and CSI: NY. He's had recent turns in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (2010), the Canadian TV series Combat Hospital, and the film Winnie (2011), about the life of Winnie Mandela. He’s come a long way since detention!

Eric Stoltz gained fame in 1985 in the critically lauded Mask, where he played a teenage outcast. As Keith Nelson, he’s still an outcast but just a blue-collar one. If this weren’t a romantic comedy, he could be considered a borderline teenage stalker, lurking everywhere to stare at Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson), his object of desire. Too bad he doesn’t notice poor Watts lusting after his every move. Isn’t that always the way in John Hughes films? And only in a 1980s film would you get a guy blowing his college money on a pair of earrings. He naively tells Watts, “You look good wearing my future.” Ah, when idealistic love was still a real notion.

Eric Stoltz is a prolific actor, director, and producer. He went on to star in such films as Pulp Fiction (1994), Kicking and Screaming (1995), and Jerry Maguire (1996) and appeared in countless television shows such as Will & Grace, Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, and Caprica. He most recently directed several episodes of Glee, including “Big Brother,” and the Californication episode “Love Song."

John Ashton’s character is a far cry from Sgt. John Taggart in the Eddy Murphy comedy Beverly Hills Cop (1984). This time he’s the blue-collar dad who wants the world for his son. He’s got that mind-set of the 1980s working-class middle-aged man: You can only make money as a business major in college. He certainly means well, and quite frankly he’s a bit too understanding when his son cashes in his college fund and blows the money on a pair of diamond earrings for Amanda Jones. He might not understand art, but at least he loves his kids.

John Ashton has been working steadily in film and television since Some Kind of Wonderful. He starred in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Midnight Run (1988) and appeared in Gone Baby Gone (2007). He’s worked with costar Lea Thompson in the Hallmark TV movie Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part (2005). His latest gig was on the USA series Fairly Legal.

By the time Lea Thompson played Amanda Jones, she had experienced wild success (Back to the Future, 1985) and abject failure (Howard the Duck, 1986). Lucky for her, most John Hughes films were no-brainers when it came to either commercial or critical success. It was hard to go wrong starring in one. Miss Amanda Jones, who's from the wrong side of the tracks, desires her own pair of diamond earrings yet wisely puts her physical and material needs aside to work on her emotional self. Fairly enlightened for John Hughes material. In real life, Some Kind of Wonderful director Howard Deutch fell in love with Thompson and they ended up marrying in 1989. So it’s probably a good thing Amanda was choosy. Not settling was a good lesson for any 1980s teen girl.

Thompson went on to have two daughters with director Howard Deutch and they are still married. She also starred in Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Back to the Future Part III (1990). During the mid-1990s she starred in NBC’s well-received sitcom Caroline in the City. More recently she can be seen in the Hallmark Jane Doe series and she’s currently playing Kathryn Kennish on ABC Family’s hit show Switched at Birth.

Maddie Corman plays Eric Stoltz’s social-climbing, wisecracking younger sister Laura. She at once sees Keith (Stoltz) as a source of possible social ruination (since he is an outcast) and the ladder to her aspirations (if he can snag and properly land Amanda Jones). If anyone isn’t sure how special Amanda Jones is, Laura makes it clear at the breakfast table while talking about her brother’s social coup and his upcoming date when their father complains Keith isn’t focusing on college: “Any fool can get into a college. Only a precious few may say the same about Amanda Jones.”

Maddie Corman worked steadily in films and television until she decided to take a decade off and raise her three children. Corman has appeared in films such as Swingers (1996), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), and Maid in Manhattan (2002). She starred in the Broadway play Next Fall and appeared on NBC’s Smash.

Ray is Watts’s choice to try to make Keith jealous. Unfortunately not only does Keith not notice or care but Watts gets told, “If you wanted to, you could be a girl...” Because apparently she’s confused, even if she does “radiate this sexual vibe.” No wonder Watts doesn’t want to make out with him. He goes on to ruin the entire setup when he congratulates Keith on his upcoming date with Amanda Jones. At least Watts will win in the end. She deserves it after her encounters with the men in this film!

Coffey has gone on to act and direct. He’s appeared in films such Wild at Heart (1990), Wayne’s World 2 (1993), and Mulholland Drive (2001). In 2005, his directorial debut, Ellie Parker, was well-received and nominated for the Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival. He can be seen in the film Adult World (2012).

Mary Stuart Masterson was no stranger to acting by the time she landed her iconic role as Watts. Her gargantuan crush on Keith Nelson (Eric Stoltz) is only something you can find in a 1980s John Hughes film. Poor Watts; she tries to make Keith jealous, then shuns him, then practice kisses him for his date with her rival, and finally she threatens Amanda Jones (Lea Thompson): “Break his heart, I break your face.” Teen angst and indecision at its finest.

Masterson was been busy starring in hit films such as Chances Are (1989) and Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) throughout the 1980s and 1990s. More recently she has worked extensively in television, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and directed the 2007 feature film The Cake Eaters.