The Best Kids Birthday Scenes in Movie History

As a kid there’s nothing more fun than a birthday party but those only happen once a year. So what was the next best thing as a kid? Popping in a VHS — for you younger readers, those were rectangular, plastic versions of Blu Rays — and watching a movie with a great birthday celebration in it. But which scene from film history was the party you would have most wanted as a kid?

Here’s our answers.

Liar, Liar

Sure, Max’s birthday wasn’t exactly the most joyous occasion. As a matter of fact, if a kid looked as disinterested as him while blowing out the candles on his cake at one of our parties, someone would likely be getting reprimanded. While the kid’s birthday party itself wasn’t spectacular, the thing that was was what came next. Max’s wish came true.

As a kid it gave you hope that your birthday wish too could come true and lead to some hilarious antics. Now we just wish a grown up Max could make another wish. To give us the funny Jim Carey back.

Rocky IV

So this wasn’t exactly the greatest film in the Rocky franchise. Balboa went all Fresh Prince on us and traded in his inner-city Philadelphia home for a mansion and sports cars. Not to mention it led us to believe that one man could end the Cold War by beating another man who came off as more machine than human.

But it wasn’t all bad. It did give us a birthday party that involved one of our favorite machines in movie history. Rocky throws a birthday party that every kid in the 1980s would have appreciated. Unfortunately he threw it for his 60-something degenerate brother-in-law Paulie. The party included balloons, party hats, banners, a cake with Paulie’s face on it, oh, and a robot that not only served the cake but that did a special birthday rap for him.

Like I said, pretty much every child of the ‘80s birthday dream.

Uncle Buck

We’re not talking about the Mike Epps show on ABC that’s already been canceled. No, we’re talking about the original starring John Candy and easily the greatest kid’s birthday party scene in movie history.

Imagine being a kid waking up on your birthday to the smell of pancakes. Great, right? Now imagine that when you got downstairs waiting for you were streamers, balloons and pancakes the size of the table with a slab of butter the size of a Volkswagon. Yeah, it’d be one of the greatest moments of your childhood.

Sixteen Candles

First Uncle Buck and now Sixteen Candles? We’re sensing a theme and that theme is that John Hughes knew how to throw one heck of a kids or teens birthday party.

The entire film is based around Samantha’s (Molly Ringwald) 16th birthday. Her family forgets about it, her crush is the coolest boy in school who seems to not notice her and the class dork is trying to cozy up to her. So how in the world does this rank for the best birthday party scene in movie history?

Simple. Warning, 30 year old SPOILER ALERT: In the end she gets the guy and they celebrate her sweet 16 sitting on top of the most 1980s looking dining room table sharing their first kiss by the candlelight of her birthday cake.

Yeah, we’re a sucker for a happy ending. It’s what we all always wanted as kids for our birthday.

Oh, and a side note. Can we all agree that no father would simply give his 16 year old daughter the “OK” sign as she gets into some complete strangers bright red Porsche? Hughes gets birthday parties right but obviously doesn’t quite understand being the dad of a teenage daughter.