Movie Review: The Breakfast Club (1985)

The Breakfast Club is just one of many great movies from the 1980s. The John Hughes written story was originally released on February 15, 1985.

The movie introduced us to some of the actors and actresses who would later become known as The Brat Pack. Hughes had three movies based on high school characters, who were coming of age, and still discovering themselves. The trio consists of The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles. Some of the Brat Pack actually starred in his other movies, like St. Elmo's Fire.

The Breakfast Club tells the story of five teenagers, who all ran in different social circles and cliques. None of them seeming similar in any way. Andy Clark was played by Emilio Estevez, known for being the jock and athlete, who lives for school sports. Popular girl Claire Standish, played by Molly Ringwald, was thought of as the spoiled princess. While John Bender was played by Judd Nelson, known for being the troubled criminal. Brian Johnson played by Anthony Michael Hall, was called the nerd for being smart. And Allison Reynolds as Ally Sheedy, known as the odd basket case.

The plot centers on those five characters, all of whom go to Shermer High School, and are given Saturday detention. At the beginning they are disconnected with not only themselves, but with their place and roles in life. Mr. Vernon the principal directs them to detention. And like someone who doesn't enjoy his job, he leaves them alone and unsupervised. He assigns Brian to write an essay detailing who each of them they think they are. The topic was to cover each of the five students.

The letter becomes a major part of the plot. Brian writes the essay, but changes the topic and ends up with a inspiring letter that challenges the principals early judgment of them. The letter changes their own judgments, of themselves, and of each other. Their common ground of imperfect lives forms friendships and bonds them to each other, despite their many differences. Then the students worry that once detention is over that they will return to their social groups, as if this day never happened.

As the day passes ever so slowly the students learn about the preconceived notions they have of each other. They find that they are different from who their peers believe them to be. They are also forced to see each other for who they really are. Despite what others think of them, and who they actually are, they find the common ground between the two. As the days drags on they begin to open up to one another as they divulge secrets.

Allison is a habitual liar, Brian and Claire are both ashamed of being virgins. Brian and John find that they aren't so different after all. Their home lives are both strained due to overbearing fathers, who push them in directions that they didn't necessarily chose for themselves. They are all terrified of becoming the things that they most despise in their parents. It's a coming of age story at its finest and most tender moment.

Their Saturday spent in detention is one they will never forget. After picking on each other they smoke marijuana, get their dance on, share inner secrets, talk of home life situations, and learn more about one another. After resisting one another they find themselves to be alike in many ways. In ways they had never expected to find similarities.

When they begin to understand more about their classmates home life it begins to unravel the preconceived judgments that they entered the room with. They are unwillingly forced to see that no matter what people think of you, everyone has problems and flaws that aren't evident by physical attributes. That you can't see the true picture of who someone really is by merely the assuming and judging a book by it's cover. The secrets they reveal changes what they think and feel, by the end of the movie.

Brian ends up with two versions of the letter. The beginning letter changes from their preconceived judgments. The end letter shows how they changed their opinions of each other, somewhat. The letter also displays how their likenesses and differences made them realize that commonality changed their views. It also changed their assumptions and inspired them to reach outside of their social circle.

The movie comes to an end, as they leave the letter for Mr. Vernon on a table, and the students exit their day of detention. Although they are still the same upon leaving, they are also different, in small ways.

Sources:
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-breakfast-club/10843/main