The Breakfast Club

There are other movies that controlled the spotlight of the 1980s, too. To name a few, there was Back to the Future, The Terminator, Raging Bull, E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial, Top Gun, and Rain Man. There were comedies like The Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Princess Bride, and Airplane!. Though, while some of these are simply great movies, none of them have had the effect on such a group of people, primarily teens in high school, as The Breakfast Club.

What's The Breakfast Club all about?
Five students are in detention for various reasons, and they all represent social statuses that we are all familiar with. You have the jock, who is motivated by pride and success, the popular girl, who only cares about herself and her elite friends, the punk, who has given up on school and engages in crime, the nerd, who is extremely intelligent yet troubled by social issues, and the basket case, who is so weird that no one can seem to connect with her. At the beginning of the movie, they are all rigidly attached to their social status, and through being so diverse, have trouble talking with one another. Gradually, though, certain events lead them to talk with each other. Through smoking, dancing, fighting, and conversing, they learn that they are actually not as different from each other as they had thought. By the end of the film, they have all been enlightened with the hardships and lifestyles of one another.

How was The Breakfast Club significant?
In high school, the 1980s were a decade of gelled hair and extravagant make up. The Breakfast Club showed audiences that while their were social barriers that were thrown up in life, in the end, all kids were the same. They wanted the same things and had the same problems. Their friends, their clothes, and their athleticism did not define who they were. Yes, while popularity still exists and will continue exists, The Breakfast Club was a valuable insight into teen culture to humanize the rigid social structure that defined high school. For this, The Breakfast Club has greatly influenced popular culture of the future.

You've all heard "eat my shorts." You've probably said it to your friends, knowing that you're quoting Bart Simpson. Guess what? He stole that from The Breakfast Club.

The song, "Don't You (Forget About Me)"? It was popularized by this movie in the final scene.

The creators of Futurama apparently liked the movie a lot, too. They named their alcoholic robot "Bender" after the punk in The Breakfast Club.

And those are just to name a few. Tons of other references in teen shows and teen movies come right back to the Breakfast Club, either parodying it or imitating it. Why? It's just that good a movie. This movie earns my choice for favorite movie of the 1980s and I highly suggest it for an enjoyable, comical, and heartwarming experience.

The Breakfast Club sounds good! Buy it here:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208125131&listingid=37914720&dcaid=17902

http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Club-Emilio-Estevez/dp/078322687X

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6089997

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800040967/buyvideo

http://www.tower.com/breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-dvd/wapi/107062170