What Makes "The Breakfast Club" the Quintessential 80's Movie?

It doesn't matter that it was written and directed by the master of classic 80's movies and comedy John Hughes, who shall go down in history as the eternal lord of the teen movie and who gave us essential eighties masterpieces like "The Great Outdoors," "Uncle Buck," "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," and "Weird Science."

It doesn't matter that the theme, "Don't You (Forget About Me,)" was written especially for the film and rocketed to the top of the pop charts becoming a number one hit for Simple Minds.

It doesn't matter that it's been quoted, ripped off, and spoofed in American pop culture since its release in 1985--"Mess with the bull and you get the horns!"

There are four essential items that make eighties' movies totally rad:

1) Teen Angst

2) A Music Montage

3) Wicked Wardrobe

4) Any member of the Brat Pack

To be placed on the top shelf with such classic 80s movies as "National Lampoon's European Vacation," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and "Sixteen Candles," (all of which Hughes had a hand in) a movie must have at least one of the attributes mentioned above. "The Breakfast Club" has all of them!

There's nothing more angst ridden than stuffing five complete strangers who all come from wildly varied economic situations, social groupings, and familial backgrounds into a big empty room unless the people you're stuffing in there are all pimply, hormonal teenagers with "issues." Who can forget the comic scene that turns ugly as the characters are all mimicking each other's lives? It shows us just how different a person can actually be from the perception we have of them, a theme you'll find when you embark on eighties movie reviews.

But "The Breakfast Club" is a dramatic comedy, not a tearjerker. So how does the comedy break through the seriousness? With an eighties' essential: the music montage! The soundtrack swells, the eclectic ensemble cast all start tapping their feet, twitching, and doing eighties dances-dances soon to be forgotten in the era of grunge and garage bands-and we see various quick clips of them in groups and singularly acting absolutely ridiculous. There's even an homage to Scooby Doo as the cast of excitable teens sneak through the halls avoiding Principle Richard Vernon.

What can I say about the wardrobe? Jean jackets, Converse sneakers, varsity jackets, pink puffy-shouldered blouses, fingerless leather gloves-the only thing missing is the legwarmers! And you can't forget the hair! Judd Nelson's I'm-too-cool-for-school, face-hiding down-do let us know in an instant that he was a rebel and not to be messed with while Molly Ringwald's tight, expertly-coifed curls just screamed "I'm an uptight daddy's girl!"

The Brat Pack, a collective of young and successful eighties actors who were the driving force behind such great films as "Saint Elmo's Fire" and "Pretty in Pink," featured heavily in several of John Hughes's early films. "The Breakfast Club" was no exception; in fact, the film is often seen as the Brat Pack movie as five of the eight original card-carrying members landed all the leading roles in the film.

• Molly Ringwald - Claire Standish

• Emilio Estevez - Andrew Clark

• Anthony Michael Hall - Brian Johnson

• Judd Nelson - John Bender

• Ally Sheedy - Allison Reynolds

Why does "The Breakfast Club" hold up do well in modern eighties movie reviews while other classic eighties movies have sadly faded from the limelight? Essentially the story is a heartfelt tale of five strangers forced to tolerate each other against their will, strangers who eventually overcome their differences and realize they're all together in their individual loneliness. Without getting too deep into the psychology of it, fear of isolation and the desire for companionship are cornerstones of the human condition. The fact that these characters are so universal, that each audience member can find some aspect of themselves within one (or even all) of The Breakfast Clubbers is the main reason behind the timelessness of the film.

Of course, it could also be the funky fashion, bitchin' soundtrack, and the combined quirky comic genius of the Brat Packers and John Hughes.

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