I was in eighth grade the first time I watched The Breakfast Club. My cousins and I had gone to our local video store and were trying to pick something out. I was looking at Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, anything that had strong special effects and a huge plot. My cousins on the other hand went to look at the classics. That is when they found it, The Breakfast Club. I was skeptical at first, due to the age and how simple it looked, but they ended up convincing me. We went back to my house and piled onto the couch under a mountain of blankets and with what seemed like gallons of popcorn.
We pressed play and I soon fell in love with the simplistic story line and humor behind this movie. Lately, I have began to notice that people today only seem interested in movies with extreme special effects and large action filled plots. Although these movies are good, sometimes it is better to sit back relax and watch something simpler. The Breakfast Club is a movie with a simple plot that will not only grasp the audiences attention, but also make the audience think with the message it portrays. The Breakfast Club was produced in 1985 and directed by John Hughes.
The actors who starred in this film were Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds), Molly Ringwald (Claire Standish), Judd Nelson (John Bender), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Johnson), and Emilio Estevez (Andrew Clark). There were also two more actors that had smaller roles that were still significant to the storyline. They were Paul Gleason (Mr. Vernon) and John Kapelos (Carl the Janitor). The Breakfast Club is rated R. It is in the genre of comedy and romance. It has won two awards. The awards were The Silver Bucket of Excellence Award and The National Film Registry.
The Breakfast Club started out with five students, who had nothing in coming, coming together on a Saturday for an eight hour detention session. Each of these students represented a stereotypical clique from high school. The students included: Allison Reynolds (the basket case), Claire Standish (the princess), John Bender (the criminal), Brian Johnson (the brain), and Andrew Clark (the jock). While the opening scenes is happening we are listening to Brian explain high school stereotypes and how the world is brainwashed. Then the principle, Mr. Vernon, gives the assignment for the detention.
This assignment was to write a paper about oneself. Instead of doing this assignment, the five students began to argue, harass, and fight each other. Showing their stereotypical personalities through the word and action choices. Principle Vernon then leaves, and while he is gone, the students decide to sneak out of the dentition room. They sneak to Bender’s locker and grade his marijuana stash. When they get back the the detention room they sit down together and begin to smoke. This then led into them having a deep heart-to-heart. We then learned about each of the individual’s problems.
Their problems were abusive parents, shameful feels about virginities, compulsive lying, and extremely high expectations. At the end of their heart to heart, they soon begin to realize that they will most likely never speak again. This was due to their different social groups. Claire convinces Brian to write a letter to Principle Vernon. They then started to leave, but not before a few relationships blossomed. Claire and Bender started to has a blooming relationship. Then Andrew and Allison, but poor Brian was all alone. They then separate and go their separate ways.
The end of the movie then ends with Bender walking across the school’s football field. While he is walking Brian begins to talk again. This time he is reading the letter they wrote to Principle Vernon. It stated: “Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us… In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain… … and an athlete… … nd a basket case… … a princess… … and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club. “(The Breakfast Club) The first time I feel like we should look at are the negative reviews for this film. The first point I came across during my research was that the stereotypes of the teens were too obvious.
This comment caught my eye in this article, “While meticulously drawn, the film’s characters are so stereotypically representative that only the lamest of moviegoers will not determine their respective backgrounds and problems long before the plodding movie does. (Duane). I was interested in this statement because of the underlining message in this movie. This message was, to break down high school stereotypes. The most though out way to do this is to overdramatize the characters. This makes it easier to distinguish each stereotype from the next. Being able to guess the characters issues or choices, was just an easier way to portray their stereotype. This enhanced the film’s message. The next main argument I came across was that the movie could have broke through adult stereotypes instead of just teenagers. I found a comment from CinemaBlend.
It stated, “The movie does an outstanding job of deconstructing the stereotypes of the kids. However, The Breakfast Club misses a chance to do the same with stereotypes about adults”(Norris). The reviewer then goes on to state, that the most likely reason to why the director, John Hughes, did not put in breaking adult stereotypes was because his audience would not be focused on that. This film’s main audience is teenagers, who most likely do not understand stereotypical adults because they have not experienced this in their lives yet. Not adding this to the film made it simpler and helped to focus more on the main essage.
Now that we have gone through the negative parts of the film and debunked them, we are going to move on to what made this film great. The first point would be the actors involved. These actors in this decade were called “the brat pack”. They were very passionate actors that had many opinions and liked to “run the show”. I found many different articles backing up this statement. The first was written by Rafer Guzman, who stated, “rarely have onscreen teens felt this authentic”. This helped the reader understand the the movie is passionate due to the passion of the actors involved.
The second article described each of the five main characters. This is what the reviewer had to say about each. Ally Sheedy “manages to be appealing”, Judd Nelson “was the hoodlum in the group”, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall “were standout performers”, and Emilio Estevez “has an edgy physical intensity”(Maslin). I feel like these descriptions of the actors helped show their dedication to the film. They each had to take on a new personae, and although some may have had similar personalities, they still made the characters seem original and genuine.
The second point I would like to make is the beauty of simplicity. It seems now-a-days movies have to be filled with crazy action scenes, large plots, and special effects. Although these things can be extremely entertaining and fun, sometimes we need to relax. Simpler movies focus more on the message they are trying to portray. If it is done right the watcher will not need all the extra additives to enjoy and understand the film. The Breakfast Club is a great example of this. It still holds the same strength and message even with out the special effects.
In one article I read the author compared The Breakfast Club to newer films today, like The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games. They said,” its urge to tear down social paradigms still echoes in current hits such as “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent” and “The Maze Runner. ” Thirty years on, “The Breakfast Club” remains as relevant and youthful as ever. “(Guzman). I loved this article because it integrated the old with the new. Teenagers in today’s world have that “save the world”, “change stereotypes” kind of mentality. Most of the movies we watch today are about breaking the mold and saving the world.
Having a reviewer compare The Breakfast Club to such iconic movies in today’s age, really hits home the idea that they have a very similar message. I will always hold this film near and dear to my heart. It messages has reached me and made my heart swell. It is so amazing that even in the 80s people were making huge strides to break down stereotypes. Now look at us today. We are standing up for the weak and becoming individuals. Even though there are still hardships, we are taking steps forward. This is all I could ask for. Sincerely, the dreamer.
