The Breakfast Club Review

        This film needs no introduction. It’s practically a gateway film for every teenager to watch when they become that age or go into high school. The Breakfast Club has become a ubiquitous high school film that is the standard of portraying high school students in their honest views. This film is so good that I can guarantee that Hollywood would never want to reboot the idea of the movie for a new generation. It transcends the time it was released. 

1. Saturday Detention

        So the film is simple. Five high school students each have to serve detention on a Saturday for eight hours. At the start, we see the shots of the high school. It’s empty yes, but when we hear Brian narrating his essay, it cuts to the sections of the high school that is associated with the five students. 

        With all that, we have Claire, Andrew, Brian, Bender, and Allison arrive and choose the seats to sit. It’s one of those things where you don’t notice it but where they’re sitting is supposed to represent the high school structure. From the popular and athletic students to the outcasts. The Vice Principal arrives and tells them at the beginning that they must write a long essay on what they think of themselves. 

        This is where the film kicks off when Bender trolls Vernon and antagonizes the group. Judd Nelson was older than the other actors and actresses, but he manages to be a convincing bully with what he’s given. Most of the time, it seemed that Andrew would be the leader of the group. The one to really stop and threaten him to quit pestering on Claire. 

        The film’s greatest strength is that the entire characters have great synergy and chemistry when they interact. One key thing that is practically stressed when watching a high school film is the believability of the performances that makes us think that they are high schoolers. All the young actors are committed to their performances that, it would be one thing to bump into them in a high school hall, and not think twice that they are students.

        That and it would be very easy to screw up the concept if they were just one-dimensional characters. What I mean is that if they just have one personality and don’t change from when we see them at the start to the end. It wouldn’t be as engrossing when we see them escape the library and get high on Bender’s weed. And just act like high school students with real problems. I will applaud the film on that since for most films taking place in high school, the idea of personal problems of a student is almost taboo. Since a film is mostly an escape from real life. 

        Here, they all admit that they have a messed-up life when they aren’t in school. While we don’t see that, they are committed to telling their peers of their problems at home. From abusive parents, controlling parents, or parents who just ignore them. The best example is when they each leave their parent’s cars. It’s one of the best scenes and establishes one small glimpse of what they are like outside. All except Bender who walks, and Allison trying to say something but the car leaves. 

        One last thing is just what exactly is the film about? I think it’s about the saying “There’s more than meets the eye.”. Almost everyone assumes what the students are clique-wise. When the pivotal scene is shown, they hate that they’re associated with the cliques and their parents wants to have them be more than they are. Vernon is the one to assume everyone’s high school stereotype. 

        For instance, Vernon has it really out for Bender. He constantly tells the other students just how much of a scum of the Earth John is. Going above and beyond that he expects Bender to be a criminal and to be there when he sees it. So much so that he drags him into a storage room and offers Bender to punch him in the face. Bender is freaked out by this and the Vice Principal tells Bender that he's a turd. 

2. John Hughes

        The 80s is when John Hughes dominated the teen movie. It seemed that he has this talent of being the teen whisperer or someone who has enough writing talent to make people become empathetic to teenagers. Or he’s that good of a writer. Since he did the double duty of writing and directing, I must praise that the film has a very simple premise and is shot mostly minimally. 

        Although, it’s easy to do a checklist on a John Hughes movie like having it located in Illinois, or in a fancy Chicago suburb. As well as having some representation of the local teams like the White Sox when the Janitor, Carl wears their jersey under his uniform. As well as having that mean authority figure being the adult who doesn’t understand the younger generation. 

        While he has that last thing appear in The Breakfast Club, there is one scene that I like that involves the only two adults. It’s when both Vernon and Carl talk about their past and what they think. Carl wanted to be somebody and in fact, we see his face in the portraits. Vernon wanted to be someone who is respected, but is jaded when he says that the students walk over him. He’s afraid of the new generation but can’t seem to put in the work to care as Carl suggests he do.

3. Legacy

        My first exposure to the film was a visual gag on Family Guy in one of the first season’s episodes. It was parodied in the film Not Another Teen Movie with Chris Evans. Then as years went by, I finally sat down and watched it on what was ABC Family. The film has become a standard or a cinematic bible of how to portray a high school student. As many more films about high school have been released. Either through spoofing or trying to emulate how a high school should be. Mostly its hit or miss since it requires genuine talent and performance to sell what it’s like to be a teenager with problems. 

4. Overall

        Need I say more? The Breakfast Club is a real gem of the 80s and it still holds up. Maybe not a lot of kids would understand or relate to the film but will always get that to never judge anyone just on who they are. 

        The Breakfast Club gets a five out of five.