One of the defining movies of the 80's decade,
The Breakfast Club remains an entertaining film which evokes
nostalgia among many viewers. Inevitably, any foray into the cinema
blockbusters of the 1980s will evoke a number of titles, such as
Back To The Future, Beverly Hills Cop, or The Goonies. The Breakfast
Club is certainly one of those films, and it's almost universally
cited as one of the preeminent films from the era. If you enjoy
relationship films, it's easy to see why, because The Breakfast Club
is a movie built solely on the strength of its characters and the
conflict surrounding them…Shermer High
School principal Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason) oversees the Saturday
morning detention of five high school students from differing
backgrounds. Confining them to the library, he fails to relate to
them as individuals with a future or a purpose. Making up the cast
of misfit characters are Andy Clark (Emilio Estevez), Brian Ralph
Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), John Bender (Judd Nelson), Claire
Standish (Molly Ringwold), and Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy).
Forced to spend their Saturday together, the five students strike up
a conversation (with the exception of the muted Allison). For the
most part, their conversation consists of picking on each other and
making jokes at each other's expense.
Continually butting heads with Principal
Vernon, the teens help pass the time by uniting against Vernon and
by engaging in conversation with the infinitely wise janitor, Carl
(John Kapelos). Eventually, each student (including Allison, who
eventually opens up) comes to understand the plight of the other.
The pretty princess Claire doesn't have a perfect life. Neither does
the popular wrestling champ Andy. Brian and Allison have their own
problems just like anyone else, and John puts up a front to look
tougher and more hardened than he really is. In the end, the five
develop a lifelong bond - with Claire and John igniting a budding
relationship…
Sporting a smash hit soundtrack headlined by
Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)," The Breakfast Club
attained instant cult classic status. The 'brat pack' came to define
a generation and made its mark in Hollywood. A light-hearted comedy,
blended together with a series of relationships between different
people, The Breakfast Club's true strength lies with the ability of
its audience to relate to the issues at hand. The characters recount
stories from their lives that in one way or another are easily
relatable to most every American who attended high school.
It's this universal familiarity with the
themes depicted by The Breakfast Club that make it a classic adored
by millions. Despite the longings of teenagers throughout time to
forge unique identities and set themselves aside as revolutionary,
in the end, most high schools sport the same cast of characters, and
those various roles have remained unchanged for most of the last
several decades. As one of the most memorable films of the 80's
decade, The Breakfast Club is a definite must-see movie…
