Welcome to A-Z Movie Reviews. Every Sunday, for the next several months, I will be posting a review of a film in my home movie collection. How it works is, I will be reviewing movies in alphabetical order until I get to the letter Z (Yes, I do have a film that ends in Z). Now I realize there are many ways to alphabetize a film collection but this is mine so don’t judge me. This is simply for fun.
The late John Hughes has many classic films that I love and The Breakfast Club ranks high on that list.
What it’s about:
Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.
There is so much greatness in this film which is why it has remained an iconic piece of 80s pop culture. It has resonated with so many generations old and new because it’s such a relatable film.
The premise of putting a group of teens together from all different backgrounds and social statues who wouldn’t spend two minutes with each other was genius. There is Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) the “brain,” Claire (Molly Ringwald) the “princess,” Allison (Ally Sheedy) the “basket case,” Andrew (Emilio Estevez) the athlete, and John (Judd Nelson) the “criminal.”
What I love most about this film is that it leaves you with a clear message which is not to pass judgment on others and that deep down we are all the same. The film opens with Brian (Hall) narrating and what stuck out to me is when he says “You see us as you want to see us, we were brainwashed.” Basically, what Brian was saying is, society tries to dictate to us who we are which ultimately makes us see each other that way.
Before they were forced to spend eight hours together, all five of the teens saw each other in a totally different way. When they took the time to actually really get to know one another, they learned that each of them faces similar pressures whether it be at home or at school. Their confession circle and group therapy are some of my favorite scenes.
For me, Brian was one of the most relatable characters. I was able to identify with him in so many ways. In High School I was a nerd and not one of the popular people. I didn’t have a similar home life but I could definitely relate to him and the pressures of making sure to get good grades.
The entire cast of this film is incredibly talented but for me the standout was Judd Nelson as Bender. He stole the entire film in my opinion. He brought so much to his character. Not only was he able to bring the hardness, he also did a phenomenal job of showcasing Benders vulnerability.
The Breakfast Club is a timeless film that anyone can relate to and I highly recommend it because it will stick with you forever.
Other Thoughts
- Detention on a Saturday yuck!
- I love Bender calling Claire out when she tried to say that Brian being in academic clubs wasn’t the same thing as being in the activities club.
- Every time I watch the lunch scene I just think of the fact that Andrew had so much food he could have offered Bender something.
- Speaking of the lunch scene, Allison’s sugar/cereal sandwich was gross!
- Brian’s reaction to Bender and the marijuana in his locker is so me.
- Brian was surprisingly good at smoking it though which raises some questions…
- Vernon (Paul Gleason) was a dick. Seriously, what kind of douchebag threatens a student?
- I wanted to smack Andrew when he said “All girls are teases” like seriously Andrew? fuck you!
- The “what happens Monday?” moment always gets me.
The Breakfast Club is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
