The Breakfast Club (1985)

	Directed by: John Hughes	COUNTRY USA GENRE Drama/Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Frokostklubben RUNNING TIME 97 minutes
	Produced by: Ned Tanen John Hughes
	Written by: John Hughes

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	PERFORMER	RATING
Andrew Clark	Emilio Estevez
John Bender	Judd Nelson
Claire Standish	Molly Ringwald	½
Allison Reynolds	Ally Sheedy	½
Brian Johnson	Anthony Michael Hall	½
Richard Vernon	Paul Gleason	½
Carl	John Kapelos

Review

At the centre of what was produced (and interpreted) by Hollywood in terms of youth culture during the eighties was, more often than not, John Hughes. Although his career has gone downhill since writing and producing the smash hit Home Alone, the contribution Hughes made to comedy and the portrait of an entire generation and its peculiarities cannot be underestimated. The Breakfast Club is his undisputed peak (although Ferris Bueller's Day Off fared better at the box office). It is not only an unusually well-written, clever, and atmospheric film; it is also a considerable achievement in form and style.

It can be argued that the characters in The Breakfast Club are stereotypical and that the issues discussed are both unoriginal and untypical for the generation. But then you'd overlook the fact that these are high school kids who often find themselves (voluntarily or not) in a role that they (or their fellow students) feel fits their appearance and/or social position. The film is a brilliant comment on this phenomenon, and what's good is that it doesn't try to solve every question it raises. There's nothing in here that isn't set off by the characters themselves – and they are both a delightful comic mixture and a highly interesting psychological and social study. The main theme is alienation between the kids and the parents/authorities – not at all unfamiliar territory – but there is vitality in the comments made here. Very few of us will have trouble relating to the issues from at least one of the parties' point of view.

Hughes' script is the real genius here. Although it tries to (and largely succeeds in) dealing with more or less existential problems these kids are having in their everyday lives, the film is at its very best when there's nothing going on and the kids are just killing time – talking about everything and nothing. Hughes' dialogue is a delight – vibrating and creating tension from events that don't have any particular narrative or thematic value. That is the sign of a filmmaker making a portrait from the inside, rather than someone taking a peek inside and claiming to know what he's talking about.

The performances are brilliant – in their peculiar, '80s fashion. The Breakfast Club is the essential film for the so-called 'Brat Pack', the group of young actors who broke through with high school and youth films in the early to mid-eighties. All the actors give solid performances, but four of them stand out in particular. Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall all deliver work that comes off as suspiciously authentic. Sheedy's character is the most outlandish, and thus easiest to work with, whereas Ringwald and Hall really pinpoint typical characters you'd find in any school, in they do it in a genuine and unflashy manner. The most influential and powerful performance, however, belongs to Judd Nelson. Although a bit more stylized, the John Bender character is a landmark in youth films – delightfully shallow, but still incredibly complex, and Hughes writes his lines so well. Few would disagree that this was Judd Nelson's career high, but for me it is also one of the best performances of the decade.

The Breakfast Club is one of those movies that captures what a whole generation was about. But most importantly, it does so without mocking it and without showing any lack of respect. It is John Hughes' accolade that he manages to make a highly interesting and ceaselessly entertaining film using nothing but five kids, one location, and close to no action. Barry Levinson's Diner has often been lauded as the best dialogue-driven film of the decade. For me, The Breakfast Club, is the best in that category – perhaps ever.

Quotes

John Bender: "How come Andrew gets to get up? If he gets up, we'll all get up, IT'LL BE ANARCHY!"

***

Vernon: "You're not fooling anyone, Bender. The next screw that falls out is going to be you."
Bender: "Eat my shorts."
Vernon: "What was that?"
Bender: "Eat. My. Shorts."
Vernon: "You just bought yourself another Saturday."
Bender: "Uh, I'm crushed."
Vernon: "You just bought one more right there."
Bender: "Well, I'm free the Saturday after that, beyond that I'm gonna have to check my calendar"
Vernon: "Good. Because its going to be filled. We'll keep going. You want another one? Say the word. Just say the word. Instead of going to prison you'll come here. Are you through?"
Bender: "No."
Vernon: "I'm doing society a favor."
Bender: "So."
Vernon: "Thats another one right now. I've got you the rest of your natural born life if you don't watch your step! You want another one?"
Bender: "Yes."
Vernon: "You got it! Right there, thats another one pal."
Claire: "Cut it out!"
Vernon: "You through?"
Bender: "Not even close, BUD."
Vernon: "Good. You got one more, right there."
Bender: "You really think I give a shit?"
Vernon: "Another. You through?"
Bender: "How many is that?"
Brian: "Thats seven including when you asked Mr.Vernon here if Barry Manilow knew that he raided his closet."
Vernon: "Now its eight.You stay out of this."
Brian: "Excuse me, sir, its seven."
Vernon: "Shut up, Peewee. You're mine, Bender. For two months, I've gotcha. I've gotcha!"
Bender: What can I say? I'm THRILLED.

***

Vernon: "Now thats it! I'm gonna be right outside those doors. Next time I gonna have to come in here, I'm crackin' skulls."

***

Bender (to Brian Johnson): "But face it, you're a neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie. What would you be doing if you weren't out making yourself a better citizen?"