The Breakfast Club

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Paul Gleason
Directed by: John Hughes
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Teen
Box Office: $45,875,171
1985

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Four high-schoolers, a jock (Emilio Estevez), a princess (Molly Ringwald), a criminal (Judd Nelson), and a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall) are sent to Saturday detention where they slowly realize they have more in common than they ever would have thought.

Review:

Tim: This is a classic, classic film. When you think of top 80s movies, this one has to come to mind for its pure cultural and beloved quality. John Hughes does an excellent job bringing together the different strands of high schoolers. If anyone says, "Movie... jock, princess, criminal, nerd" anyone who is familiar with films will be able to shout, "The Breakfast Club!" Those four labels are engrained in our minds.

The cast is great in this film. Estevez, Ringwald, Nelson, and Hall all give such different yet excellent performances that it is nearly impossible to contemplate which gives the better performance. They all feed off each other and that makes for a truly excellent viewing experience. Perhaps my favorite character is Paul Gleason as the principal. He is absolutely hilarious throughout the film. He enjoys some wonderful writing, "Don't mess with the bull young man, you'll get the horns" (which appropriate horns hand gesture).

The writing is superb throughout much of the film. The actors all do good jobs, but they really sparkle because of the writing. Who can forget Nelson asking, "Does Barry Manilow know you raid his closet?" Hilarious.

The performances and the labeling really capture the best and the worst parts of high school. This film made the high school experience come alive for all who watched it. I've never wanted to be in Saturday morning detention until I watched this movie. This is a classic 80s film that you simply need to see. Also, it ends with an interesting question- are they still going to be friends on Monday? This question proves there is more to this film than many will realize. It's definitely a good film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Sixteen Candles, Splash, 10 Things I Hate About You, Ferris Bueller's Day Off