Review: The Breakfast Club

Five students from different parts of the high school social spectrum are brought together to suffer weekend detention one one Saturday. Supervised in the library by arrogant and humourless Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason), they are; Claire (Molly Ringwald) the popular ‘Princess’, John Bender (Judd Nelson) the snarky and antagonising delinquent ‘Criminal’, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) the soft-spoken ‘Brain’, Andrew (Emilio Estevez) ‘The Jock’, and Allison (Ally Sheedy), the practically invisible ‘basket case’. Although they are completely different kids who before this Saturday would feel they had absolutely nothing in common, they come to learn that this is not quite the case. John Kapelos plays the janitor, Ron Dean briefly appears as Andrew’s manly father.

There has existed a critical snobbery towards 80s American cinema, especially in the comedy or teen movie genres. Just look at the old guard getting their noses out of joint at the John Hughes retrospective segment at the Oscars a few years back. This dismissive attitude towards an entire decade of American cinema, and particular the genres of comedy and teen movie needs to stop. I’m sick of the disrespect afforded to the cinema of my youth. I may have only been 5 years old when it came out, but this 1985 ‘brat pack’ teen comedy-drama from writer-director John Hughes (“Sixteen Candles”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, “Home Alone”) is a shining example of the kind of film from an era in American cinema that doesn’t seem to get anywhere near the love it actually deserves. Holding a top 50 spot in my Top 200 of All-Time list, I actually think it’s not just a good film, but a great one (Whilst most other critics, at best, begrudgingly admit that the film is a cut above the norm for teen movies). In fact, the film is perceptive in ways that even many of its fans don’t actually notice. The cliques may have changed (or at least changed names), the set-up may be contrived, but the message still works.

Along with the even more underrated “Lucas”, this movie really does ‘get’ the high school experience, in so far as there can be a common or universally accepted vision of the high school experience. The fantasy is the contrivance Hughes has set-up to bring the characters together in order to get to his ultimate message. High school students don’t really communicate with each other anymore than kids and adults do. No one understands one another, no one has empathy for one another. No, not even the ‘Popular girl’ (Molly Ringwald) and ‘The Jock’ (Emilio Estevez), who despite exchanging a knowing look early on (it’s a very telling moment), only have a superficial commonality between them. Hughes is bringing these students together to force them into finding some commonality, some kind of understanding. It’s fantasy, but fantasy with a very real and relatable message. It took me a long time after high school to learn what this film is teaching, but basically it’s saying high school sucks for everyone, and even has their own set of pressures threatening to weigh them down. No one relates to one another, and everyone has their own problems they’re dealing with that you may not know anything about. Yes, even the popular kids have stuff going on. If you scoffed at the John Hughes tribute at the Oscars, well you’re basically Paul Gleason’s character in this film. Playing the arsehole school principal, the late (and perfectly cast Gleason) is a humourless prick on a power trip who doesn’t get the kids and doesn’t want to. He feels above them.

Watching the film again in 2016, I had forgotten just how funny the film is. Ally Sheedy has her best moments in cinema just being all-round weird, and hilarious for it. She’s also to be commended for really nailing her character on a seemingly cellular level. Judd Nelson, meanwhile was so perfect in this I don’t think he ever recovered. His John Bender is one of cinema’s most hilarious agitators and button-pushers. He’s perceptive in knowing just what to say to piss people off, set them against one another, or just make them cry. Underneath all of that is a guy with his own issues, a rather awful home life. For the most part, though, he’s really funny, and I can’t believe that ‘Eat My Shorts’ ended up becoming a thing (albeit mostly due to a certain eight-fingered, yellow-skinned smart arse perennial 10 year-old), whilst the ‘hot beef injection’ ended up fading into obscurity. There’s a really funny moment where the kids are eating lunch: Molly Ringwald’s ‘Princess’ is eating sushi, the jock eats enough to feed an entire family for a month, and Ally Sheedy’s ‘basket case’ eats…a sugar sandwich, basically. In addition to being funny, it’s a rare film that seems as ‘cool’ now as it was back in the 80s. How rare is that? Terrific soundtrack, including the iconic Simple Minds hit ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’.

For me, there’s really only two flaws in the film and both are minor. John Kapelos is good as the janitor (whose character, I’ve only just realised after seeing it hundreds of times, used to be a student at the same school), but his role in the film is pretty corny. The other issue I have is that they have the ‘Princess’ give Ally Sheedy’s character a makeover. She’s already attractive for fuck’s sake, and it’s just seriously superficial. It doesn’t really belong here, I don’t think and furthers my belief that Molly Ringwald’s character is by far the least likeable of the bunch at the start of the film and at the end.

Some might scoff at the idea of a bullying jock coming to realise the hurt he caused, but it’s a necessary scene to make the film work and Emilio Estevez handles the scene very well. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the film’s ending, but if I’m being honest, it’s probably the most true-to-life thing about the film’s depiction of high school. ***** SPOILER CITY AHEAD ***** Brian’s situation doesn’t change and on top of that he also ends up doing everyone’s essay for them. What total arseholes they are. Everyone else pairs off at the end and the poor nerd doesn’t even get a thank you, let alone a girlfriend. Isn’t that always the way, though? And no, the fact that Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald dated in real-life doesn’t count. Hall wasn’t a geek in real-life in the slightest. ***** END SPOILER *****

An 80s teen classic, but in my view an unheralded great film of any era and any genre. Funny, smart, perceptive and absolutely still relevant. Having seen the film both as a teenager and at the age of 36, I can also dispel the myth that the film becomes less impressive the older you get. It’s as great now as it ever was, and a must-see if you’ve somehow missed it all these years. Somewhat ironic that a film about attendees to a Saturday detention would get a grade of…

Rating: A+