The Breakfast Club (1985) is all it's cracked up to be. I found out for myself this past week, and I understand why it's largely considered the BEST in the teen movie genre. Read here to know why! <Spoilers may follow>
To make a film that largely takes place in a single room work, the script and direction need to be in sync. How to best accomplish this undertaking? Make them the same person! John Hughes pioneered this film and other works such as Sixteen Candles, Ferris Buller's Day Off and more. Without his mind, the film would be forgotten.
Something I took away (and then the film lays it out for you) is that it represented the different types of teens from the 80s. There's a brain (Brian), an athlete (Andrew), a basket case (Allison), a princess (Claire), and a criminal (John). It's a timeless lesson. We can be different and still be friends. You don't have to agree with everything they say and can still be close.
Judd Nelson's performance as John Bender is award-worthy. He didn't get nominated, but many critics believe he was snubbed. It's mainly because *he's believable*. When he's acting cool to make a joke, it's believable. When he's harassing Ringwald's character, it's believable. When he's deeply depressed, it's believable. No, you don't excuse his harassment actions, but you understand how terrible his home life is (he literally acts it out).
Nelson may have been too good. He stayed in character off-set which led to many heated exchanges with director Hughes. The man even went to a high school and convinced them he was a new student (he was 23 at the time). That's crazy.
A couple of scenes are memorable. One is the pot-smoking scene. The actors were given a decent amount of freedom in how to act and what to say. However, in the 2nd memorable scene, they were told to just ad-lib. That's the circle scene where they all reveal why they're in detention. It was a good idea to wait so long to tell us. It kept us guessing.
I'm not going to take away points for the dancing scene because it's at least interesting. I will for one directing decision when Andrew yells and breaks the glass in the getting high act. To be fair, Hughes has stated he regrets that decision. It felt severely out of place even for this film.
We did receive a short look at Paul Gleason's Vernon. He's the hard-nosed teacher. He and the janitor have some "real talk" as they discuss their futures run by the kids of today.
The Breakfast Club skillfully dives into the troubles teens may face in school and at home. They may not be living up to their parent's expectations, or it's the opposite. They aren't given any expectations and fall further down the hole. I think it's a FANTASTIC FILM that should be watched. Also, we cannot forget the iconic ending. Look below... Oh ya, that's the stuff.
My film rating is A+.
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