AmateurMovieReviews.com

Back in the 1980's, if there was a teen movie made, chances are it had John Hughes' name written all over it. Hughes was the undisputed king of teen films and had quite a knack for capturing all the struggles and angst of high school and putting it on the screen. The Breakfast Club is one of the best known films of this genre, and for good reason.

The Breakfast Club stars Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy -- all of whom were teen movie icons at the time -- as a group of high school students sentenced to the worst punishment that could befall anyone at Shermer High: they had to serve Saturday detention. In other words, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, those five students would make up The Breakfast Club.

After the students arrive in the library (where they'll serve their entire detention), Principal Vernon (played by Paul Gleason) lays down the ground rules for the day. First, he gives them an assignment to do. They are to write an essay about who they think they are, which of course everyone groans about. Second, there is to be no talking. That seems like an easy enough rule to comply with since the five students appear to be just about as different from each other as could be. And third, they must all stay in the library at all times.

At first, the students don't talk to each other, but then John Bender (Nelson) starts making rude comments to Claire (Ringwald). That's when Andy (Estevez) jumps in to defend her, and Brian (Hall) pipes up to remind everyone that they're supposed to be quiet and just write their essays. Allison (Sheedy) is in her own little world and doesn't seem to care what's going on with the others.

After this first exchange, we get a clear idea of the stereotypes that these characters are supposed to embody. Bender is the "rebel" or the "loser," depending on which side you want to take; Claire is the privileged, snobby prom queen; Andy is the jock; Brian is the brain; and Allison is the basket case. Yes, these are all stereotypes, but anyone who has ever gone through high school can tell you that these labels do hit close to home.

As the day drags on and on, the kids eventually start talking to each other more and opening up about different things. They share their experiences and their struggles, and it soon becomes clear that no one's life is quite what it seems to be on the outside. Each and every one of the kids is dealing with a different kind of pressure, and none of them is having an easy time of it. The best scenes in the movie are the ones where the characters talk about their home lives and eventually reveal why they are in detention in the first place.

The ending to The Breakfast Club is rather predictable, but that wasn't the important part of the movie anyway. The important part was the journey that the characters take during the detention, and that's the part that the viewer will remember.

Like most other teenagers in 1985, I saw this movie countless times when I was in high school and I loved it back then. But when I recently decided to watch it again, I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how I would react to the film as an adult. It's been more than 20 years since the movie was released, and very few pictures hold up over that much time.

Surprisingly, The Breakfast Club was still very watchable after all those years. Sure, the clothes, hairstyles, language, and music are all dated; but the larger themes that the movie addresses are still universal. High school kids still struggle trying to find themselves and their place in the world, and as long as that happens, I think The Breakfast Club will always mean something.

Although I wouldn't exactly call The Breakfast Club a must-see film, it is entertaining enough to watch at least one time. If you can get past the external quirks that date the film as 20 years old, you ought to be able to enjoy it.