Many say that Director John Hughes created the genre of film dealing with the angst that kids feel at school on a daily basis. Sure there will films like Rebel Without a Cause and American Graffiti before Hughes came along, but with his three films of mid-1980's he really set the standard. The second of those films was The Breakfast Club, that dealt with the experiences of five high-school students sentenced to a Saturday in detention. The premise of the story is a simple one, as the students are all placed into an uncomfortable situation, grouped in with 4 other students that they wouldn't know outside of this session of detention. The reason for that, is that these 5 kids each belong to a different clique within the school, and have received a label that the film intends to show that society has placed upon them.

Nicknamed the brain, the jock, the princess, the basket case, and the criminal, the main cast of 5 are played by Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson respectively. Each one of the characters is given stereotypical behavior, which constitutes of things such as the brain (Hall) being in the Physics club and not quite fitting in or the jock (Estevez) being focused almost entirely on his wrestling and a potential scholarship into college. Being stuck within their own sects of the school, they have become separated from the rest of the student body and relegated to only getting along with those people that share their exact interests. The problem though, is that they have far more in common with other people at the school that they would normally not even speak with, and it takes something like this day in Saturday School to open their eyes to what is around them.

The whole point to this story, is that these 5 kids are placed in a situation where they must get along with other students that they wouldn't talk with, let alone spend a day hanging around. Now that they are forced to not only talk, but interact with each other, they are forced to break down some of the walls they have created within their own minds. Along the way though, there are going to be a lot of moments where disagreements arise through differences in views, and thus a lot of exciting and interesting moments develop within the story. The best part about the writing and directing of John Hughes is that he uses real issues that high school students deal with, and though there is a lesson buried in the story, he doesn't just hit you over the head to get the point across. The ultimate message of the story is if these 5 kids will end up seeing eye-to-eye and if this day becomes meaningful to any of them.

Though The Breakfast Club came out back in 1985, the reason that the film worked so well then, and still works well, is that it uses themes that pertain to generations of high school students. We have all been in situations like these in high school, and we all know how cliques can become a large part of the day-to-day life in any school. The acting is really top notch in my opinion, and it doesn't hurt that Hughes was able to but 5 recognizable actors in the leading roles. The writing sets up the story well, leaves just enough to the imagination and thoughts of its viewers, and presents characters that the audience can really care about. The story makes you want to know more about the five students, and as the film progresses, it is almost like you are getting to know each one of them a little better. The film remains very interesting for its duration, presents real situations in an entertaining fashion, and depicts the interactions between these students during their day of detention in an entirely believable way. This is one of the best high-school stories that I have seen, and it is one that I can easily recommend due to its exemplary writing and attention to detail.




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD