The Breakfast Club | Teen Ink

The Breakfast Club MAG

By Anonymous

     The ’80s were a time of movie magic. While some would focus on masterpieces like “The Color Purple” or “ET: The Extra Terrestrial,” my favorite flick from that period is “The Breakfast Club.”

The movie’s plot is simple enough: What would happen if five people from totally different groups of the high school scene were forced to spend a Saturday together in detention?

There are five main characters: Claire (Molly Ringwald), the princess; John Bender (Judd Nelson), the bad boy; Andy (Emilio Estevez), the jock; Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), the geek and Alyson (Ally Sheedy), the freak (and my personal favorite). There are two other characters, the only adults of importance: Principal Vernon and Carl, the school janitor.

We soon realize that Mr. Vernon’s intentions are less than pleasant. He is fairly cruel, and especially hates Bender.

Bender finds unexpected (and unwanted) love in Claire. An even more unusual pairing is Alyson and Andy, who share an almost romantic kiss after Claire gives her a makeover. Brian, the only one who ends up not getting a girl, walks off with something more. In writing a paper to Vernon, which basically tells him to shove it, he finally rebels against the system. And that alone is something most of us wish we could do!

The movie is rated R for language and a scene with drug use. In fact, it is the last movie ever to have a pot-smoking scene that didn’t involve getting caught or being sorry. After 1986, censors decided this was not a good thing for teenagers to watch.

“The Breakfast Club” teaches a valuable lesson: You can’t judge a book by its cover, no matter how pristine or messy it might be. And I think that’s a pretty darn good moral for a John Hughes movie.





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This article has 8 comments.


i love this so much!

on Aug. 7 2015 at 11:17 am
N.R.Anon PLATINUM, Ayer, Massachusetts
21 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Don't be like so many writers, don't be like so many thousands of people who call themselves writers." (Charles Bukowski, So You Want to be a Writer)

Great review! John Hughes is brilliant- and so are all of his movies, but I love love love the Breakfast Club. Definitely one of my faves (:

on Mar. 17 2013 at 11:37 pm
KwizzleC BRONZE, Ottawa, Other
3 articles 1 photo 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. - Robert Frost

haha, you're article just made me want to watch the movie. (:

Caravana GOLD said...
on Mar. 8 2012 at 2:55 pm
Caravana GOLD, Joplin, Missouri
11 articles 1 photo 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who gives me strength."

Great job, I agree I love this movie.It's probably a bad thing but I watched it everyday and now know every line. Classic! ;)

on Mar. 8 2012 at 6:32 am
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

Yeah---love The Breakfast Club. One of the best of the 80's. I never thought about Brian getting his wish and rebelling against the system. Your last paragraph said it all---the theme of the movie. Great review~

on Nov. 19 2011 at 8:22 pm
SunkistKisser BRONZE, Tempe, Arizona
1 article 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Not one would mind, neither bird not tree
If mankind perished utterly
And Spring herself, when she woke at down,
Would hardly know that we were gone." ~Sara Teasdale
(Yea, I know, it's kind of deep, but I kind of dig it.))

Amazing review, this movie is classic and you made that shine perfectly. When Harry Met Sally is my favorite movie of all time and I highy recomend it. War Games is great along with 16 Candles- another John huges movie- and The Empire Strikes Back, the Star Wars movie. 

cooky said...
on Mar. 24 2010 at 11:56 am
cooky, Aurora, Colorado
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments
i had to freakin comment i luv that movie now i feel like watching it again oh yeah by the way does anyone else know of more really good movies from the eigthies?

on Jan. 25 2010 at 7:02 pm
GreenEyedGirl15 BRONZE, Derby, Kansas
4 articles 0 photos 95 comments
I love this review. and that movie! laugh every time i watch it, especially when with my friends!