The Breakfast Club (1985)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

...And if you're like, "Huh?" This is what I mean:Okay so the film was made on a budget of around a million dollars, has little over ten people as its cast (with only five main and two co-star), and takes place (with its setting) around the same location throughout- a high school. It's a very basic set-up but basic doesn't necessarily equal bad. No, it's quite the opposite actually. The film centres and surrounds itself around five characters who are all brought in to detention on a Saturday by their assistant principle, Mr Vernon, each for a different wrongdoing in which was brought on by the pressure, negligence and abuse of their parents. The five students are: Andrew, Claire, John, Brian and Allison. Each of them represent five different backgrounds and stereotypes. Andrew's the well-known jock whose father gives him harsh criticism and brings him down about his wrestling; Claire is the popular "princess" and spoilt-like teen of the five, to which she gets what she wants, more or less. As well as this, her mother and father try to use her to get back at each other. John (better known as Bender, his last name) is the criminal and rebel of them, always poking fun at people and belittling them, who smokes weed, has a knife, wears denim and jean jacket and clothing as well as fingerless gloves, and likes rock music. Bender's father is abusive. Brian is the smart and intelligent nerdy-like teenager, the brain, whose parents are very strict with his grades. He feels if he fails, it's all over. His life is just as tough as the rest because of the over-abundance of pressure put on him. Allison is the outcast/introvert and somewhat unknown one of the five, also known in the film as the "basket case". Allison dresses in black and her true looks aren't properly revealed until the end of the film. Her parents ignore her and she feels neglected. All different, complex backgrounds, all from different peers, but in the end they're all more alike than they know. The movie is brilliant. It's solid effort in terms of acting and directing. The casting is perfect, too. And the co-stars make a great add to the film itself. There are lots of laughs, uplifting moments, sad scenes, rebellious moments that blend in with both funny and serious, and so much more. And for a great and clear experience, the film is superb when watched on bluray.The prevailing Bender as he walks across the football pitch on the way home and then lifts his arm up into the air as a status of perseverance and might is probably my favourite film ending of all time, if not definitely in my top three for sure.10/10

To put it in context, im 51 years old. I grew up during the 80;s so maybe Im biased. but I prefer these kind of character driven movies over the crappy Marvel movies produced nowadays. The characters are excellent, the dialog are trustworthy and the setting is perfect. This movie could easily been a caricature but astounding performance of the young actor and excellent direction avoids this trap. it portrays the stereotype characters, the jock, the nerd, the outcast, the pram queen character in a believable context. confined in the library of the school they have to confront each other with the preconceptions they have. and the finale is fantastic. think back to when you where a teenager, all the struggles you had finding your identity, all the existential questions,the intense love and hate feelings. this movie captures this in a fantastic way (without CGI effects)

The movie is about five different teenagers - 'a brain...and an athlete... and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal' who are locked up together for a day of detention. I won't lie, this sounded like a boring movie to me but I watched it anyway to 'culture' myself on iconic movies of the '80s... or something.I'd heard that this movie really got teenagers, and maybe it did at the time but the characters don't really hold up as much as they might have in the '80s. The protagonists are clear-cut clichés of the cliques that usually exist in Hollywood's stereotyped high-school movies, these kind of social groups don't really exist anymore (if they did at all); nowadays the athletes hang out with the brains, the princesses hang out with the basket cases and the criminals... I don't know who they hang out with but the point I'm making is that I don't think a modern teenager can really relate to the teens in this movie. Saying that, the main point that the movie grapples with is exactly what I just said - that brains, athletes, princesses, basket cases and criminals can and should be friends but I feel that this argument is now about a decade too late to relate to which sometimes makes the teenagers feel somewhat 'alien' to me.The one thing that I really thought the movie got right was the actors, they're really excellent and spoke authentically about the universal experience of being a teenager (minus the weird cliques). They were the focus of the movie and carried it well until the end, listening to their stories and watching them form friendships was fun to watch and there was enough humour and quiet moments for you to just start to unravel the personalities of the five lead characters which, in my opinion, makes the movie interesting enough to watch.

This movie describes five teenage caricatures and how they deal with their problems. The movie deals with how different people react to authority, who leads, who comes up with a plan and who curls and in a corner. This movie has helped me grow up and understand myself better as a comulation of a couple of the caricatures.