For my sixth entry of influential films throughout the decades, I have chosen to analyze the John Hughes’ coming of age masterpiece, The Breakfast Club. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and one that I could probably recite entirely by memory while I’m watching it. Similar to my previous blog entry, the 1980s is packed full of iconic films including The Goonies, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, The Shining, and many more. I ultimately decided upon this particular film due to its continued relevance amongst young people today, for it tackles serious topics such as mental health, individuality, the struggle to be understood, and familial pressure (or lack thereof). The chemistry between the ragtag group of five high school students is undeniable as they play off of each other’s energy, giving the film a candid atmosphere that the audience can relate to.

As the movie poster says, the movie centers around a brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel, and a recluse being sentenced Saturday detention as punishment for an array of disciplinary actions. They are supervised (somewhat loosely) by a power-hungry principal with questionable means of keeping order when faced with John Bender’s (Judd Nelson) rebellious attitude. At the start of the movie, John, popular girl Claire (Molly Ringwald), outcast Alison (Ally Sheedy), brainiac Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), and athlete Andrew (Emilio Estevez) do not get along very well. Gradually, they begin to learn more about each other and the struggles that they face, whether it be neglectful or abusive parents or academic pressure. They open up to the idea that they are all just kids trying to understand how to cope with their lives, and by the end of the day, they leave on equal ground while questioning whether school will ever be the same.

While there are certain aspects of the movie that were more acceptable during the 80s than they are today (namely John’s harassment of Claire), I do believe that the film is an accurate representation of how the stereotypical cliques in high schools have harmful effects on the mental well-being of students. If you have seen the movie (which I hope you have, or else I highly encourage you take the time to watch it asap), then you should recognize the scene depicted in the image above. Interestingly, this scene, when all of the characters confess what they did to get into detention, was completely improvised. Writer and director John Hughes instructed them all to ad-lib. I was thoroughly surprised upon learning this fact, for the acting within this scene was, in my opinion, Oscar-worthy. When I first watched the film, I cried my eyes out when Brian confessed to considering taking his own life. It is a beautiful moment in the film when all of the characters are silent and respectful to his situation. This is the turning moment in the film when they all fully open up to one another, accepting each other’s differences and become hopeful that they can be friends outside of detention.

“We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.”