Breakfast Club
A true multi-character piece in every sense of the word, John Hughes’ seminal 1985 Grand Masterpiece did more than just become a successful teen movie, but through its incredible writing and acting, literally broke down barriers in the way that American high school students perceived themselves and others, so much so that as the years went on after its release it provided a sort of catharsis for the way that different teen social groups interacted after having mostly shunned each other in the past that were different. While many of the social barriers still exist today in political form (the reason why liberals and conservatives don’t eat together very often), the film’s profound lasting impact and legacy was helping teens realize that at that age despite their diverse backgrounds and personalities that they are all literally going through the same (painful) process of growing up together in one form or another, and for that Hughes should be commended for convening this fictional summit of high school stereotypes and showing us how three-dimensional they (and us) really are which resulted in very much a real life impact on all our lives. The story concerns those five different “types” consisting of a jock (Emilio Estevez), a stuck up rich girl (Molly Ringwald), an awkward honors student (Anthony Michael Hall), a metalhead burnout (Judd Nelson), and a complete social outcast (Ally Sheedy, though many will say her character represents an early version of what has come to be known as moody “emo goth” types) being brought together for a Saturday afternoon detention at their local high school for various reasons under the watchful eye of a tyrannical principal (Paul Gleason). It is Nelson’s character of John Bender (far and away the best performance in the movie, and a shocker that he didn’t rocket into superstardom) that becomes the catalyst for what happens, wasting no time at pissing off the principal (and earning multiple repeat visits to detention), and soon picking on Ringwald, Estevez, and Hall for what he perceives to be their middle-upper class status whilst he comes from an abusive, poverty-stricken home. What plays out over the course of the next ninety minutes (set almost entirely in the school library) is an amazing display of economic character development, heartfelt yet funny performances, and incredible chemistry among the five main actors that keeps audiences coming back for repeat viewings and younger viewers finding it almost a mandatory requirement of life to give it a watch to help understand themselves. Things get tense between Nelson and Estevez (at one point getting physical) and each character is reluctant to let the others in (even as they all share a hatred of the dickhead authority figure principal), but over time a détente is formed, especially when Nelson whips out with the marijuana and everyone opens up about their lives, and this is where the acting becomes phenomenal, as we learn about Estevez’s jock dealing with the intense pressure from his dad to be the best at sports, and likewise with Hall’s honors student when it comes to his grades, while Ringwald’s rich girl breaks down from the turmoils of peer pressure and maintaining an image which she feels might not carry out into furthering the friendships with her new found comrades (and gets called out for it), and Nelson’s burnout makes it clear that his aggressive, bullying behavior is merely him acting out once he’s out of the hellish environment of his abusive homelife. Then there’s Sheedy’s outcast, who spends much of the time observing everybody and even reveals that she’s only there because she had nothing better to do that day, but does at least confess that she too suffers due to neglect from her parents (and possible sexual abuse). We even get a relevatory moment from Gleason’s asshole principal, who reveals (while talking to the school janitor) that the kids every year are getting worse and worse (a not unreasonable stance in recent years) but may very well have trouble accepting the fact that the REAL problem is just him getting too old and thus having far less tolerance for his students’ bullshit. Rich character writing like this is rare in this day and age, but Hughes manages to pull it off superbly, making the viewer intensely CARE for these people and their problems, trivial as they may be, and he also scores as many points for developing his characters through the use of reaction shots as we learn about them just as much as for the way they respond to what others are saying as for what they say themselves. In the end, our five different types walk out as an unified front (as many teens did in real life after viewing), and the uplifting yet intriguing ending will probably stay burned in most people’s subconscious for decades to come, as there can be no doubt that this is THE best teen movie, the best high school movie EVER made, a resounding triumph on nearly every level despite its limited setting…
10/10