Review of The Breakfast Club (1985) by Tommy S — 12 Aug 2013

*may be spoilers*.

So The Breakfast Club, written and directed by John Hughes, is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. That's not to say that it's a poorly made movie. It's a well-made and energetic drama with a clever premise, smart dialogue and frequent moments of humour and pathos. It's not a perfect movie though and I'm a little baffled as to why I like it so much. Maybe it's the 80's setting or the classic synth-driven opening tune by Simple Minds, or perhaps the strong performances. Whatever it is, there is something about this movie that is just eminently watchable and likeable.

So the movie occurs on a Saturday. Five teenagers arrive to school to serve detention for some violation they have each committed during the school week. As punishment the five of them must remain trapped in the library for a designated period of 9-hours. It sounds kind of a dull premise, yet therein lies the brilliant dramatic foundation of this movie. Imprisoned in one room, these five teens with little in common are forced to communicate with each other and confront their respective stereotypes.

Truths are revealed, most of which are a little obvious but somewhat compelling nonetheless. For instance, it comes to the fore that the jock(Emilio Estevez) has an overbearing, perfectionist father. Shocking! The school rebel(Judd Nelson) also has a father he despises and a violent home life. Again predictable enough! The popular rich girl(Molly Ringwald) is a little insecure and has the peer pressure of friends to contend with. Bless her heart! None of the revelations are exactly earthshattering but these common clichés are handled with such sensitivity, grace and humour that I found myself being won over and moved by the throes of these characters. Credit must also go to the actors who bring emotional depth and complexity to their roles.

There are weaknesses, unfortunately. One of them is the character of the school assistant principle(Paul Gleason) who is monitoring detention. He is essentially a one-dimensional, youth-resenting ogre and is an overall very bland character. Having a malevolent teacher is fine, but his character lacks both substance and subtlety. I also felt like the class brain(Anthony Michael Hall) was somewhat abandoned by the story. While the other characters grow and reveal startling new depths, this character never truly manages to escape the pit of his initial stereotype. The other main issue I had was the strange decision to doll up Ally Sheedy's character in the final act. Sheedy plays the quirky nutcase and is arguably the most interesting character of the group. Yet for whatever reason, Hughes felt that strong emotional development wasn't quite sufficient enough for this character and that it was necessary to give her the ghastly makeover treatment. So her baggy clothes are replaced by a feminine dress, makeup is applied and the unkempt hair is taken out of her eyes. Inevitably, there's that scene where she re-enters the room and the jock takes notice of her newfound beauty. It's a really hideous scene that threatens to undermine all that has gone before. None of the other characters undergo any physical metamorphoses, so why must Sheedy? Anyway, she looked much better as a weirdo.

These flaws aside though, it's a funny, poignant, and grounded portrayal of adolescence. It's a testament to John Hughes talents as a writer and director that a movie which is pretty much entirely dialogue-driven could be so entertaining.