The Breakfast Club

Rating:
Summary: Still relevant after all these years
Review: Some question the durability of "The Breakfast Club," saying that the themes and plotlines do not hold up in today's teen society. As a 15-year-old, I would like to say that that is thoroughly untrue. 19 years after its release, "The Breakfast Club" is still a truthful, relateable account of teenagers and their personalities, and the ways in which they interact with each other. Sure, the stereotypes of the characters may be a bit exaggerated -- but that's necessary in order to get the point across. Watching this movie, I feel as if I know these people, or at least I've run across them at one point in my high school career.

The plot, as most people know, involves five different kids being assigned Saturday detention together. Each kid represents a typical high school stereotype -- a princess (Molly Ringwald), a jock (Emilio Estevez), a brain (Anthony Michael Hall), a basket case (the excellent Ally Sheedy), and a criminal (Judd Nelson). At the beginning of the day, none of them know each other, except for the princess and the jock. Throughout the day, they learn more about each other and work at tearing down the stereotypes that pit them against each other. As for the reviewer who said this isn't realistic that they would open up so much to each other -- it absolutely is. Put five kids into a room without an adult for nine hours, and they will talk about anything.

The beauty of this movie is the depth of the characters beyond the stereotypes -- particularly the nerd, Brian, who as we find out in the movie has problems well beyond what people think of him. He is the one that I most relate to in the movie. Watch "The Breakfast Club," and see who you most relate to. It's a great experience. Beyond the social commentary aspect, it's also just a funny movie. The jokes come at breakneck speed, especially for the first half of the movie (before it gets somewhat serious). The actors are also very enjoyable in their roles, particularly Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A little time - a little perspective
Review: I first saw this movie at a cinema in Austin in March, 1985. Just a year out of high school, I thought this was a deep, moving motion picture with a quality cast that really showed the feelings of different groups of students in schools. I could relate to the characters.

Move forward more than 19 years. This movie has not aged well. I read on the IMDB that John Hughes wrote this script in two days. After watching this movie again, I find that very easy to believe. It is horrible! - and this coming from a man who loves all things 80's! Was Judd Nelson about 35 when he made that movie? He looks about 20 years older than Anthony Michael Hall. Unbelievable characters and dialogue. Then they tie it up nice and neat at the end - with 2 unlikely couples pairing off leading us to believe there's no social caste in high schools.

With the small cast and lack of location shots, I'm amazed that I've never read about some high school drama club doing a stage production of this disaster. In any case, I've got a Breakfast Club DVD I'll never watch again - I'll post it used "New & Used" above.

Rating:
Summary: Some favorite lines:
Review:
"The next time I hafta come in here, I'm cracking skulls."

"I'm telling you, I heard a ruckus." "Can you describe the ruckus?"

"zzzzzziiiippp"

"Hi Brian". "You're dad's the janitor?"

Dick, uh Rich, will milk be provided?

You want another one? ... Yes... Are you thru? Not even close, bub, okay another... How many is that?

You're not going to blaze up in here wasteoid.




Rating:
Summary: "Don't You Forget About Me"
Review: John Hughes, the director of the highly successful "Sixteen Candles" has created a masterpiece of a movie that had remained popular for twenty years. This movie focuses on five high school students who are to spend a Saturday in detention for whatever it was that they did wrong. At the beginning of the day, they didn't even know each other's names, but by the end, they had bared their souls, explained their dreams, and became friends.

Judd Nelson (Bender), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian), Emilio Estevez (Andrew), Molly Ringwald (Claire) and Ally Sheedy (Allison) star as the students, while Paul Gleason stars as principal Richard Vernon. At 7 am, the students enter the library, not knowing each other, but as the movie progresses, they learn more and more about each other so that by the end of the day, they all realize that there is a little bit of everyone in each of them. Bender is the "criminal", suffering from a bad homelife, abusive parents, and a lack of self-esteem. Brian is the "brain", who believes in studying hard and getting good grades, but he's also a geek. Andrew is the "jock". He is frustrated because he feels that he must live up to his father's high expectations for him. He snaps under the pressure that his father placed on him. Claire is the "princess". She feels that she's better than everyone, and has the best of everything. Allison is the "basket case". Like Bender, she is suffering from low self-esteem, so she lies to cover up her insecurities.

It is amazing to watch the transformation of these characters, especially the relationship between Claire and Bender. Although he constantly harasses her throughout the movie, deep down Bender really likes and cares for Claire. As the movie progresses, the characters soon realize that they all have a little of the same characteristics of each other, such as the scene where they are running from Vernon in the halls and Bender asks Claire how it feels to be bad. Then they display some of Bender's characteristics by sitting and smoking marajuana.

There are several funny points in the film as well, such as Bender crashing through the ceiling while telling a joke, and the constant harassment that Vernon faced. Also, who can forget the great song by Simple Minds?

This is a great movie. The story is excellent and well-developed. The acting is first-rate, but I thought that Judd Nelson did an especially good job as Bender. I give this movie a very high recommendation. To the outside world they were simply the jock, the criminal, the princess, the brain, and the basket case, but to each other, they would always be the breakfast club.

Rating:
Summary: bad disc
Review: 1 star for the quarlity of the disc, 5 star for the movie.

The dvd has annoying previews that must be watched before the dvd menu will appear. If someone purchases the dvd then what is the point of being forced to watch previews. Also, the dvd disables the skip buttons and the number keys on the remote. Best to avoid this dvd until Universal makes a better dvd without the previews and ads.

Rating:
Summary: The 2nd best Hughes film - a true classic!
Review: While "The Breakfast Club" doesn't touch the airy heights of near-perfection Hughes achieved with his masterpiece, "Sixteen Candles", it does stand the test of time as one of the true classics of the 1980s and teen movies in general.

The Breakfast Club is a collection of students thrust together by Saturday detention. These outcasts (yes, even Molly Ringwald is an outcast, in that she alone of the popular types she hangs with seems to actually have feelings) bond as the day drags on, propelled into friendship by shared experiences and shared intimacies.

They gradually become part of each other's world, by learning about their fears, their home lives, their dreams, and their talents (making odd sandwiches, rolling joints, applying lipstick with their breasts, etc).

It's a powerful movie John Hughes has made here - it's touching and triumphant in equal parts, angsty and heartfelt. It feels real, as one critic said. And that's the best compliment any movie (especially a teen movie) can get.

It feels real.

Rating:
Summary: The Breakfast Club
Review: This is one of my favorite movies of all time. The movie is about these five teenagers from various backgrounds and social statures held in detention on a saturday morning. The theme of this movie is really great because it emphasizes that no matter who you are; we are all the same. Not too much happens in the movie because most of the movie has the characters talking to each other throughout the film.
Overall, this movie is a very witty and original movie to own.

The High School Reunion Edition DVD comes in a anamorphic widescreen presentation with the choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 audio. It also includes a theatrical trailer, and a interactive menu. In other words, it's a barebones disc, but it's worth the purchase for the remastered picture.

Rating:
Summary: My GOD!
Review: This movie is terrible! I'm clueless why it's so popular. I've never seen so much concentrated whining a movie. Please don't waste your time by seeing this one.

Rating:
Summary: Such A Great Film
Review: This has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, and is the type a film you can easily relate to, as it readily reminds many of us what life was like as a teenager in high school. The plot is not hard to figure out: five teens from seemingly diverse backgrounds are sent to spend a day in detention. One is a wrestler, one is a popular "princess," one is a brainy goody-goody, one is a criminal, and the other is a quiet, closed-off loner. Throughout the day, they spend moments picking at one another, only to eventually open up to each other, to discover that they all aren't that different from one another. The transition that takes place in this film -- done in quite a beautifully dramatic and cathartic way -- is something that's hard not to be moved by.

Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy did fantastic jobs in their respective roles, and special mention must be given to Paul Gleason as the obstinate school principal. An excellent film that will provide many with laughs, and genuinely heartwarming, poignant moments. A classic.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites!!
Review: I really enjoy this movie. The first time I saw it was on the AMC channel on tv. Of course that was the edited version, but still, the movie made me laugh AND cry. Being a high school student myself, I really 'connected' with this film in a way. I would recommend it to all high school students!!!! Although there are many movies with the same message as this one, I think this one is the best because there are no distractions. Please parents, rent this (or buy it) for your kids, they will thank you for it!!!