Classic dramady with great relateable characters and some of John Hughes' best comedy.

Rating: 8/10 (4 April 2015)

Despite the constant changes in high school culture, this movie will remain a classic for a very long time. Anyone who has been through or is going through high school can relate to it, and you don't even have to be familiar with each stereotype to do it either. The way the characters are written is unparalleled. Everything each of them says is completely believable in context of them as a character and as a person. One of the really incredible things about the characters is the way that their exposition is mostly covered in the moments where they aren't speaking. While not everyone has been in Saturday detention, especially since it's kind of phasing out of use, there are many scenarios that current and former high-schoolers have first hand experience with.
We all kind of understand how the characters can talk freely with each other as complete strangers, but don't feel comfortable discussing their problems with their friends. This complies with the growing tendency of friends not to be there to discuss each others' problems as really good friends should. I think this is mostly accounted for by teenagers, and I feel fine saying this because I am one, not wanting to look soft in front of each other, especially not their friends. But that's kind of beside the point. Anyway, as strangers, the five students can talk to each other without being judged as they would among friends.
Even before they start opening up to each other, the students unite, mostly in reaction to the actions of Vernon. Those scenes are kind of cool because it's great to be able to rebel against the one in charge, even if you'd love to see the guy next to you get in big trouble. Through this, they all realize that they are a collective force against Vernon. Vernon is pretty good as villains go since he's kind of the traditional martinet that we've all encountered at some point along the way. His treatment of Bender also adds to the audience's hatred for him, even though Bender is constantly asking for Vernon to punish him. Basically the only other character is the janitor, who is also kind of interesting in how he knows all of the kids secrets, which I'm sure a lot of janitors do.
The most moving scenes of the movie come when the students discuss their lives with each other, and this is really where they start to recognize the similarities they all have. All of them have problems with their parents, which everyone can relate to to a certain extent. All of them get defensive whenever their sexual orientation is put into question, also something that contributes to their characters. Some of them discuss why they were put in detention, which also brings out a lot of emotion. And they all talk about the difficulty of being their particular stereotype, though it's true that none of them fall under any physical stereotypes which can be a point of controversy. I've noticed that some other reviews don't like how the characters end up "together" at the end, but I would refute this. I think the point is that they *aren't* together and never can be. They leave indelible marks on each other, but probably will never even speak again, as so well explained by the Simple Minds song at the end.
The comedy is mostly verbal, and even the situational gags are overshadowed by the classic lines that they generate. The silent moments can be pretty funny too, like the one or two times where they're all just shown sitting around trying to pass the time. Bender contributes most of the comedy since he has by far the most lines and tries to be sarcastically funny anyway. Allison's quirkiness also contributes some more subtle humor. Brain can be funny in his reactions to Bender (e.g. "You're mom marry Mr. Rogers?" "No Mr. Johnson."). Claire and Andrew don't have as many good lines, but they compensate by having more depth than the other three.
I don't want to call this a must-see, but I would still strongly recommend it to anyone in high-school who hasn't yet seen it. It's good to watch on your own or with a small group, but make sure you can hear the entire time. Unlike most films, I would actually recommend that you buy it right off since its a film that you'll likely want to see many times. I wouldn't pick it if your'e seeking strictly comedy since, while it has lots of funny scenes, it also has a lot of emotion. Overall Rating: 8.6/10