Being honest

Rating: 6/10 (21 September 2012)

A group of teenagers, each from a different school social strata, end up on Saturday at detention for various shenanigans. Fitting seamlessly into certain stereotypes the five misfits consist of meek geek Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), the jock-type wrestler Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the rebellious nihilist Bender (Judd Nelson), the popular in-girl Claire (Molly Ringwald) and the reclusive loner Allison (Ally Sheedy). Captivated by their societal roles the separate individuals initially feed off everyday school structures copying the relations and attitudes carried around classrooms. However through conflict and subsequent revelations the group starts taking on a different dynamic, revealing that the roles attached to each person does not exclude mutual understanding.
Arguably John Hughes most artistically accomplished film, "The Breakfast Club" ventures through well-tread territory to bring a still omnipresent feeling of purpose. Although the frisky dialogues don't achieve boundless heights, they carry enough wit and substance to make for a cognitive piece, still however troubled by oversimplification. What however comes off worst in the movie is the forced humour, which blends sourly with the more cerebral plotting and interaction of characters. So hopelessly out of sync the impact is severely deflated leaving several confrontational scenes still relevant, while the rest fails to be as brisk and influential, as back when the movie was first released.