The Must-See Film for 80's Youth Is More a Character Study than a Story: Good But Not Great

Rating: 7/10 (3 March 2015)

If there was ever a Hollywood-backed film personifying the anxiety of Generation X, it was "The Breakfast Club". If you were a teen in suburban America in the 1980's (as I was), this was your film, or at least it was supposed to be. The Boomers had "The Graduate" and "Easy Rider", the Silent Generation had "Rebel Without a Cause" and "American Graffiti". We have "The Breakfast Club". Or do we? Is it a cinematic masterpiece or overrated? Let's take a second look at this cult classic because as of this writing, the 30th anniversary of its release is coming up in 2015 with theatrical viewings scheduled around the country. Generation X'ers will be lining up to relive their teenage years.
While in his 30's, John Hughes had a brief directing career making films targeted to Generation X'ers. Hughes offerings were considered the fresh new voice speaking both to and from the point of view of Generation X, offspring of the sons and daughters of those who were children during and just after World War II, a.k.a the Silent and Baby Boom Generations. Hughes also directed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Sixteen Candles", and "Pretty in Pink". Many of Hughes' films used the same talent. These youthful upstarts of our generation were fondly known as "The Brat Pack". (Some of the "brat" actors transitioned into adult careers while others fell off the radar.) Among Hughes' favorite talent were Molly Ringwold, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy, all present and accounted for in "Breakfast Club". By 1991, the Generation X'ers were becoming young adults, graduating from college and beginning careers and families. The voice of 80's teen angst was becoming passé. Hughes directed his last film in 1991, "Curly Sue", which paired a Boomer and a Millennial with disastrous results. It ultimately bombed at the box office.
So does "Breakfast Club" uphold today? Well sort of yes sort of no. There is no plot per se, only a setting. The setting is the high school library where five teenagers are being held in a day-long detention on a Saturday for wrong-doings which are never made completely clear. The real story is about each character and how they get to know one another. The film's strength is also its weakness, depending upon your point of view. Each student comes from a different aspect of the student body of the fictional high school. They are in essence, prototypes, maybe even stereotypes, of each of the different faces of the school. Molly Ringwold is from the "popular" and chic crowd of girls who wear makeup and nice clothes. Judd Nelson is the rule-breaker, who we imagine never does his homework and goofs off at the back of the classes he takes if he's not cutting school altogether. Even from the get-go, we predict that this is not Nelson's first time in detention. Emilio Estevez is the jock, probably a football player and wrestler. Ally Sheedy is the loser loner female, who at first grosses out Ringwold. Anthony Michael Hall plays "the brain", a kid who gets straight A's, especially in science classes, but who is otherwise not part of the "popular" crowd.
The idea is that these kids would never have even said hello to one another during a typical school day because they are all worlds apart. However, because they're in detention for various infractions, they are forced to meet and interact with one another. The main crux of the story is how the kids learn about each other and how they both fit and don't fit into their own stereotypes. They also begin engaging in behavior of their opposite counterparts, such as when Estevez smokes and does cart wheels on the upper floor of the library, similar to what Nelson's character usually does. This aspect of the film succeeds in spades. As a character study, it works very well. It could almost be a play.
Where the story lags slightly is in its lack of a storyline. When I first saw it, I had high-expectations because it was already becoming the "must-see" film for my generation. After viewing, I found I generally enjoyed it, but seeing kids simply talking and having some fun for 90 minutes is not exactly why I want to see a film. Near the end, is the famous "dance scene" where the characters let loose and let it all hang out. Hall being the brain is the DJ. Dance scenes like this were very popular with Generation X films of this sort, but now they seem rather dated. I want to see characters deal with and overcome dilemmas, not just talk about themselves and dance around. Of course the subtlety is to see the characters change slightly by interacting with kids they never otherwise would have. While I believe it's a nice beginning of an idea, I don't think it's enough to carry through an entire film.
"The Breakfast Club" may be more important in terms of what it represents, the angst of Generation X, rather than it being a masterpiece of filmmaking and storytelling in its own right. The mark of a great film is when it speaks to later generations. I have seen "The Graduate", "American Graffiti", and "Rebel Without a Cause" many times, and they never seem dated, even though these were targeted to previous generations. Does "The Breakfast Club" do this for me? Not quite. It may have spoken more to me during that time, but it says less to me now. Maybe I wanted the cast to rip away the ridiculous sculpture in the middle of the library in the way that Dustin Hoffman steals away the bride at the end of the Graduate. Or for the kids to engage in something together, like the race at the end of American Graffiti. For all its honesty, even by the end of their detention, the Breakfast Clubbers were still in their own prison, the 1980's.