A classic teen film

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2000)

I've seen The Breakfast Club about 20 times and it stands as the quintessential teen film. The idea for the film sounded like a loser to the movie executives. You take five characters and put them in one room and let them talk to each other. That's it. No car chases, stunts, explosions. This could have been a stage play. This film should be studied by film students because it shows that a film can be made for very little money and still be entertaining. You just need a good script and characters who are easy to identify with. Most viewers can certainly identify with one or more of these kids and almost everyone can relate to the loneliness and disaffection they experience. Despite their differences, they bond with each other because no one else seems to understand the pain and pressure they live through, certainly not their parents or teachers. The film has been accused of being anti-adult, or portraying the adult characters one- dimensionally. I don't think that is fair because the film is clearly told through the point of view of the teenagers. This is how adults appear to them much of the time. Parents can watch this film and even learn something about themselves and understand what teenagers are going through. The best reason to treasure the film is the strong, memorable dialogue, delivered to perfection by the terrific cast of young actors. Judd Nelson has the best role in the film and comes through with a spellbinding performance. He gives the film its edge and bite. We all knew kids like him and either hated him, loved to hate him or fantasized about being like him. Nelson beat out John Cusack and Nicolas Cage for this part and I think his performance is one of the greatest portrayals of a rebellious American teenager ever seen on film. Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future also fall into this category. Nelson went on to play more anti-establishment characters in films like Blue City and From The Hip, but showed amazing range when he lost 50 pounds and played a wimpy nerd in The Dark Backward. He gave a mesmerizing performance as the genius killer in Billionaire Boys Club, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. While all the actors were great, I think The Breakfast Club is a showcase for how underrated an actor Judd Nelson is.