Analysis of an unsatisfying ending

Rating: Null/10 (17 September 2003)

Though a child of the 1980s, I must admit to being a latecomer to the popular culture of the first decade of my life.
That said, it has recently become the goal of my best friend to reacquaint me with the films that she grew up on while I was watching `Laurel and Hardy' and `Three Stooges' shorts.
Our most recent viewing was of John Hughes' `The Breakfast Club' starring Emilio Estevez (Andy), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian), Judd Nelson (John), Molly Ringwald (Claire), and Ally Sheedy (Alison).
Needless to say, only being a few years removed from the ages of these characters, I could relate in many ways to the people and situations in the film.
In fact, Hughes had me until the very ending.

*Note: The remainder of this review contains spoilers, especially pertaining to the end of the film. If you haven't seen it and don't want to know what happens, please stop reading now.*
I am disappointed in the couplings Hughes gives us at the end of the film, for reasons bordering on personal. But, hey, we're all IMDB readers, I know you'll all be considerate (hold on while I wipe the dripping sarcasm off of myself).
First of all, what the hell was Claire thinking? Sure, there was obvious sexual tension between herself and John, but the fact that she chose him over either Andy or, especially, Brian, each of whom had been nothing but gentlemen to her is disheartening.
What kind of message is this sending? "Don't bother being a gentleman, son, she's going to pick the asshole, anyway. Sure, you can be kind and stick up for her when the bully is picking on her, but she likes him more, so why even bother?"
Several of my female friends have confessed to me that there are no gentlemen left. Well, that's the reason. There's no point in being the `nice guy,' because the `nice guy' always winds up alone or, worse yet, stuck in `best-friend' mode, never even considered boyfriend material.
Then, there's Alison and Andy. Where on Earth did this come from? Yes, Andy was the one who drew her out of her shell, but beyond that there was seemingly no connection between them.
Brian, on the other hand, was the best match for Alison. Yes, they were from entirely different worlds (she the introverted.um.weirdo, he the bookworm), but their conversation near the end about peer pressure shows that, beneath their shockingly different exteriors, they share a similar soul.
And isn't that what love is supposed to be?
I brought this up at the end of the film, to which my friend responded, simply, `Opposites attract.'
I won't argue that. There is something very attractive about the `other side,' but, honestly, have you ever seen an `opposites attract' pairing that lasted any significant amount of time? I know I, for one, have not. Every successful relationship I've ever seen has been between people who share common interests, common senses of humor.you get the picture.
I will acknowledge that a relationship between two people who are nearly identical in this way would be boring and also would fail. I'm not saying that an ideal pair would ONLY have common interests and the like, but what kind of relationship can stem from fundamental differences?
Yes, `opposites attract,' but they will eventually repel each other. I guess this is sort of a long-winded way to support an argument, but there it is.
If I had written `Club,' the film would have gone almost exactly the same way, start-to-finish, except that at the end, Claire would have wound up with Andy (who shared some of the `bad boy' traits that attracted her to John, but lacked the inherent `asshole' quality) and Alison would have wound up with Brian (kindred spirits, I'm telling you).
Don't get me wrong, I really liked this film, but there was something fundamentally wrong about the ending that almost ruined it for me. Being the resident `nice guy,' maybe I just naturally identified with Brian and wanted to see him happy at the end. But, once again, the nice, quiet, smart kid is the one that's left all alone.
God bless the class structure, eh?