Ahhhh, it spoke to a generation....whatever.

Rating: 6/10 (13 May 2013)

I remember seeing Breakfast Club when it first came when I was in the 11th grade. Many people hail this as the quintessential Generation X flick of the 1980's. What was John Hughes up to? He obviously had this penchant for blaming authority figures for teenage angst and problems in society. If that was his primary goal he definitely espoused it in all his other films as well. I think there were moments in this film that had sheer poignance when spotting the inner sadness in its characters. Several of the characters go through a sort of transformation and epiphany of how they see themselves in relation to others. The shame, the isolation and despair can be seen especially in Ally Sheedy's character.
My biggest peeve about this movie is how it treats the characters and boxes them into these oversimplified stereotypes. If John Hughes wants to explore individualism and self-identity wouldn't he want to focus on how these stereotypes are often based on preconceived notions by others in that teenagers are more complex than he presents them? But the movie uses these stereotypes and wants to embroil them in a milieu to exploit discomfort as if this were one of those EST seminars for youngsters. Why can't a prom queen be a braniac as well as a popular social butterfly? Why can't a brainiac be a jock? Why can't a jock be a rebellious troublemaker? And why can't the oddball Goth-chick be a rebel as well? The movie intends to show very different characters in how they are all alike. But they aren't. In the beginning to the end they are still masked in their confined personas.
I was also turned off by how the prom queen decided to make a pass toward the sullen Bender character after all that transpired between them. This was cinematic manipulation by making viewers believe that an insolent wild child can get the girl of any guy's dreams. What was even more disturbing is that he stated his intention to her that he wanted to be used to upset her uppity parents. It seems very out of character for her to suddenly just kiss him and offer him her diamond earring. Someothing tells me that this was a subtle way of displaying role reversals. The girl gives a guy a diamond earring instead of the reverse. The bender character, who is the strongest character doesn't change at all. He is still the hapless jerk he was from the beginning.
I thought the most interesting character was the principal. Having worked in education I can understand his frustrations. He saw an institution he built his whole life's work around to crumble in a world of anarchy, disorder and uncertainty.
What we see here is a generational gap between the older generation and the kids of Generation X and how much has changed in such a short period of time. Breakfast Club does have a message even though the scenes are contrived such as the corny dance nuances and silly pranks, but that's to be accepted in High School comedies.
But the problems in public education today are far more egregious and worrisome than Breakfast club can even begin to convey.