Five teenagers are forced to stay in a room together and we learn so much about them....

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2014)

Placing a small group of characters in a single setting for the entire running time of a movie is clever narrative technique – it forces them to talk to each other, and through this, we learn more about those people through their speech, mannerisms and interactions with each other. The concept of "The Breakfast Club" is exactly that. Five teenagers from all walks of society are forced to stay in a room together, and through this they bond and we learn so much about them. And it's also funny, nostalgic and a movie that only John Hughes could have pulled off well.
The five characters are high school stereotypes, and I think there's one of them that each of us relate to. There's the jock, the rebel, the psycho, the prom-queen and the geek, and they all think they're so different from each other. At first, they argue and fight during their detention. Eventually, though, they realise that they're not so different, and actually have a shared hatred – the authority which is keeping them in detention. We see them rebel together, get high and reveal their darkest secrets. It manages to be charming and funny while never reaching cliché. Where Hughes is a master is character development, and he shows us how the characters are bonding and developing without being too preachy.
The script and direction is very well managed, with John Hughes tapping into the teenage mentality perfectly. What's odd is how timeless the film is, with little having changed in school character-types over almost 30 years. The acting is also great, with Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall giving especially strong performances. The film's focus on teenagers also gives a message about the problems of adults, and the one major adult character in the film, played by Paul Gleason, is also one of my favourites. He is written really well as the antagonistic vice- principal, and Hughes succeeds well in allowing the teens to usurp him, but not too easily.
The one main flaw that the film has is in its single setting. It works for the majority, but there are definitely times where it lags and feels trapped by the confines that it has set itself. There is not much action in some parts, and the dialogue doesn't always carry it through. That said, it's funny and enjoyable, and an important piece of film for any adolescent to see. There's something for all of us to learn in the adventures of "The Breakfast Club".