Kids spoilt rotten -- an American tragedy.

Rating: 6/10 (12 March 2006)

Five students are brought in to detention on a Saturday ( the reason why is a spoiler) and what they get up to during that one day trapped in the school library.
They are school joker Andrew Clark (played by Emilio Estevez), nerdy Brian Johnson (played by Anthony Michael Hall), school bully/wise-guy John Bender (played by Judd Nelson), rich snob Claire Standish (played by Molly Ringwald), and total head-case Allison Reynolds (played by Ally Sheedy).
America, America. The home of the "punishment of luxury." Nearly every home have a car, most home's has several TVs, nearly every home has a fully stocked larder, but hey, they can be poor in their own way. Not material poverty, obviously but spiritual poverty. This film is about that -- people that don't believe in anything or want anything. Indeed they don't want anything because they have it all already and a soul can't be bought "down at the mawwwl."
This bit of fluff was a hit in America, but is considered late night TV elsewhere. Proof that this means something to the USA. This three act morality play comes from that well known device of "throw strange people together and truth will emerge." Works in drama, but in real life all that happens is that people ignore each other or stick to their own -- like they do on a train journey.
It also follows that drama convention of people being capable of sudden change. The ending is a complete hoot -- I've seen people change less in a stage hypnosis act!
(Talking of change -- cop Molly Ringwald's hair! Seems to change between each and every shot. Who would have thought she could have so many hair styles in the one day!)
The Breakfast Club is -- in summation -- a movie that is more interesting in its critical reaction than what happens on screen. Its far too cheap and cheerful to really please me and it also leaves you with the impression that destruction and soft drugs are a route to fun.
This might be true -- for some -- but you don't have to advertise the fact.