The Breakfast Club

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2016)

The Breakfast Club
It's a classic. A jock, a nerd, a prom queen, an outcast, and a rule-breaking tough guy (your basic high school stereotypes clustered into one cast) trapped in detention on a Saturday. As with similar movie expositions, its no stretch to the moviegoer's mind that these odds end characters will delve into each other's personal lives and leave their "wasted Saturday" with a better insight to each other's lives. Although the plot is rather predictable, The Breakfast Club does an exceptional job at portraying realistic high school students. Stuck, for eight grueling hours. All while having nothing in common with one another except for their current location: the library. The students are assigned to write an essay for their teacher, Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason), describing "who they are". They instead find a variety of other ways to pass the time: talking, dancing, pulling pranks, etc. Eventually, the characters get into a conversation about what got them in to detention in the first place and further discuss the problems associated with being popular or unpopular in a high school setting. With somewhat of an "artistic license" given to the actors, by director John Hughes, many lines were improvised to enhance their realness. The middle finger, obscene words, demeaning sarcasm, and sexual implications throughout the film are inappropriate. However, few will argue that they are unrealistic within a high school setting. And then there is the character's daily dialogue splattered with the words "like", "psh", "uh", which mimics the real conversations of adolescence. Throughout the production of the film, young Judd Nelson (Bender) embodied his character flawlessly. The swaggering stance, callous sarcasm, and a disregard for any and all rules sets him up initially as the antagonist to all the other characters. With each flip of his long hair, and every object he uses as a footstool, Judd Nelson sears into the viewers mind the familiar image of a "rebel". However, as the film progresses, we soon unveil that there is more to his character than his frequent stops in detention and the careless show he puts on for those around him. Judd's performance is complimented by other emerging movie stars at the time: Molly Ringwald (Claire), Emilio Estevez (Andrew), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian) and Ally Sheedy (Allison). The other characters develop throughout the film. However, what they disclose comes as no surprise to the audience. Each character For instance, Andrew shares how his parents . If you're looking for a dramatic storyline with twists and turns or shocking discoveries, this film isn't for you. The film can seem long, with a few dry stretches (perhaps this is to draw comparison to actual detention) However, it will have you laughing at lines flooded with sarcasm and the actions of the characters. This feel-good movie will ultimately leave you pondering those "John Benders" in your life you might think you "know".