Wake Up To The Brilliance of Hughes

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 2019)

I'm perplexed by this film being panned by so many. I'm going to give a brief background on Hughes, scenarios that came to mind regarding the negative feedback and then a brief analysis of the film. Hughes was one of the most influential writers / directors of his time. He was the master in the coming of age dramedy genre. His films were often referred to as, that's a John Hughes film. The title wasn't necessary. That's influence. This is my opinion and that's why I never suggest or not suggest that a reader 'Must See' a film. I leave it up to the reader. Who I am do decide whether a person watch a film or not. That's being somewhat narcissistic. That's a stereotype. This applies even when I feel a bravura film has been created. There are many scenarios I thought of which could explain the negative reviews . I'll list three. 1) The viewer lacks cognition, intelligence or wait I've got it a lack of a brain 2) The viewer doesn't enjoy the genre, therefor shouldn't have watched the film and shouldn't deprive others of enjoyment by declaring 'Don't Watch It'. 3) The viewer lacks self esteem, seeks attention and blasts out a brief review with no analysis in order to be the center of attention. That viewer has been stereotyped and could have been a character in "The Breakfast Club". Get it? I'm not trying to be insulting. I'm trying to convey my opinion with humor and straightforwardness much like Hughes did in his films. This film has resonated with viewers for over three decades so I can't think of a legitimate reason why a Gen-X (that's me) or any other generation can't relate to this film. The stereotyping in this film, unfortunately still occurs to this day. I participated in an actual Breakfast Club every Sunday morning which included a stoner, a jock, a delinquent (that's me again), a nerd and so on. The point is this film changed our philosophy and all were welcome. Now that's influence! I'm not going to go into a thorough examination of the film as it's message is laid out flat in your face, which Hughes was liable to do, and would be an insult to the intelligence. It doesn't take a Tesla-minded person to figure out the film's theme. There's another stereotype for you. The film. Five completely different individuals are forced to spend an entire Saturday together in a library due to detention. Were it not for that, these five wouldn't have blinked an eye at each other in the hallways for fear of association. The five are assigned an essay by Principle Vernon to describe who they are. Vernon is a biased and jaded character. One of the five, Bender, gives a blazing speech imitating what life at home must be like for each of the characters. This ignites a spark which causes the five to start thinking. They spend the day together hoodwinking Vernon and enjoying each other's company. The five eventually open up to each other, learn about each other, realize they all have similarities and forge a bond. At the end of the day they go their separate ways which is ambiguous and leave a single essay for Vernon. Vernon reads the essay which is narrated to the viewer by all five. It sums up the entire movie in a straightforward manner. The narration follows, " Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever we did wrong. But we think your crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us. In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each of us is a brain and an athlete and a basket case and a princess and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club." This viewer imagines the five continuing to be friends even in the hallways of high school. This is a rare film that can make a real life change. It is sublime, virtuous, timeless and is Hughes' best coming of age dramedies and one of the most significant in it's genre, if not the greatest of all time. This review is my opinion which is what a review is essentially. Sincerely yours, a member of The Breakfast Club.