Movie Review

Rating: 10/10 (2 December 2014)

Dondra Drake English 111 Carly Smith 29 November 2014 The Breakfast Club
"I have such a deep admiration for guys that roll around on the floor with other guys" is said by John Bender in the 1985 classic movie "The Breakfast Club", directed by John Hughes. This inspirational film gives examples of hardships teenagers go through on a daily basis and it consists of six characters of whom only five are the main objective. These characters play roles from being popular to being a criminal and shows a great perspective on the true aspects of lives for teenagers. The demographics of the film gives a realistic point of view expressing each character's home life as being unsatisfying and emotionally undetached, creating a way for teenagers to cry out for help.
The setting of the movie takes place in a high school library where the characters are being punished with Saturday detention for not following school rules, each having different situations. Each character plays a role that some might say "fits the teenage image" and is described as "the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal." This film gives the audience an inside view of adolescents with different aspects of themselves; however, they come together with a common issue of emotional neglect from their parents. They start off enemies and by the end of the movie are bonded on an emotional level that surpasses the anger and insecurities they had in the beginning.
Brian, played by Michael Anthony Hall, shows an example of what life is like as the "brain," but is completely withdrawn from himself as his parents push him for perfection. Perfection is expected from the "Athlete" in Andy, played by Emilio Estevez. His father beats into him the macho, narcissistic world of high school sports, and Andy is lacking in constant approval. Parents fighting against one another puts Claire, played by Molly Ringwald, the "princess," who is constantly seeking her parent's approval as they pin her against one another due to their anger towards each other. John, played by Judd Nelson, is "criminalized" in school as the delinquent to get attention other than the anger and physical abuse of his parents. The void and despair of feeling alone of being forgotten about by her parents, Allison, played by Ally Sheedy, is a "basket case" trying to fill the absence of acknowledgement by creating her own world where she is recognized and spoken to.
Seeking approval from the parental role model is the main issue in this movie that each teenager is facing. However having a principal that is an antagonistic role model towards these teenagers shows the true reasoning on why teenagers react the way they do and seek the approval they desire to show their importance in life. Mr. Richard Vernon, played by Paul Gleason, was the hardcore shell of a principal that made it obvious that he expected more out of the "popular" teenagers of the group and bullied the "criminal." Many teenagers today experience the same aspect of this movie by feeling it to be "close to heart" facing the many difficulties in their own lives. This film shows people that bullying and finding approval for themselves has always been an issue in today's world; however, teenagers are less likely to reach out to others to find the help they deserve and consider committing suicide to be "the only way out." Bullying is a huge issue today not just by other children but from adults as well.
The true inspiration of this movie is to not see the funny side of it or the fact that "cliques" do exist, but to see that all people including teenagers seek approval for being who they want to be. Each character of the film shows a different type of person who does play a real role in humanity and who feels the everyday pressure of wanting to feel accepted by anyone. My personal experience as a teenager is expressed very highly through this movie. I had constant worries about being considered in the "clique" that I so desired to be a part of. I lived with fear daily of letting down my teammates on the cheer squad I worked hard towards to be a part of to an extinct of being someone that I really was not. In my teen years, suicide was not mentioned nor an option, and I learned to stop seeking approval by becoming the person I am today. Being proud of who I am will be the true inspiration I give to all children that I teach in the future and the guidance this movie gives will help children and teenagers to see the realization that what they feel does not make them alone.