Entertaining and well meaning, yet flawed

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2010)

On an entertainment level, The Breakfast Club is an effective, enjoyable film. The actors all do a credible job of portraying some of the various stereotypes present in a typical school setting: the "jock", "the delinquent", the "princess", the "nerd" and the "loner'. As a high school student in the 80's, I enjoyed the film tremendously. But as a high school teacher for the past seventeen years, there are certain elements of the film that are both disturbing and a bit hard to swallow. Director John Hughes' slapdash and careless depictions of the typical high school experience somewhat detracts from a film that has noble intentions.
In making his point- that we wrongfully judge people we really don't know- director Hughes asks us to accept some wild implausibilities along the way. The most disturbing is Paul Gleason's portrayal of Principal Richard Vernon. He is shown as a hard ass who belittles and threatens to the point of name calling and promises of violence. It is an outrageous, inaccurate characterization of a typical high school principal which wouldn't be tolerated for a second in the real world of education. It is obviously intended to engender viewer sympathy for the students, but it rings hollow.
We're also expected to believe the school princess would hook up with the school dirt bag when she hated his guts two hours earlier and the school jock would hook up with the compulsive liar/weirdo. While it certainly is possible for students of varying experiences to come to a greater understanding of one another, it would undoubtedly take time- much more than just part of a Saturday spent together.
The film is also a bit dated, with terms like "wasteoid" and "sporto" being thrown around, but in and of itself, that's not a big deal. Despite its faults, The Breakfast Club is a good watch.