Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Movie Review: "The Breakfast Club" (1985)

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Movie"The Breakfast Club"
Director: John Hughes
Year:1985
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes

On a Saturday morning at Shermer High School, five uniquely different teens are stuck spending the day together while serving detention. Andrew (Emilio Esteves) is a jock, Claire (Molly Ringwald) is the popular “princess,” Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) is a nerd, Allison (Ally Sheedy) is the freaky artist-type, and John (Judd Nelson) is a thuggish criminal. With the exception of Andrew and Claire, the rest of the kids in detention wouldn't bother to give each other a second glance in the halls. At first, they seem intent on keeping it that way throughout their detention time. As the day progresses, they all start to talk and find they may have much more in common than they think. John also spends a decent amount of time butting heads with their detention overseer, Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason), who seems to be a burnt-out teacher just waiting until he's old enough to retire. The group discusses their lives and every day pressures, talking about everything from their parents and their peers to sex and hidden talents, as well as their expectations for their future.

Quite possibly one of the greatest movies about teens growing up, "The Breakfast Club" is smart, funny, sad and poignant. Between the five main characters, audiences get a little taste of what it's like to go back to high school, cliques, drama and all. In typical John Hughes fashion, this movie boasts the fantastic Brat Pack, a fabulous soundtrack, as well as lots of heart and self-discovery. It's probably Judd Nelson's most defining and iconic role in all of film, which might be seen as sad by some, but it's a pretty great role to known for. Another great performance in this movie is given by Paul Gleason, who plays the butt of Judd Nelson's pranks and jokes and is a disillusioned teacher ready for his retirement. He also plays vicious taskmaster so well. Actually, all of the actors in this movie do a really good job of conveying their characters.

The best part of this movie is that it deals with things kids actually go through, not just your typical, phony high school existence. These kids come a long way in a few short hours and are better for it at the end of the day. It shows how people that are very different in personality, upbringing, thought-process, class, and gender and come together when they are thrown into a room and aren't influences by the pressure of the people with whom they normally associate. It might be a stretch, but this movie is a stretch in the right direction. It's nostalgic to watch and deals with issues that never go away and are always ever present. To us, it's a classic.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 8/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!

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