During my elementary school years there was this neighborhood kid that was in high school. We rarely hung out, but when we did I felt like the coolest person alive! This kid had it all. We're talking Atari, a train set, electronic NFL game, MTV, and he was the first kid on our block to get a Nintendo. The Nintendo wasn't until later, so a good portion of me hanging out was to watch MTV.
One day while waiting for the Thriller music video, one of his posters he had hanging on the wall caught my eye. It was the movie poster for THE BREAKFAST CLUB. He told me it was about high school and that I probably wouldn't “get it”. At the time he was probably right. But looking at the poster I recognized Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall from SIXTEEN CANDLES. It was from that moment on that this Fifth Grader couldn't wait to go to high school.
By the time jr. high rolled around, the films of John Hughes taught me everything I needed to know. I was ready. But unfortunately reality sucks and needless to say my high school experience was not cool. Nothing bad, it was just normal. But looking back it's amazing how much John Hughes got right!
It's hard to believe that THE BREAKFAST CLUB is 30 years old. Made in the 80's but the story and characters are timeless. Nothing about the film really shows it's age. Well maybe except for that stupid dance Emilio Estevez does when his character is smoking weed. By the way, what was up with that? When did smoking pot ever make you wanna get up and reenact a scene from FOOTLOOSE? Other than that, everything is timeless and relevant to teens still to this day.
You know the story. Five high school students; a brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel, and a recluse meet in detention. There they poor their hearts out to each other and find out they have a lot more in common then they thought.
The truth about THE BREAKFAST CLUB is that the story itself is kinda predictable. You know why these teens all have their faults. The jock's father is a perfectionist, the prom queen has parents that show their love through material possessions, the rebel has an abusive father, you get the picture.
What makes the film work and work so well is that the movie has great dialogue. When these kids start talking to one another the conversation sounds genuine. Add some current events and you can make the same film today!
If you are familiar with my blog, then you might think that horror and action are my two favorite genres of film. You'd be correct, but the teen comedy genre is not far behind. I consider Hughes the master of said genre. FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF is my favorite John Hughes movie. The older I get and the more that I watch THE BREAKFAST CLUB, it may someday become my favorite.
There is more going on in the adventures of Ferris and Cameron, but the simplicity of dentition on a Saturday speaks volumes.
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