I have finally realized that this is my favorite movie of all time. I'm not saying it's "the best" film ever made, mind you. Notice the distinction: My favorite. I love it. I can remember when I saw it in the theater in 1985. I was 21 and the damn thing meant so much to me. It began what was surely a trend in teen angst films in the late 20th century. It also ignited the term "brat pack" that followed it's stars, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall, around for several years. "St. Elmo's Fire" and (Writer/Director) John Hughes' following films "Pretty in Pink," "Weird Science" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" would continue these trends for a few years to come.

Hughes is at his peak here. This is, without a doubt, his finest film. And it's a tremendous gift to pop culture. I was so fucked up as a teenager, even at 21, in 1984, I was still reeling from my adolescent years. I was still trying to figure it all out. To have it laid out so plainly for me by Hughes was a revelation. These people, the jocks, the prom queens... they were no different from me really. They were just as scared and as scarred as I was. They had thoughts and emotions like my own. I had just never had a chance to talk to them honestly. "The Breakfast Club" allowed me to hear them. It's a wonderful film.

And it's such a brilliant concept in it's simplicity. Like "5 Actors in Search of a Playwright," the film becomes "5 Teens in Search of Meaning" by simply forcing it's 5 stereotypical youths to inhabit the same space for 2 hours (or a day played out in 2 hours). For those who do not know, "The Breakfast Club" has 5 teenagers forced to spend Saturday detention with each other while their adult teacher supervisor and the school janitor wander in and out at times to "keep an eye on them." Left to their own devices for much of the time, the 5 unlikely colleagues begin to talk and interact, often with abrupt confrontations, and (thanks in part to a little openness spurred by the smoking of some marijuana) their true selves become exposed to us. The film's sense of ennui allows the characters to unravel slowly and become more in focus to us as the film progresses and soon we come to understand them as whole people, much as they do themselves.

They are:

The Criminal: Judd Nelson as Bender. He is the spark that ignites everything that happens on this day. He loves to stir the pot. He loves to poke around in the shit. As Bender, Nelson continually prods his fellow "students" through some really important lessons. He calls people on their bullshit and forces them to expose their true selves. What Nelson does with Hughes' words here is nothing short of miraculous. And when the tables are turned, and Bender also begins to exposes some of the truths about himself, it is nothing short of beautiful. By the end of the film, we understand his character completely. And we love him for what he has done for the others here, and himself. And for us. By prodding and poking around at the brains and the emotions of the others, we begin to see ourselves, and our preconceived notions about other people. Like a pop culture psychologist, he exposes us to a reality and forces us to look at it. We gaze at it's wonder and cannot believe we were blind to the obvious flaws and weaknesses and beauties within it that are so apparent to us now.

But Bender is not superhuman. Part of his most important character aspect becomes apparent to us in his treatment from Paul Gleason as Mr. Vernon, the adult supervisor. When Gleason confronts him, after being subjected to much prodding from Bender as well, we are shocked at his anger. But we are also amazed at the frightened and innocent response from Bender when he is confronted in return. We suddenly realizes much of Bender's own feelings and insecurities comes from the way adults have treated him. When Gleason finally seems to be able to physically assault him, Bender begins to realize several things. He understands that Vernon is not in control. To our surprise, we realize that he assumes all adults know exactly what they are doing. When Vernon begins to unravel and act as a aggressive "teen," Bender is forced to immediately grow up and begins to reevaluate all that is happening to him. His eyes express a very intense and obvious vulnerability. We suddenly realize that all Bender wants is for someone to strip off his own defenses, for someone to see through him. He apparently felt some hope of this happening with the teacher. But when Vernon is unable to see through him, and accepts him at face value, Bender is stunned. He seems lost. He seems to be adrift, needy, and obviously not the pushy, braggart and bully that he pretends to be. Nelson says all of this with his eyes in one small scene. You don't even have to look for it. It's glaring.

The Prom Queen: Molly Ringwald as Claire. At first, it's great to see the prissy and "pristine" girl, the bitch, get her comeuppance from the "criminal." Bender pokes through her facade with a combination of sexual confrontation (bordering on rape or, at the least, molestation) and emotional prodding. He forces her to slowly reveal her true self and her true thoughts. Ringwald is remarkable here. When her Claire breaks down at the end and makes us understand the immense pressure she feels from her peers, we suddenly glean her true sadness and fear. We see her whole for the first time. Any other actress might have come across as unbelievable or unsympathetic with the same material. But Ringwald forces us to understand that the feelings and angst she has are just as valid as our own, even though, (as the geek in my case), we feel more deserving of such feelings. She strips away the facade of Claire and we find the frightened and confused girl underneath. It's beautiful.

The Jock: Emilio Estevez as Andrew Clark. Estevez brings a new kind of jock to us. This one has some smarts and some grasp of maturity. He isn't your giggling, bullying monster, but rather a lean, mean muscle machine. As we learn through the film's unfolding, Andrew is being treated like a prizefighter. He is being groomed and molded. But the forces that are being applied here have left him vapid and hollow. He is nothing but muscle. He describes himself as a "racehorse," and we see that he has shut himself off from emotions and vulnerability. But through the continual progression of the film, he unravels. His soliloquy at the end, where he describes a mindless act of bullying he has undertaken, is nothing short of emotionally riveting. Estevez goes deep here and come out with a truly beautiful and expressive moment on screen that says so much about the nature of young adulthood as viewed through the askew "jock" mentality. It is singularly one of the most emotional and saddening moments ever to be captured on film. Estevez brings forth an Andrew that is, finally, open and raw and bare. And suddenly, we see the person underneath, the man in the racehorse costume. And we, like he, are forever changed.

The Brain: Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson. Hall has it all here and works magic with it. His Brian is a somewhat geeky nerd but very likable. He is smart but not inhuman, nerdy but not abnormal. Hall's Brian acts as a buffer through much of the film until, finally, he opens up with his peers in the film's end. His revelations, his truth, is emotionally devastating and again we see the enormous pressure placed on these kids by parents and peers. But in Brian's case, there is also much pressure applied by himself. He has bought into it as deeply as his parent's have. He too is lost. What Hall offers most, other than a chance to see a geek as a real person, is a catalyst for the final understanding of the "group" as friends. When he ignites a discussion about "What happens on Monday," when they all return to their normal lives at school, we finally see the true inherent problems with the teenagers. Allowed to become friends, to be themselves here, for one day, they must return to the world that created them very soon. Will the changes and emotional processes they have undergone affect their daily lives? It's the whole heart of the matter here. Hughes is so wise to discuss it. He opens the film up to it's true meaning, it's true theme. And the characters, in discussing the truth of what may happen, are forced to realize their own flaws and their own inabilities to cope with the world they inhabit. Hall's emotional and teary breakdown in the final reel of the film may be too honest for some, but for me, it is what truly pushes the film over the edge, from greatness to masterpiece. His Brian is, without a doubt, the heart of the film.

Of course, I think Brian is gay. Notice they way he whistles and applauds when Andrew dances around the library. He also is the only character who doesn't "hook-up" at the end of the film. He is obviously a sexual being (as Hughes points out to us in a couple of scenes) but he is still on the brink of accepting himself. And he is the most open and honest and emotional person in the film. Only Brian is truly in touch with his feelings when the themes begin to become exposed here. In the end, he only has himself to accept himself. In the end, he has gained friendship and understanding from his peers, but he is still alone and most unchanged. What he gains most is an understanding and an acceptance of himself - and his flaws and weaknesses.

The Basket Case: Ally Sheedy as Allison. Given much less chance to evolve and expose herself, Sheedy's Allison is still integral to the film. It is through her that Estevez's Andrew is finally able to see himself. Her greatest scenes are both comic and heartfelt. The "dandruff as snow" scene is just damn funny, and so perfect for her character. But the scene in the film's final reel, where she discusses parental problems with Estevez is nothing short of breathtaking. When her Allison finally announces that her most serious problem with her parents is that "They ignore me..." it's devastating. It openly and so brilliantly exposes such a simple and obvious truth... Again, no one but Sheedy could have pulled it off. And it makes our hearts sink. We fall in love with her. When she and Andrew finally hook up in the film's end, we see that they, at last, each have something they need desperately... someone to confide in, someone who likes them for their true selves. It's stunning perfection.

I could write forever, I think, about "The Breakfast Club." These characters mean so much to me. This film means everything to me. It changed my life in 1985. It still affects me today.

I recently saw the film this year at a midnight movie. The audience was made up of as many college students as it was older folks like myself. Seeing the film with an audience, opened up much of the humor for me in the film. There are some laugh-out-loud moments early in the film. But during the final moments, the truly deep and emotional finale, you could hear a pin drop. The truths and the beautiful honesty the film exposes still resonate today.

This is my pick for the film that every teenagers should be forced to watch. As "Catcher in the Rye," "1984" and "Brave New World," are "required reading," "The Breakfast Club" should be "required viewing." It's that important. I only wish I could have seen it when I was 14.

Notes:

The theme song "(Don't You) Forget About Me" was a huge hit for the Simple Minds. The song was originally intended for Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, but when she turned it down as, "too poppy," she gave the demo to her husband Jim Kerr, the front man for Simple Minds and they recorded it. Other artists on the soundtrack include Wang Chung, and Karla Devito. The soundtrack was put together by Keith Forsey.

Several scenes were cut from the film including a subplot where Vernon goes to the school pool and sees a female gym teacher swimming in the nude. Some additional unimportant scenes were added for the TV release.

Rick Moranis was initially cast as the janitor Carl but when he insisted on using a Russian accent, Hughes fired him. Sheedy was originally cast as Claire and Estevez as Bender. Nelson was almost fired from the film because he remained somewhat in character off camera.

Ringwald and Hall had a small romance during the filming.

The film is set in Shermer, Illinois, the somewhat fictional setting of almost all Hughes films.

Hughes met Hall when he was cast as Rusty in "Vacation," which Hughes wrote. Ringwald and Hall had appeared in Hughes' first hit film "16 Candles." After this, Ringwald would appear in Hughes' "Pretty in Pink." Hall would play in his "Weird Science." Estevez's brother, Charlie Sheen, played a small role in "Ferris Bueller."

Hughes has went on to write and produce many films. His last directorial assignment was 1991's awful "Curly Sue." He is set to direct, write and produce an unnamed film in 2001 which is describe as "a Cinderella story set in Chicago."

Review written in 2000

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