By Connie Lee
leeconni@grinnell.edu
The brain, the athlete, the princess, the criminal and the basket case all collide in this 80’s classic by renowned director, writer and producer John Hughes. For those not up on their movie trivia, John Hughes ruled the teen scene in the 80’s for movies. His films include Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and the Home Alone series.
Fresh off the success of Sixteen Candles, Hughes produced yet another hit with The Breakfast Club. The plot revolves around five teenagers from very different cliques forced together in a library for Saturday detention.
They are not allowed to speak to each other or sleep, orders given by the grumpy and antagonistic school principal. Additionally, each of the students is required to write an essay detailing who they are.
Of course, obedience is short-lived. Getting teenagers to follow rules is almost impossible and almost never happens in films (seriously, name a film where teenagers follow rules). For the first half of the movie, the five students bicker and harass each other, even initiating a fight.
They act just as their outward appearance and stereotypes would have them act. Bender, the criminal, is the instigator. He talks back to the principal and he is the first to ignore the rules and mock the others, who follow suit. Molly Ringwald, our princess, gripes about being in detention with losers, and the nerdy “brain” nods intensely as the principal dishes out his commands.
As the banter continues, the plot begins to take a turn. The five students reveal their insecurities and social problems. They discover that they each have more in common than they thought. They fear becoming like the adults in their lives, especially their parents. They bond over marijuana, dance on tables and ultimately become friends.
By the end of the film, they realize that they are more than their high school stereotypes. Each one of them is, in part, a brain, a princess, a jock, a criminal, and a basket case. The film ends with the iconic scene where Bender is walking across a football field with his fist pumped in the air as “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds plays. The Breakfast Club is an 80’s classic and earns itself 5 out of 5 neon legwarmers.
If you’re looking for a film this weekend with the perfect amount of teenage angst, comedy and breaking down of social constructs, then The Breakfast Club is the movie for you. It is a little under 100 minutes long and is showing at Harris this Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9 p.m.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a movie with ghosts and an undeniably catchy tune, then you’re also in luck. Ghostbusters is also available this weekend, showing on Friday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
