The Breakfast Club Is A 1985 American

The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and
directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly
Ringwald and Ally Sheedy as teenagers from different high school cliques who spend a
Saturday in detention with their authoritarian assistant principal (Paul Gleason).
The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1985. Universal Pictures released it in
cinemas in the United States on February 15, 1985. It received critical acclaim and earned
$51.5 million on a $1 million budget. Critics consider it to be one of Hughes's most
memorable and recognizable works. The media referred to the film's five main actors as
members of a group called the "Brat Pack".
In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film
Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant".[4][5] The film was digitally remastered and was re-screened throughout 430
theaters in celebration of its 30th anniversary in 2015.[6]
Plot[edit]
On a Saturday, March 24, 1984, five high school students report for all-day detention. Each
comes from a different clique: pampered Claire Standish, geek Brian Johnson, wrestler
Andrew Clark, delinquent John Bender, and outcast Allison Reynolds. They gather in the
school library, where assistant principal Richard Vernon instructs them not to talk, move
from the seats, or sleep until they are released at 4:00 p.m. He assigns them a thousand-
word essay, in which each must describe "who you think you are". He leaves, returning
only occasionally to check on them.
John, who has an antagonistic relationship with Vernon, ignores the rules and riles up the
other students, teasing and harassing Brian, Andrew, and Claire. Vernon gives John eight
weekends' worth of additional detention and eventually locks him in a storage closet, but
he escapes and returns to the library.
The students pass the hours by talking, arguing, and, at one point, smoking marijuana.
Gradually, they open up and reveal their secrets: Claire has experiences of peer pressure,
John comes from an abusive household, Allison is a compulsive liar, Andrew can't think for
himself, and Brian contemplated suicide over a bad grade. They discover they all have
poor relationships with their parents: Claire's parents use her to get back at each other
during arguments, John's parents physically and verbally abuse him, Allison's parents
ignore her, Andrew's father pushes him to the limit, especially in wrestling, and Brian's
parents pressure him to earn high grades. The students realize that, despite their
differences, they face similar problems.
Claire gives Allison a makeover, which sparks romantic interest from Andrew. Claire
decides to break her "pristine" virginal appearance by kissing John and giving him
a hickey. Although they suspect their new relationships will end along with their detention,
they believe their mutual experiences will change the way they look at their peers.
As the detention nears its end, the group requests that Brian complete the essay for
everyone, and John returns to the storage closet to fool Vernon into thinking he has not
left. Brian leaves the essay in the library for Vernon to read after they leave. As the
students part ways, Allison and Andrew kiss, as do Claire and John. Allison rips Andrew's
state champion patch from his jacket to keep, and Claire gives John one of her diamond
earrings, which he puts on. Vernon reads the essay, in which Brian states that Vernon has
already judged who they are using stereotypes; in fact, the students found that "each one
of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal." He signs off the
letter with "Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club."
Themes[edit]
The main theme of the film is the constant struggle of the American teenager to be
understood, by adults and by themselves. It explores the pressure put on teenagers to fit
into their own realms of high school social constructs, as well as the lofty expectations of
their parents, teachers, and other authority figures. On the surface, the students have little
in common with each other. However, as the day rolls on, they eventually bond over a
common disdain for the aforementioned issues of peer pressure and parental expectations.
[17][18] Stereotyping is another theme. Once the obvious stereotypes are broken down,
the characters "empathize with each other's struggles, dismiss some of the inaccuracies of
their first impressions, and discover that they are more similar than different".[19]
The main adult character, Mr. Vernon, is not portrayed in a positive light. He consistently
talks down to the students and flaunts his authority throughout the film. Bender is the only
one who stands up to Vernon.[17]

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