The Breakfast Club (1985)

Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.

Director:

John Hughes

Writer:

John Hughes

Stars:

Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Emilio Estevez	...	Andrew Clark
Paul Gleason	...	Richard Vernon
Anthony Michael Hall	...	Brian Johnson
John Kapelos	...	Carl
Judd Nelson	...	John Bender
Molly Ringwald	...	Claire Standish
Ally Sheedy	...	Allison Reynolds
Perry Crawford	...	Allison's Father
Mary Christian	...	Brian's Sister
Ron Dean	...	Andy's Father
Tim Gamble	...	Claire's Father
Fran Gargano	...	Allison's Mom
Mercedes Hall	...	Brian's Mom

Storyline

Beyond being in the same class at Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois, Claire Standish, Andrew Clark, John Bender, Brian Johnson and Allison Reynolds have little in common, and with the exception of Claire and Andrew, do not associate with each other in school. In the simplest and in their own terms, Claire is a princess, Andrew an athlete, John a criminal, Brian a brain, and Allison a basket case. But one other thing they do have in common is a nine hour detention in the school library together on Saturday, March 24, 1984, under the direction of Mr. Vernon, supervising from his office across the hall. Each is required to write a minimum one thousand word essay during that time about who they think they are. At the beginning of those nine hours, each, if they were indeed planning on writing that essay, would probably write something close to what the world sees of them, and what they have been brainwashed into believing of themselves. But based on their adventures during that ...

---

Plot Keywords:

high school | detention | antihero | teenage rebellion | teenage angst | 

---

Taglines:

Five strangers with nothing in common, except each other.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Breakfast Club

Filming Locations:

Park Ridge, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,107,599, 18 February 1985

Gross USA:

$45,875,171

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$51,525,171

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, A&M Films, Channel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Stereo (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

If John Hughes couldn't get Emilio Estevez to play the role of Andrew Clarke, he would have considered casting Michael J. Fox, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, Matthew Broderick, or Rob Lowe.

---

Goofs

Before Allison tells Andrew about how her parents ignore her, her left eye make-up is smeared. While Andrew is questioning what's wrong, it isn't smeared as much. When there is a close-up of Allison's face, it is back to normal.

---

Quotes

John Bender: What're we having?
Brian Johnson: Uh, it's your standard, regular lunch I guess...
[Bender reaches in the bag and pulls out a thermos. He sets it on the table and points at it]
John Bender: Milk?
Brian Johnson: Uh, soup.
John Bender: Ah.
[Bender goes in again and pulls out a juice box. Brian reaches toward the bag and Bender slaps his hand]
Brian Johnson: That's apple juice...
John Bender: I *can* read. PB & J with the crusts cut off... Well, Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch. All the food groups are represented. Did your mom marry Mr. Rogers?
Brian Johnson: Uh, no, Mr. Johnson.

---

Crazy Credits

Opens with the following which then explodes from the screen. "And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds; are immune to your consultations, they are quite aware of what they are going through." -David Bowie

---

Alternate Versions

The entire sequence with everyone falling asleep at the end is deleted completely in the syndicated TV print. This is done mostly for time.

---

Connections

Spoofed in Super Troopers 2 (2018)

---

Soundtracks

Colonel Bogey March
(uncredited)
Written by Kenneth Alford

User Reviews

Remember yourself

We all remember being a teenager. A crazy, intense time when your high were higher and your lows were lower, and every experience was that much more significant.

John Hughes movie brilliantly captures that environment, that era in our lives, and all the social rifts that we all helped to create for ourselves. I have heard it said that "The Breakfast Club" is melodramatic, overacted, and simplistic. If you subscribe to that flippant perspective you might as well join Vernon in his office because you are doing the same thing that he did. Seeing the movie as you want to see it, in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions.

If you really want to understand this film, think back to your own high school days. Think about your last year there. Dig out your old diary or book of angstful poems and reaquaint yourself with who you were then, when you felt things more deeply. "The Breakfast Club" does not exist not for highschool kids, as some suggest. Why would they need it? They live there. It exists for all of us who have already been through there, who feel that they are above it now. It exists so that we can remember what it was like and better understand ourselves, and the next generation. Because you can't dismiss something you understand.