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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, meeting for the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse. Before the day was over, they broke the rules. Bared their souls. And touched each other in a way they never dreamed possible.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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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

The Breakfast Club (1985) was one of two films released in that year that starred Judd Nelson, and he also worked with a director who also wrote the screenplay. Here it was John Hughes, for Fandango (1985) it was Kevin Reynolds. Incidentally Thomas Del Ruth was the cinematographer on both films.

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Goofs

When Claire is preparing her sushi, a black chopstick (or straw) is next to her Coke, but is gone in the following shots.

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Quotes

Brian: Are you gonna be, like, a shopping bag lady? You know, like, sit in alleyways and, like, talk to buildings and wear men's shoes and that kinda thing?

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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

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Alternate Versions

The scene where the kids smoke pot is heavily toned down in syndicated TV prints and Network prints. First off, all but one shots of the kids actually inhaling the joints are deleted. Also, the theatrical version shows Andrew coming out of a completly smoked filled room, and then a smile comes on his face after he takes in inhale after he leaves the room. Then he throws the joint on the floor and takes off his jacket. The TV versions are much shorter, and they begin the scene with him taking off his jacket.

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Connections

Referenced in Archer: Archer Vice: Smugglers' Blues (2014)

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Soundtracks

Waiting
[performed by] Elizabeth Daily
Produced by Keith Forsey
Words and Music by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff
Courtesy of A&M Records

User Reviews

A love letter to all high school loners

I must admit that I was a true loner in high school, and essentially I'm now at 33 I'm still a loner who has become a bit more jaded with the passage of time. With that said, John Hughes "The Breakfast Club" seems to me to be a sort of love letter to all of us who just seemed to blend into the background during our high school years. Of course like everyone I also have a favorite character in the film, and my choice is Allison who is wonderfully played by Ally Sheedy. So, my advice to all who have read this far is to try and watch this film with your emotions rather than trying to analyze the film to death.