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:

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

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Taglines:

They only met once, but it changed their lives forever.

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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

Emilio Estevez (Andrew Clark)'s father, Martin Sheen, appeared in the film The Dead Zone. Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Johnson) later played the lead role on the television series, while Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds) and John Kapelos (Carl) made guest appearances.

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Goofs

When Mr. Vernon is chasing John Bender around the school, in one of the shots where Bender turns the corner, there is a large stand-up bulletin board and a small table to the very bottom right of the screen. When Mr. Vernon turns this same corner, the small table is gone.

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Quotes

John Bender: [after Claire performs her lipstick trick, claps sarcastically] Wow, Claire. That was great. My image of you is totally blown.
Allison Reynolds: You're a shit. Don't do that to her, you swore to God you wouldn't laugh.
John Bender: Am I laughing?
Andrew Clark: [shouts angrily] You fuckin' prick!
John Bender: What do you care what I think anyway? I don't even count, right? I could disappear forever and it wouldn't make any difference. I might as well not even exist at this school, remember?
[turns to Claire]
John Bender: And you... don't like me anyway.
Claire Standish: You know, I ...
[...]

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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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Connections

Referenced in Klais? (2003)

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Soundtracks

Dream Montage
(uncredited)
Written by Gary Chang
Performed by Ed Alton, Gary Chang, and Kurt Taylor Neishloss
[Played during the detention scene without dialogue in the school library]

User Reviews

You pay after you play.

One of the best if not the best brat pack flick. John Hughes writes and directs this dramatic comedy about five Chicago high school kids that are from different circles and stations in life being forced to spend a Saturday together in detention. Before the day is over this group finds out that they have more in common than they thought and even some friendships are created. The very impressive cast includes:Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald. Paul Gleason plays the hapless teacher trying to contain the group and then there is John Kapelos as the custodian. This is a don't miss and is fun to watch over and over again. Spit that gum out and remember to ask for a hall pass.