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

3 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 | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

Five strangers with nothing in common, except each other.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Molly Ringwald said in 2018 that she finds the crowd-pleasing romance between her character and Bender, played by Judd Nelson, difficult to root for now. She said "Bender sexually harasses Claire throughout the film. When he's not sexualizing her, he takes out his rage on her with vicious contempt, calling her 'pathetic,' mocking her as 'Queenie.' It's rejection that inspires his vitriol. Claire acts dismissively toward him, and, in a pivotal scene near the end, she predicts that at school on Monday morning, even though the group has bonded, things will return, socially, to the status quo. He never apologizes for any of it, but, nevertheless, he gets the girl in the end."

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Goofs

If the movie takes place in March 1984 the Illinois state wrestling championships were in February 1984 and therefore Andrew would not have had a meet the following weekend. There are no dual meets after the championships. He would likely have also called it a dual or dual meet not just a meet.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brian Johnson: [opening narration immediately after the title sequence] Saturday, March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us...

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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

VHS releases change the majority of the soundtrack, current DVD and Blu-ray releases have the original theatrical soundtrack

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Connections

Referenced in Dean's List (2019)

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Soundtracks

Didn't I Tell You
[performed by] Laurie Forsey
Produced by Keith Forsey
Words and Music by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff

User Reviews

Feels Real

This is one of the best '80s movies out there mostly thanks to the script and the impressive acting of the all involved. In a rare case of voice-over working The Breakfast Club delivers on its intended purpose of addressing alienation, relating and drama at the teenage level, but the fun and comedy is never too far out from the picture. Of the two girls Claire is the pretty one and no wonder she gets upskirted. And of course women being women the bad boy gets her to be his. 7/10.

Details

Official Sites:

-Making-of 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