THE BREAKFAST CLUB
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
*** 1985, R, 92 minutes [1 hour, 32 minutes] [comedy/lighthearted drama] starring: Emilio Estevez (Andrew), Judd Nelson (Bender), Molly Ringwald (Claire), Anthony Micheal Hall (Brian), Ally Sheedy (Allison), Paul Gleason (Mr. Richard Vernon), produced by Ned Tanen, John Hughes, written and directed by John Hughes.
"The Breakfast Club" is a film that is obvious in its intention to make a statement about the caste system between teenagers, but it does so in a funny and enjoyable way. The film has a substantial amount of sympahty because the characters are realistic and believable. Even though it can go a bit over the top, the script is chiseled with detail and flows very smoothly and you have to respect that.
The story is very simple: five teenagers from a suburban Chicago high school must spend an entire Saturday in the school library as a special form of detention. Mr. Vernon (Gleason), the administrator, lays down the rules and tells them they better think about what they've done. He's mean and knows he is, but doesn't care. However, as much of a caricature as the character may be, Gleason plays the role perfectly as not to make Vernon a simple easy-to-hate villain nor any type of cartoony character. He simply embodies everything about adulthood and authority.
As soon as Vernon leaves, 20 minutes of sheer character development through conversation and arguments start up between the group. There is Andrew (Estevez), the jock; Bender (Nelson), the punk rebel; Claire (Ringwald), the princess; Brian (Hall), the brain; and Allison (Sheedy), the kooky loner.
Bender gets the ball rolling by purposely annoying the others. He may be a punk, but he certainly is clever because he knows how to manipulate everyone. And so we get conversations that are funny and insightful at the same time. Hughes is a master of dialogue and although these kids are caricatures, their conversations are familiar. They argue just because they are from different "classes" and think they are better than each other.
The film is essentially divided into small interludes, and I was surprised title cards didn't appear every little bit saying "Hour 1: Bickering," "Hour 5: Confessional." About halfway through the gang has gotten to know each other pretty well and start to do things to break the monotony. Bender is the most outspoken of the group as he represents everything teens are not supposed to be, but when he leads the gang on a risky romp through the halls, they go along just for the element of risk. Surprisingly, when they are nearly caught, Bender sacrifices himself to save the others and is then locked in a closet by Vernon. Maybe some of this sounds a little too Hollywood, but because the film is so charming it makes sense at the time.
The final act tries, perhaps a bit too hard, to become a real bonding experience between the newly found friends. There are emotional breakdowns (ever character cries at least once) as each admits what "crime" they committed, and then they realize just how petty their differences are and wonder why there has to be the caste system there is.
As good and wholly original as the film remains throughout, the ending seems a little off. Even though there isn't a plot, I couldn't help feeling something was left unresolved.
"The Breakfast Club" constantly exhibits subtle elements that could have been played upon more. Even though this film does have many transparent elements to it, for the most part they are presented in an original, funny, and interesting manner. The good points here far outweigh the bad.
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