Review by J1 Student Elle Stiles

    It’s 1985. You’re a teen at Shermer High School, and you have to go to Saturday detention. 

    You’re stuck with the dictator/vice principal of the school, and four other random kids. And apparently you have to write an essay about who you want to be.

Welcome to the world of Breakfast Club.

Recently over winter break, I watched the iconic 80s film “The Breakfast Club”. And watching it now, in 2022, is a completely different experience than watching it in 1985. My dad, a teen in the 80s, told me about his experience watching it in 1985.

After sneaking into the theater with a friend, and watching the movie, he found himself surprisingly connected to the film, which was totally different from other films of the 80s.

Just for a little context, “The Breakfast Club” is an hour and 37 minute film about the ups and downs of Saturday detention at Shermer High School.

At least that’s the formal description. 

According to my dad it’s the first movie he ever felt a deep connection to because he related so much to the characters in it. 

And when I saw it, I have to agree that it does seem a lot more deep and realistic than other 80s movies, such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Sixteen Candles” (all directed by John Hughes).

I actually really liked this film because it did seem more true to what every teenager experiences in high school. Even today, I found myself somewhat relating to it. The fluctuating moods, ignoring of responsibilities, and deep thoughts and conversations are common amongst most teenagers, and that’s what appealed to me the most.

I especially liked the scenes where they had honest, intense discussions about their lives. It made it more interesting for me, and revealed some of the dark sides to seemingly lighthearted characters such as Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and Allison (Ally Sheedy).

However, one aspect I did not like was some of the humor.

Don’t get me wrong, most of the humor was actually really funny, but there were some things that just made me shake my head.

There were parts of the movie that I didn’t understand at all. Like how they used slurs to insult each other. And how Bender (Judd Nelson) constantly made jokes about Claire (Molly Ringwald) and taking advantage of her, and then BIT her. 

This “dark” humor wasn’t very funny to me at all, and made me roll my eyes every time. I know many would argue that this is a rated R film, and that the 80s were a different time. And I do know that this movie is a little dated, so some of the things that we consider “wrong” today, were considered perfectly fine back then. However, that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

This ill-mannered humor is the only thing I would object to in this movie.

Besides that, I definitely enjoyed the story, soundtrack, and SOME of the characters.

Overall I would give it an 8 out of 10.