Reviewing the Reviewers "Five mutually antipathetic teens are called in for Saturday detention at a suburban American high school. Initial bouts of verbal jousting fade, making way for a bonding session fugged in pot smoke, the development of friendship everlasting (or until bell rings for class on Monday morning, whichever is the sooner) and That Simple Minds Song. Which would be fine, were the characters not a punchable quintet of overdrawn saps, the acting (Ringwald and Hall excepted) overplayed and unsympathetic, and the script the wrong side of the line that separates smart from smart-arse." -WJD, www.timeout.com
In the review quoted above, WJD states that the characters were a "punchable quintet of overdrawn saps," and that the only two that portrayed their characters well were Ringwald and Hall. I disagree with this statement; I felt that all of the actors portrayed their characters very well and that any viewer could be able to relate to some aspect of each one of the five. Also, the reviewer implies that the script was not well written, and that Hughes could have done better. It is clear from the great success of the movie that it was well liked by the public and it would have been difficult to do much better. In response to the principal's assignment of an essay describing who they think they are, Brian says, "You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?" This is a profound idea and really brings the film together.
"Through one of the best ensemble performances from Hollywood youth, and through the words of writer/director John Hughes, "The Breakfast Club" speaks undeniable truths about the high school experience that ring true a generation later. Think about that, it's a remarkable achievement: In 1985, when "The Breakfast Club" came out, were there any high school movies from 1963 that rang as true?" -Michael Booth, The Denver Post
In Michael Booth's review of The Breakfast Club, he highly praises the acting as well as the writing, and clearly identifies one of the deeper meanings of the story. In my opinion, he reviews the film flawlessly, and I completely agree with him when he says that "To get the full essence of the best high school movie ever made, you need to rent the full R-rated disc."
"They only met once, but it changed their lives forever."
The Breakfast Club is a coming of age "comedy-drama" filmed in 1985. The story begins with 5 teens, each in a different clique than the others, all reporting into detention on a Saturday morning. Each character fits an individual stereotype: "athelete" Andrew Clark, "brain" Brian Johnson, "basket case" Allison Reynolds, "princess" Claire Standish, and "criminal" John Bender. (portrayed by Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Judd Nelson, respectively) They are told not to speak, move, sleep, or do work, but to instead write a 1,000 word essay about who they think they are for the next 9 hours. At the beginning of the day, the 5 students want nothing to do with each other, seeing as how seperate their social cliques are. Bender, the "criminal", antagonizes the other students, and "basket case" Allison rarely speaks, aside from the occasional outburst. As the time passes, the students begin to open up to each other and reveal secrets that each of them keep inside.
"Five mutually antipathetic teens are called in for Saturday detention at a suburban American high school. Initial bouts of verbal jousting fade, making way for a bonding session fugged in pot smoke, the development of friendship everlasting (or until bell rings for class on Monday morning, whichever is the sooner) and That Simple Minds Song. Which would be fine, were the characters not a punchable quintet of overdrawn saps, the acting (Ringwald and Hall excepted) overplayed and unsympathetic, and the script the wrong side of the line that separates smart from smart-arse." -WJD, www.timeout.com
In the review quoted above, WJD states that the characters were a "punchable quintet of overdrawn saps," and that the only two that portrayed their characters well were Ringwald and Hall. I disagree with this statement; I felt that all of the actors portrayed their characters very well and that any viewer could be able to relate to some aspect of each one of the five. Also, the reviewer implies that the script was not well written, and that Hughes could have done better. It is clear from the great success of the movie that it was well liked by the public and it would have been difficult to do much better. In response to the principal's assignment of an essay describing who they think they are, Brian says, "You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?" This is a profound idea and really brings the film together.
"Through one of the best ensemble performances from Hollywood youth, and through the words of writer/director John Hughes, "The Breakfast Club" speaks undeniable truths about the high school experience that ring true a generation later. Think about that, it's a remarkable achievement: In 1985, when "The Breakfast Club" came out, were there any high school movies from 1963 that rang as true?" -Michael Booth, The Denver Post
In Michael Booth's review of The Breakfast Club, he highly praises the acting as well as the writing, and clearly identifies one of the deeper meanings of the story. In my opinion, he reviews the film flawlessly, and I completely agree with him when he says that "To get the full essence of the best high school movie ever made, you need to rent the full R-rated disc."
"They only met once, but it changed their lives forever."
The Breakfast Club is a coming of age "comedy-drama" filmed in 1985. The story begins with 5 teens, each in a different clique than the others, all reporting into detention on a Saturday morning. Each character fits an individual stereotype: "athelete" Andrew Clark, "brain" Brian Johnson, "basket case" Allison Reynolds, "princess" Claire Standish, and "criminal" John Bender. (portrayed by Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Judd Nelson, respectively) They are told not to speak, move, sleep, or do work, but to instead write a 1,000 word essay about who they think they are for the next 9 hours. At the beginning of the day, the 5 students want nothing to do with each other, seeing as how seperate their social cliques are. Bender, the "criminal", antagonizes the other students, and "basket case" Allison rarely speaks, aside from the occasional outburst. As the time passes, the students begin to open up to each other and reveal secrets that each of them keep inside.