The Breakfast Club (1985)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

John Hughes

Writer:

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

15 February 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.

Plot Keywords:

Detention | Principal | High School | Jock | Marijuana

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Hughes	...	Brian's Father (uncredited)

Directed by
John Hughes

Writing credits
John Hughes		(written by)

Produced by
Gil Friesen	....	executive producer
John Hughes	....	producer
Michelle Manning	....	co-producer
Andrew Meyer	....	executive producer
Ned Tanen	....	producer

Original Music by
Keith Forsey		(music composed by)

Cinematography by
Thomas Del Ruth		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dede Allen

Casting by
Jackie Burch

Production Design by
John W. Corso

Set Decoration by
Jennifer Polito

Costume Design by
Marilyn Vance

Makeup Department
Ron Walters	....	makeup artist
Linle White	....	hair stylist

Production Management
John C. Chulay	....	unit production manager
Richard Hashimoto	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert P. Cohen	....	first assistant director
James Giovannetti Jr.	....	second assistant director (as James R. Giovannetti Jr.)

Art Department
Jack M. Marino	....	property master (as Jack Marino)
Paul Stanwyck	....	head painter: Chicago
Ted Wilson	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Greg Agalsoff	....	boom man
James R. Alexander	....	sound mixer (as Jim Alexander)
Charles L. Campbell	....	supervising sound editor
Larry Carow	....	sound editor
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound editor (as Rick Franklin)
Robert L. Hoyt	....	supervising re-recording mixer (as Bob Hoyt)
Nicholas Vincent Korda	....	adr editor (as Nick Korda)
Daniel J. Leahy	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chuck Neely	....	assistant sound editor
John Roesch	....	foley
Joan Rowe	....	foley
Jerry Stanford	....	sound editor (as Jerry R. Stanford)
John J. Stephens	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
William H. Schirmer	....	special effects (as Bill Schirmer)

Camera and Electrical Department
Art Bartels	....	key grip: Chicago
Ben Beaird	....	key grip
George Bouillet	....	director of photography: Chicago
Danny Buck	....	gaffer (as Dan Buck)
Henry M. Lebo	....	camera operator (as Henry Lebo)
Gregory Lundsgaard	....	panaglide operator (as Greg Lundsgaard)
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician
Mike Moyer	....	gaffer: Chicago
Mark Simon	....	assistant camera operator: Chicago
Kenneth D. Zunder	....	assistant camera operator (as Ken Zunder)

Casting Department
David Gonzales	....	casting assistant
Janice Papolos	....	casting coordinator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Phyllis Corcoran-Woods	....	costume assistant
Eddie Marks	....	costumer
Christine Zamiara	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Jerrie Fowler	....	assistant film editor: Chicago
Nancy Frazen	....	assistant film editor
William Goldenberg	....	apprentice film editor
Aubrey Head	....	color timer
Jim Miller	....	associate film editor (as James W. Miller)
John Therieau	....	assistant film editor
Scott K. Wallace	....	assistant film editor (as Scott Wallace)

Music Department
David Anderle	....	music supervisor: A & M Films
Gary Chang	....	composer: additional music
Keith Forsey	....	music supervisor
Carlton Kaller	....	assistant music editor (as Carl Kaller)
Ted Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Patrick Nallon	....	transportation captain (as Pat Nallon)

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	titles
Bob Forrest	....	script supervisor
Al Gomez	....	assistant: Michelle Manning
Dorain Grusman	....	choreographer
Ross L. Kulma	....	first aid
Sly Lovegren	....	production coordinator (as Sly Lovgren)
Marty Pessin	....	auditor
Fredell Pogodin	....	unit publicist
Sam Rath	....	production assistant
Kathleen Sacchi	....	coordinator: L.A.
Susan Vanderbeek	....	production secretary (as Sue Vanderbeck)
Jane Vickerilla	....	assistant: Mr. Hughes
Linnea Ebba Wicklund	....	production assistant (as Linnea Wicklund)

Thanks
Marlene Alexander	....	the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture
Bobby Richter	....	the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture
Don Stillwell	....	the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture

Production Companies

• A&M Films (producer)
• Channel Productions (producer)
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1985) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• A&M Records  soundtrack album available on (as A & M Records And Cassettes)
• Glenbrook North High School  the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture
• Illinois Film Commission  the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.®)
• Main North High School  the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture
• Modern Film Effects  titles
• Panavision  Panaflex camera and lenses by (as Panavision®)
• Town of Des Plaines  the producers wish to thank: for their generous cooperation in the making of this motion picture
• Universal Title  optical effects

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Finland:K-14 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (Certificate No. 27628) | West Germany:12 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

A&M Films

Trivia:

The large sculpture in the library, which Allison adorns with lunch meat and Bender rides like a mechanical bronco, bears an astounding resemblance to a bronze work by famed British artist Henry Moore titled "Standing Figure, Knife Edge" (or, in a larger version, "Large Standing Figure, Knife Edge"). These are editioned works (and there's one in Arkansas) so John Hughes either borrowed it for the movie, or used it as the model for a set piece.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Allison takes her lunch out of her lunch bag there isn't a plastic bag filled with Cap'n Crunch, but a few seconds later it appears there.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Andrew Clark: So... what's your poison?
[no answer]
Andrew Clark: ...Ok, forget I asked.
Allison Reynolds: Vodka.
Andrew Clark: Vodka? When do you drink vodka.
Allison Reynolds: Whenever.
Andrew Clark: How much?
Allison Reynolds: Tons.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Futurama: The Luck of the Fryrish (#3.10)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

We Are Not Alone

One of my (personal) favorite comedies. John Hughes strikes again!

Parents have never understood the youth of the world. Elvis used to be evil. Now he's too tame for modern music enthusiasts. Just imagine how tame Eminem will seem years from now. And as a scarier thought, who (or what) could be worse than some of the singers on today's market?

John Hughes is locked in a time capsule, still bearing the mind of a teenager, and he is able to tap into these feelings of teenage angst. That is what separates "The Breakfast Club" from, say, "The New Guy," or one of those other stupid teen films of recent years.

And the jerk, played by Judd Nelson, isn't meant to be cool. He is a jerk, and if older viewers took the time to pay attention to the film, they would perhaps realize that the point of the film, from the very beginning, is to establish that this so-called jerk is only acting like one to get attention. Because he is obviously shunned at home. He's an outcast. And unlike other films that refuse to establish their characters, "The Breakfast Club" introduces him as a jerk, and proceeds to explain why he is that way. This is what makes this movie tick.

I knew a kid like Bender (Nelson) once when I was in school, and generations of kids continue to go through the exact same things. Once they reach a certain age, though, it seems as though all adults suddenly break away from the teenage emotions. John Hughes never did, I guess. (Although he certainly tapped into adult behavior with his best film, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" [1987], a welcome introduction to Hughes' adult comedy, hinted at in "Vacation" [1981], which he wrote.)

The film opens with a quote from David Bowie that just about sums the entire film up. We are introduced to five kids spending eight hours of detention at Shermer High School in Illinois. They are: Andrew the Jock (Emilio Estevez), Brian the Nerd (Anthony Michael Hall), Bender the Criminal (Judd Nelson), Claire the Princess (Molly Ringwald), and Allison the Basketcase (Ally Sheedy). They are looked over by the school principal (Paul Gleason), who assigns them the task of writing a report on why they are here in detention and what they did to get there.

To say that the outcome is predictable is an understatement. We know who's going to get together with whom from the beginning, but getting there's all the fun. Watching the characters come to appreciate their differences and learn that they're more than just billboard examples of angry teenagers is more than half the fun.

Teenagers are not as unaware of who they are as some people always think. John Hughes knew this, and deliberately tapped into this state of mind as no other director has done before -- or since, for that matter. Sure, they've tried. (Hughes' "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was just about the only other film that tried to show teenagers as something more than stupid hormone-crazy rambunctious adolescents, but as young adults who were trying to grow up fast -- the scene where Ferris and Sloane pretend their water is wine is good evidence of this.)

Hughes' teenage characters were not the clichés they are now when "The Breakfast Club" came out in 1985 -- this film has proved to be the steeple of teen clichés (many of them poked fun at in "Not Another Teen Movie," which features a cameo by Ringwald). Think of "2001" or "Halloween" -- the drifting spaceships and psycho killers chasing sex-hungry teenagers is now routine, but it wasn't then. The Jock, The Nerd, The Criminal, The Princess, and The Basketcase weren't clichéd back then, either -- although Hughes purposely chose these references to the characters in order to let Brian, The Nerd, say that they were more than just that in the beginning of the film when he's reading his essay in voice-over narrative.

I seriously doubt whether this film is any better than the work of Coppola, Cortiz, Kurosawa, Scorsese, Welles, et al. If I were assembling a list of "the greatest movies ever made," I'd never include this.

But sometimes the greatest films aren't just the films that are technically perfect, but those that connect to you on one level or another. I know that my all-time favorite comedy ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles") may not be considered better than something such as "Some Like it Hot," but that film doesn't affect me the same way. I either don't connect with the story, the characters, the feelings, or I just don't appreciate the film as a whole. I appreciate "The Breakfast Club" in many ways, and for that reason it will always be considered one of my favorite films. Even if it is kinda sappy.