Can you believe that it’s been 30 years since the release of the classic John Hughes film The Breakfast Club? THIRTY YEARS! I saw the film in the movie theater. I feel so old now.
About a year or so ago my teenage daughter discovered films like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. I think it’s great that the films I enjoyed as a teenager had “staying power” and are now popular with my teenage daughter. It just truly amazes me.
What is there not to love about The Breakfast Club? It’s a fun movie with an awesome soundtrack.
For those of you who some how managed not to see this classic film, The Breakfast Club is the story about five teens who come together one Saturday for detention. None of the students knew each other before they came together in detention.
The group includes;
Andrew (Emilio Estevez) – “The Athlete”
Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) – “The Brain”
John (Judd Nelson) – “The Criminal”
Claire (Molly Ringwald) – “The Princess”
Alison (Ally Sheedy) – “The Basketcase”
Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason) – The school’s principal
Carl (John Kapelos) – The school’s janitor
Each of the students represents a kind of label that is put on us by our classmates. For example, Brain, aka “The Brain” is a nerdy little dweeb who gets pushed around by thugs like John or the popular students like Claire and Andrew. I’m sure many of us know people like that from high school. Perhaps you were considered “The Nerd” in your school.
I think I would identify most with “The Nerd” that most, although maybe with a touch of “The Basketcase” mixed in. I was mostly a shy and quiet person who stood off in the background (like a “wallflower”), but behind the scenes I was wild and crazy with my friends.
In the beginning they were all strangers. By the time they left school that day they became not only friends but also had a better understanding about the people they go to school with and how you shouldn’t judge or label people because when it comes right down to it we all face the same problems and fears.
The Breakfast Club is funny, thoroughly entertaining and it has an awesome sound track. Not only that it has remained popular for thirty years. I can see this film celebrating it’s 50th anniversary too. The Breakfast Club is not going anywhere. It will continue to touch people for generations to come.
Because this is an anniversary edition there are some great bonus features worth checking out.
- Accepting the Facts: The Breakfast Club Trivia Track
- Sincerely Yours
- The Most Convenient Definitions: The Origins of the Brat Pack
- Theatrical Trailer
- Feature Commentary with Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall
Sincerely Yours is actually a collection of brief bonus features that cover a lot of topics such as John Hughes, the music, the casting of the film and more. The cast (Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson) are interviewed along with other people in the movie industry like Diabo Cody.
I liked the feature about the origins of The Brat Pack. I never knew how they came up with that title and who exactly was part of The Brat Pack. I tend to think of the people in St. Elmo’s Fire as the Brat Pack, but apparently it extended past that film. This was a very interesting bonus feature.
Accepting the Facts: The Breakfast Club Trivia Track is a lot like “Pop Up Video.” It’s the movie but with text that pops up with facts and trivia about the film. I didn’t watch this all the way through. I only watched the first few minutes (I find pop up stuff distracting). I opted to watch the un-interupted version of the film.
I did learn that Anthony Michael Hall’s real life mother and sister played his mother and sister in the film. That was interesting to know.
As far as the over all quality of the film I feel like it was sharper, clearer and more vibrant. A lot of that has to do with being on the Blu-ray format. I also found the sound quality to be excellent.
If you are a fan of The Breakfast Club, or would like to introduce this film to a whole new generation, you’ll want to add The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary Edition to your family movie collection. Look for it where ever movies are sold.
Are you a fan of the film? Which was your favorite character? Who did you identify most with?
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Jackie says
This is one of my favorite movies. When my daughters were teens, we watched it together and it became one of their favorites.
Cynthia R says
I can’t believe it’s been 30 years, I love this classic movie!
June S. says
(The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary Edition) Wow! It’s been thirty years already, I am really feeling old right now, this is such a great movie-