This past weekend I set out to accomplish this extra credit assignment. I viewed the task as just another mediocre film from the 80’s to watch for school. However, I can now say that I am utterly delighted to have viewed the Breakfast Club. This film eloquently covered every serious topic that a high school student has ever pondered: sex, social stratification, tobacco use, parental frustration, marijuana and even suicide. The film begins by an unlikely group of teenagers bound together by collegiate authority in Saturday detention. Each member of the circle brings a different aspect of high school life to light. The “Breakfast Club” is composed of five members: the athlete, the brain, the princess, the basket case, and the criminal. Although very distinctive character traits, I feel that every high school student could relate to certain aspects of at least one character.
Initially, the five students act very typical to their assigned social class. The jock boasts, the princess talks about how popular she is, the brain actually begins the assigned 1,000 word essay. The basket case, well acts like she belongs in a home for the mentally insane, and the criminal smokes a cigarette inside. Almost an hour into the film, the characters social guard begins to falter. The group is able to find common ground on certain topics, specifically how all of their parents aren’t perfect, and how they all secretly hate their lives. Even though all of the adolescents come from different backgrounds, they are all going through the same struggles. I felt that this central message speaks to anyone who has ever been in a similar situation, undergoing the process of a changing life and struggling for social acceptance.
The most notable aspect of the film was the transformation and unification of the students. They engaged in discussions about sex, suicide and pressures placed on them by their parents, all while under the influence of marijuana. The gothic “basket case” emerged into a beautiful woman with the help of the “princess”. She was once a very shy, compulsive liar but with her new “preppy” makeover she exuded confidence and ultimately kissed the “athlete”. Additionally, the divide between the “criminal” character and “princess” was completely bridged. The two actually kissed in the school’s parking lot and Princess gave him one of her diamond earrings.
Perhaps oversimplified, I still felt that the film called out very important issues for teenagers. I feel that although this film may have included teens, parents should take note of the film’s underlying meaning. What was brought to light in The Breakfast Club could only be interrogated out of teenagers under any other circumstances. This film illuminates the keyhole into the secret lives of teenagers. Personally, I was touched by the transparency of the characters and could heavily relate to the frustration they experienced when being forced to deal with their misguided disciplinarian principal. I would most definitely recommend this movie to anyone, especially parents.
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