Featuring members of the infamous ‘Brat Pack’ this film perfectly sums up High School. Set in one day, five students – a preppy princess (Molly Ringwald), a jock (Emilio Estevez), a rebel (Judd Nelson), a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall) and a loner (Ally Sheedy) – are thrown into a room and forced to spend nine hours together in detention; under the watchful eye of their increasingly frustrated teacher (Paul Gleason).
The Breakfast Club is one of the iconic meaningful ‘80s teen movies’ and what makes it so wonderful is its simplicity. It’s a film that ticks all the boxes by being comical, charming and incredibly honest. Directed by John Hughes, this is a coming of age story in which a group of students realise that they both portray and defy social stereotypes. Learning that once they put aside their perceptions of one another they share common ground.
With an exceptionally strong cast that immediately captivate you, Hughes manages to capture the essence of high school and demonstrates that life is never as complex as it is during your teenage years. Full of witty one-liners, brilliant music, entertaining action, some home truths and a few 80s dance moves this film is so identifiable that you will be transported back to your adolescence.
The Breakfast Club (1985), directed by John Hughes, is released on Blu-ray by Universal Pictures, Certificate 15.
