The Breakfast club DVD Review

"THE BREAKFAST CLUB" reviews

DVD

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:42:24

Provider

DVD Review

Along with Pretty In Pink, and possibly Ferris Beuller's Day Off, this has to be the quintessential '80s teen flick.

Written and directed by John Hughes (also responsible for those other aforementioned '80s classics), it's the tale of five very different high schoolkids enduring a Saturday detention together, a day which inevitably changes their lives forever.

There's the jock (sports guy) Andy (Emilio Estevez), who despite his popularity at school can't do anything right in the eyes of his father. Then there's pretty rich girl Claire (Molly Ringwald), with a major chip on her shoulder, Brian the geek (Anthony Michael Hall), Allison the outcast (Ally Sheedy) and of course the bad boy destined for a life of crime, John Bender brilliantly overplayed by Judd Nelson who's currently residing in the 'where are they now?' file.

Under the sadistic, sometimes even slapstick, tutoring of Principal Vernon, the unlikely quintet encounter the sort of painful home truths and character-defining experiences normally reserved for POWs. Packed with just about every cliché in the '80s high school movie handbook, including a brilliant Footloose style dance round the library from Estevez and kooky Sheedy's spectacular discovery of make-up and an Alice band, The Breakfast Club is an endearing, yet intelligent, portrayal of American teenagers 'with issues.' What's more it's got the sort of cheesy ending that'll make you wanna punch the sky with glee, or maybe that's just thanks to the soundtrack which includes Simple Minds' classic Don't You Forget About Me.