Breakfast, lunch, dinner and restaurants
While not complete strangers, the five are all from different cliques or social groups: John Bender (Judd Nelson) “The Criminal”; Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) “The Princess”; Brian Johnson ( Anthony Michael Hall ) “The Brain”; Andy Clark (Emilio Estévez) “The Athlete”; and Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) “The Basket
The movie introduces us to the characters as the stereotypes that each student considers the other: the Nerd (Hall), the Beauty (Ringwald), the Jock (Estevez), the Rebel (Nelson), and the recluse (Sheedy). Also, we are introduced to another stereotype; the mean overbearing teacher.
The film’s title comes from the nickname invented by students and staff, for detention, at New Trier High School, the school attended by the son of one of John Hughes’ friends. Thus, those who were sent to detention were designated members of “The Breakfast Club “.
The main adult character, Mr. Vernon, is not portrayed in a positive light. He consistently talks down to the students and forcefully flaunts his authority throughout the film. Bender is the only one who stands up to Vernon.
Brian is dropped off, will spend almost 9 hours in detention at Shermer High School with four other ‘stereotypes’. The reason is he in detention is because he used the flare gun that was fired in his locker and tried to kill himself because he received his first “F” on a school shop class project.
Claire , along with the rest of the group covered for Bender when he stole the screw, asking Vernon why anybody would want to steal a screw and also when Vernon stormed in asking what the ruckus was, while John Bender hid under Claire’s desk and wedged his head between Claire’s legs.
Even aside from the fact that Bender very explicitly harasses and antagonizes Claire for the entire movie, making the scene where they finally make out seem mildly toxic at best, neither of their character arcs seem to build toward a relationship in any way. I don’t Claire ever interacted with Bender again.
Claire Standish is in detention for skipping school to go shopping. And finally, John Bender is in detention for pulling a fire alarm and fighting with the school’s teachers and students.
He pauses to hide his face in his sleeve before revealing that he received detention because a flare gun went off in his locker because he was going to attempt suicide with it after failing his shop project. Claire later manipulates Brian into writing the paper for all of them.
Poignant, funny and thoroughly relatable, the screenplay presents a touching tale of teen angst which doesn’t seek to patronise or trivialise the teenager’s experiences and still resonates, even if you’ve long left your school days behind. There are great lines dotted throughout the movie: ‘We’re all pretty bizarre.
Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club . Themes and Influence: The film has a important message which is to never be ashamed of who you are, and don’t judge a book by its cover. The movie shows such detail to friendships that you may have never learned about until you meet with new people.
Tribeca
NEO-MAXI-ZOOM-DWEEBIE “Face it,” Bender says to Brian . “You’re a neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie.” The term was apparently ad-libbed by Judd Nelson.
58 years (June 13, 1962)
Appearance. Carl is first seen in the opening sequence. Carl’s entrance prompts Bender to rudely and mockingly suggest to Brian that “his dad ” (referring to Carl; we see Brian’s actual dad at the end of the film) works at the school.