I watched the Breakfast Club last week for the first time; I've never really been interested in the 80s teen movies, but I was convinced to try it out, and I ended up a bit frustrated. The thing about The Breakfast Club is that it has a really good message that's completely mismanaged. The David Bowie quote at the beginning foreshadows a lot of heavy handed showing instead of telling; most of the dialogue, especially in the first half, is too on the nose, and Vernon is way too cartoonish of a character. There's a lot to be said about teachers who take their shit out on students and have a disgusting amount of disdain for them, and how the bad teachers can really get away with it because god teachers' jobs are hard and teenagers are monsters, but Vernon's confrontation with Bender in the closet is just ridiculous. Nobody actually says stuff like "nobody will ever believe you" or "don't make a fool out of me", they just do or say nasty things because the balance of power is already established.
It's not as if it entirely misfires; seeing how everyone arrives at school and what they have for lunch are great examples of when the film does show instead of telling, and Andrew and Brian's monologues are genuinely moving. Brian's story in particular is something that really hit home because while I've generally accepted that the media's idea of high school has really little to do with what I actually experienced, that was the exact sort of shit that I ran into. I can't say that anybody wanted to kill themselves because of their parents' pressure about their grades, but I knew people who were afraid of what their parents would say if they brought home a 94 instead of a 95. I knew people who wanted to kill themselves because of the atmosphere of my school (you all are little cheating grade grubbing shits who can't think outside of standardized tests and if you don't get it it's because you're not trying hard enough); hell, I wanted to kill myself in high school, and I knew someone who did kill himself. That monologue was something raw and real that resonated pretty deeply with me, and even though the gravity of it dissipates when we learn that the gun was just a flare gun, there's a real connection made between the characters and the viewer. And then the movie immediately cut to an 80s dance party. Not to say that most of the interludes of the kids fucking around is bad, but there's such a mood whiplash that it's annoying and distracting.
I already knew I was going to hate Allison's makeover, and I'm sure it's been talked about to death so I won't harp too much on it, but I feel like her and Claire's issues were so lazily written compared to the others. I can't even recall if we knew why Claire got in detention. We kind of don't need to know with Bender since we see that Vernon might put him in just for breathing, and the fact that Allison is either so lonely she'd go to detention on purpose, lie, or both says something about her, but Andrew and Brian's confessions really tell us something about them and their status. There's a lot of talk about Claire being the popular girl, but I feel like instead of focusing on that, the film decides to focus on her prude/virgin/tease status. What's really frustrating is that Allison explicitly points out that it's complete bullshit...and yet then everyone still focuses on it. Her virgin/good girl status is focused on while the actual issues, the pressure of popularity and her feeling like a pawn in her friends' and parents' lives, fall to the wayside. Allison and Andrew hooking up after her makeover is frustrating, but I feel at least they had more of a healthy connection than Claire and Bender. It seems like in the end Claire's just sort of the prize for him; the first thing she does for himself is get together with him? Really? In general it really does bother me that most of the characters' arcs seem to be resolved by getting together with someone else.
Even with my problems with the film, I can see why it's become a classic. The idea that teenagers' emotions and problems matter even if they don't have adult responsibilities yet is something that is often mocked in today's media, so I imagine as a teen in the 80s, seeing a mainstream film acknowledge your troubles and fears must have meant a lot. The film also has very believable and sympathetic characters, and the message about breaking away from your cliques and letting go of judgement is definitely important. I just wish that The Breakfast Club delivered consistently on its potential.
