The Breakfast Club Essay

If one were to enter a room and see a variety of people, a brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel, and a recluse one would wonder, “What could all of these people possibly have in common?” The answer? Detention. The Breakfast Club (1985) is a film that was written and directed by John Hughes. The film stars Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson: the brain, Molly Ringwald as Claire Standish: a beauty, Emilio Estevez as Andrew Clark: a jock, Judd Nelson as John Bender: a rebel, and finally Ally Sheedy as Allison Reynolds: the recluse. The Breakfast Club is a coming-of-age film that represents the difficulties that are experienced in an average high school setting with cliques, parental issues, and mental health issues. The film only ever won one award,

In the beginning of the movie, all the main characters are seen arriving at the high school in their own fashions, alluding to the social hierarchy displayed throughout the film. Halfway through the movie, the teens decide to smoke weed and get high via the marijuana provided by Bender, each in a particular order that fits their personalities. Towards the end of the film, the characters are devastated confessing their reasons for getting into detention, acting as the emotional climax of the movie. By examining these three scenes, we can see that the film centers around an idea of social hierarchy, finding one’s identity, and trusting others with ones burdens, which is important because this is an accurate representation of an average high school

The brain is shown with a computer classroom, the athlete is shown with a locker room and gym clothes, the basket case is shown with an image of the counselor and inkblots as well as self-help books, the princess is shown with a banner saying to vote for prom queen, and the criminal is depicted by a locker with a death threat and a noose on it. Near the start of the film, the main characters are introduced by showing their way of arrival at the school, including the social status based on the type of vehicle being driven or not driven. Claire and her father are seen driving a BMW which represents the family’s immense wealth. Upon the perspective switching to a camera inside of the Standish’s car, the viewpoint shows that the two are wearing high quality clothing to further depict their luxurious lifestyle. The brain, Brian arrives with his mother and sister in a Dodge Aries K which depicts a middle-class lifestyle. The car also features a license plate with the letters, “EMC 2” referencing Einstein’s famous equation and expressing how academics are valued in the Johnson household. Andrew Clark and his father pull up in a 1984 Ford Bronco II which features a license plate with the characters “OHIOST” on it representing