Starring: Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Release Date: Feb. 15, 1985
Running Time: 97 min
Genre: Drama
Commentary The Breakfast Club is a very thought-provoking film about five high school students who share much of their lives with one-another during an eight-hour detention one Saturday. Throughout the film, they get to know and understand each other better, ultimately becoming good friends with one-another. The viewer also gets to know and appreciate them as the complex characters they are.
Plot Summary The Breakfast Club takes place at a Chicago high school one Saturday in 1984, where five students, described as "a prom queen", "an athlete", "a brain", "a basket case", and "a criminal", meet for detention. As the day progresses, their reasons for being given detention become clear.
Claire, "The Princess" (Molly Ringwald) skipped school to go shopping.
Andy, "The Athlete" (Emilio Estevez) taped another student's buttocks together with athletic tape.
Brian "The Brain" (Anthony Michael Hall) brought a flare gun to school, threatening suicide. The gun accidentally went off in his locker, causing minor property damage.
Bender "The Criminal" (Judd Nelson) supposedly pulled the fire alarm, but this is not definite as he has been in repeated trouble with the principal, played by Paul Gleason.
Allison "The Basket Case" (Ally Sheedy) did nothing wrong but shows up because she had nothing better to do!
As the movie progresses, the five get to know each other better, often as a result of relating painful personal experiences. By the end of the day, they all become good friends.
Cultural Significance
Director John Hughes became well-known in the '80s for making teen comedies, and this is his best in my opinion. Some other big teen movies of his include the following:
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Pretty in Pink (1985)
Weird Science (1985)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Several similar teen movies by other directors followed, including
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Title: The Breakfast Club 
