Saturday Detention

Breakfast Club. Dir. John Hughes

Feat. Judd Nelson (John Bender), Molly Ringwald (Claire Standish), Emilio Estevez (Andrew Clark), Anthony Hall (Brian Johnson), and Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds)

Universal Pictures, 1985.

John Hughes’s 1985 film The Breakfast Club takes place at Shermer High School, in a suburb of Chicago. Five students are currently at the school for a Saturday detention that lasts for nine hours. They are being closely monitored by the stubborn Vice Principal Vernon. The students in detention are not really close at all, but they learn alot about each other. Once they leave, some of them walk out holding hands, and kissing each other goodbye.

The movies overarching theme is identity; how others may be quick to identify one, and how one identifies themself. For example, John Bender. It is clear that Bender is a troubled child; Mr. Vernon goes as far as telling the students to look and see where Bender is in five years. I am assuming that he is hinting that he definitely thinks Bender will end up in some sort of trouble. The other students do see Bender as a troublemaker or even a pervert as well. I think anyone would call someone who stares at a female's vaginal region while hiding under a table a pervert. As the movie would go on, it started to unravel and we learned that Bender was the product of an abusive household. Bender has been punched by his father, and also burned by cigars while at home.  Perhaps this is why he has turned out to be a “delinquent.”

This film prescribes a life lesson: do not judge someone, until you know their true character. Everyone had their own personal stereotype in the film; Brian was a “nerd”, Allison was a “basketcase”, Claire a “bitch”, Andrew a “jock” and as mentioned before, Bender a “troublemaker”.Yes, these people did so happen to fulfill their stereotypes, but at the same time there were things hidden that others did not know. This is why you should not judge someone until you know the “real” them.