The Breakfast Club (1985)

The critic acknowledges the film's confused and indulgent qualities but finds enough emotional truth and iconic status to make it the definitive 1980s teen movie. They single out the strong performances from Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall amid the archetypes.

One of the high-water marks of the 1980s Brat Pack cycle that has lost some freshness due to time and imitators, yet the chat-fest still rings true for many. The girls outshine the boys in bringing life to clichéd characters amid grievances and home truths.

The film isolates five teens in detention and lets them talk until they exchange truths and reach new understandings. It succeeds through its accurate ear for teenage speech and strong performances, especially Judd Nelson's aggressive character who breaks the silence.

The piece celebrates the film's enduring resonance with multiple generations through its focus on teenage social barriers, parental pressures, and unlikely bonds formed in detention. It positions the film as Hughes' best for condensing themes of class, authority, and identity into one story, while noting some dated melodramatic elements.

John Hughes lets the five teen stereotypes challenge and confront each other like in Twelve Angry Men, leading to friendships and denunciations of parents. The film has a deadly self-importance but retains playfulness and excellent casting, with standout turns from Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.

The critic notes that while The Breakfast Club was groundbreaking in its portrayal of teenagers, it has been diminished by imitators and has problematic elements like casual homophobia and a conservative ending that undermines its realism.

The original release review from the Los Angeles Times archives.

The critic finds the film schematic and overly reliant on group-therapy clichés that blame adults for teenagers' problems, calling it wet and very white while acknowledging some talent in the dialogue and performances around the edges of the plot.

The review finds the film dated and limited by its Reagan-era social pigeonholing of characters, with the makeover scene and collective essay underscoring regressive dynamics rather than true liberation. It praises the Criterion transfer's filmic look and extras like the commentary and documentary but notes the movie's tethering to its era prevents broader insight.

The critic likens the film to the dull experience of detention itself, calling it tedious, predictable, and lacking enough entertainment value despite its one-set structure and stereotypical characters. Performances by Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald are praised as standout, along with some social insights from writer-director John Hughes.

An iconic 80s movie weighed down by its own baggage, with five antipathetic teens in Saturday detention whose bonding feels unconvincing. The characters are overdrawn and punchable, the acting (save Ringwald and Hall) overplayed, and the script more smart-arse than smart.

Five students from different cliques are forced into Saturday detention and quickly unite after realizing their parents are to blame for their issues. The film exemplifies Hollywood turning over significant art to the self-gratification of high-schoolers, with the brain rotting from such movies.

The critic calls The Breakfast Club as close to perfection as possible among John Hughes films, praising its perfect cast, amazing lines, and ability to be sweet without losing its edge. She singles out the impact of Judd Nelson's performance and a key scene involving his character and Claire.

The critic praises John Hughes for realistically capturing teenage lives and launching a new generation of actors through a sharp script about five students in detention who discover their common ground. She singles out the film's deft exploration of teenage relationships, marked by cruelty yet underlying decency, for creating an optimistic portrait of the generation.