The​ ​Breakfast​ ​Club

The​ ​Breakfast​ ​Club​​ ​is​ ​so​ ​much​ ​more​ ​than​ ​that​ ​movie​ ​Anna​ ​Kendrick​ ​watches​ ​in​ ​​Pitch Perfect​.​ ​It’s​ ​the​ ​quintessential​ ​teen​ ​movie,​ ​regardless​ ​of​ ​when​ ​you​ ​were​ ​a​ ​teenager.

The​ ​premise,​ ​at​ ​first​ ​glance,​ ​is​ ​simple:​ ​five​ ​high​ ​schoolers​ ​have​ ​Saturday​ ​detention​ ​for the​ ​day​ ​with​ ​the​ ​menacing​ ​Vice​ ​Principal​, ​Richard​ ​Vernon.​ ​Obviously,​ ​all​ ​the​ ​students​ ​would rather​ ​not​ ​be​ ​there,​ ​and​ ​as​ ​such​ ​your​ ​typical​ ​80’s​ ​hijinks​ ​ensue​ ​as​ ​they​ ​try​ ​and​ ​make​ ​their detention​ ​unforgettable.

What​ ​really​ ​makes​​ ​The​ ​Breakfast​ ​Club​ ​​great​ ​isn’t​ ​the​ ​plot,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​characters.​ ​Each​ ​of the​ ​students​ ​represent​ ​a​ ​traditional​ ​high​ ​school​ ​stereotype​ ​at​ ​the​ ​start​ ​of​ ​the​ ​movie:​ ​the​ ​loser nerd,​ ​the​ ​golden-boy​ ​athlete,​ ​the​ ​weird​ ​goth,​ ​the​ ​snobbish​ ​princess,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​future​ ​criminal.​ ​The presence​ ​of​ ​all​ ​these​ ​stereotypes​ ​in​ ​one​ ​room​ ​provides​ ​your​ ​typical​ ​cross​ ​section​ ​of​ ​an American​ ​high​ ​school,​ ​whether​ ​in​ ​the​ ​1980’s​ ​or​ ​today.​ ​This​ ​relatability​ ​is​ ​what​ ​draws​ ​the​ ​viewer in.​ ​Everyone​ ​went​ ​through​ ​high​ ​school,​ ​and​ ​thus​ ​everyone​ ​can​ ​relate​ ​to​ ​it.

Every​ ​character​ ​in​ ​this​ ​movie​ ​is​ ​three-dimensional;​ ​they​ ​all​ ​change​ ​by​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​the​ ​film. They​ ​each​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​escape​ ​from​ ​their​ ​cliches​ ​for​ ​at​ ​least​ ​one​ ​day​ ​and​ ​act​ ​like​ ​themselves.​ ​The golden​ ​boy​ ​wants​ ​to​ ​break​ ​the​ ​rules.​ ​The​ ​princess​ ​doesn’t​ ​want​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​princess.​ ​The​ ​kids​ ​all realize​ ​that​ ​they​ ​had​ ​more​ ​in​ ​common​ ​than​ ​they​ ​thought,​ ​and​ ​as​ ​such​ ​a​ ​deep​ ​bond​ ​forms​ ​for just​ ​one​ ​day.​ ​This​ ​clash​ ​of​ ​cliches​ ​is​ ​what​ ​makes​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​so​ ​interesting,​ ​as​ ​the​ ​characters continue​ ​to​ ​surprise​ ​and​ ​evade​ ​the​ ​viewers’​ ​expectations.​ ​The​ ​dialogue​ ​is​ ​witty​ ​and​ ​fun​ ​yet serious​ ​when​ ​it​ ​needs​ ​to​ ​be,​ ​the​ ​acting​ ​is​ ​top​ ​notch​ ​for​ ​a​ ​young​ ​cast,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​ending​ ​is​ ​satisfying yet​ ​still​ ​leaves​ ​room​ ​for​ ​interpretation.

One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​few​ ​noticeable​ ​flaws​ ​in​ ​this​ ​movie​ ​is​ ​that​ ​the​ ​pacing​ ​is​ ​a​ ​little​ ​off.​ ​It​ ​starts​ ​off very​ ​slow​ ​as​ ​every​ ​character​ ​is​ ​introduced​ ​and​ ​then​ ​quickens​ ​rapidly​ ​until​ ​the​ ​ending​ ​is​ ​upon you​ ​before​ ​you​ ​know​ ​it.​ ​That​ ​being​ ​said,​ ​it​ ​does​ ​little​ ​to​ ​detract​ ​from​ ​the​ ​viewing​ ​experience.

The​ ​Breakfast​ ​Club​ ​​is​ ​not​ ​this​ ​dramatic​ ​epic​ ​or​ ​an​ ​emotional​ ​tear​ ​jerker;​ ​it’s​ ​just​ ​a​ ​fun movie​ ​that​ ​everyone​ ​over​ ​the​ ​age​ ​of​ ​fifteen​ ​can​ ​enjoy.