Truth to be told, I really didn't know what I thought of The Breakfast Club. I think it is a film which would throw even experienced movie watchers off- the content of the film is so deceptively common and well explored, yet its style and how it approaches this is so distinct. It really is a film almost without comparison, though I shall try.
The Breakfast club takes place exclusively within a high school library, where 5 disparate personalities are locked up for Saturday detention. These characters loathe each other at first, but slowly open up to one another. The movie is unusually talky, especially for a teen film, but the talk is never overly intellectual or witty like in Rohmer or Linklater films. They speak like normal American teens and interact with each other like so. Part of my dilemma with this film lies with the characters' transition from antagonistic fiends to warm, fast friends. The really good bits of the film only come in the last half hour or so, where partly due to the social lubrication of some pot, they start opening up to one another about their personal lifes. I find this to be at least slightly uneven- I would have liked to see more time devoted to this process where they grow closer together. I think the reason why I cannot enjoy this film more lies here- it does not adhere to any conventional narrative acts commonly used by stories like this. The film strives for realism as much as possible, so it does not have one big cathartic moment where all the characters' troubles are dissolved, and they become best friends forever. Rather, the transition is slow, and even in the last 30 minutes- the bit where they are supposed to become good friends- they still argue and cry. The film denies us a comprehensive, satisfying conclusion where all our characters' problems are resolved. Things may start to change as they hang out but, for the Monday after at least, Andrew stills remains meek, Brian stressed, John and Claire with family problems, and Allison a loner. Ultimately, The Breakfast Club works because it does not reduce its characters into stereotypes, instead recognising their distinct humanity while at the same time empathetically exploring the universal issues plaguing teenagers. It contains wonderful performances, but for me at least, the film seems strangely unsatisfying.
The Breakfast club takes place exclusively within a high school library, where 5 disparate personalities are locked up for Saturday detention. These characters loathe each other at first, but slowly open up to one another. The movie is unusually talky, especially for a teen film, but the talk is never overly intellectual or witty like in Rohmer or Linklater films. They speak like normal American teens and interact with each other like so. Part of my dilemma with this film lies with the characters' transition from antagonistic fiends to warm, fast friends. The really good bits of the film only come in the last half hour or so, where partly due to the social lubrication of some pot, they start opening up to one another about their personal lifes. I find this to be at least slightly uneven- I would have liked to see more time devoted to this process where they grow closer together. I think the reason why I cannot enjoy this film more lies here- it does not adhere to any conventional narrative acts commonly used by stories like this. The film strives for realism as much as possible, so it does not have one big cathartic moment where all the characters' troubles are dissolved, and they become best friends forever. Rather, the transition is slow, and even in the last 30 minutes- the bit where they are supposed to become good friends- they still argue and cry. The film denies us a comprehensive, satisfying conclusion where all our characters' problems are resolved. Things may start to change as they hang out but, for the Monday after at least, Andrew stills remains meek, Brian stressed, John and Claire with family problems, and Allison a loner. Ultimately, The Breakfast Club works because it does not reduce its characters into stereotypes, instead recognising their distinct humanity while at the same time empathetically exploring the universal issues plaguing teenagers. It contains wonderful performances, but for me at least, the film seems strangely unsatisfying.