The Breakfast Club (1985)
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91% of critics liked it
(44 reviews) -
90% of users liked it
(470,659 ratings)
John Hughes wrote and directed this quintessential 1980s high school drama featuring the hottest young stars of the decade. Trapped in a day-long Saturday detention in a prison-like school library are Claire, the princess (Molly Ringwald); Andrew, the jock (Emilio Estevez); John, the criminal (Judd… More John Hughes wrote and directed this quintessential 1980s high school drama featuring the hottest young stars of the decade. Trapped in a day-long Saturday detention in a prison-like school library are Claire, the princess (Molly Ringwald); Andrew, the jock (Emilio Estevez); John, the criminal (Judd Nelson); Brian, the brain (Anthony Michael Hall); and Allison, the basket case (Ally Sheedy). These five strangers begin the day with nothing in common, each bound to his/her place in the high school caste system. Yet the students bond together when faced with the villainous principal (Paul Gleason), and they realize that they have more in common than they may think, including a contempt for adult society. "When you grow up, your heart dies," Allison proclaims in one of the film's many scenes of soul-searching, and, judging from the adults depicted in the film, the teen audience may very well agree. Released in a decade overflowing with derivative teen films, The Breakfast Club has developed an almost cult-like status. ~ Dylan Wilcox, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Hughes
- Written By
- John Hughes
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- In Theaters
- May 15, 1985 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Michael Booth, Denver Post
In nine hours of threatening, bickering and, eventually, poignant (but never maudlin) self-revelation, the stereotypes dissolve and re-form.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
John Hughes's 1985 film seems meant to explain 80s youngsters to yesterday's youth, and comes to the comforting conclusion that they're just as alienated, idealistic, and vulnerable as the baby boomers of the 1960s.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Does director John Hughes really believe, as he writes here, that 'when you grow up, your heart dies.' It may. But not unless the brain has already started to rot with films like this.
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, Time Out
An iconic movie of the '80s, with all the unappealing baggage that suggests.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The Breakfast Club doesn't need earthshaking revelations; it's about kids who grow willing to talk to one another, and it has a surprisingly good ear for the way they speak.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Emilio Estevez
as Andrew Clark
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Judd Nelson
as John Bender
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Molly Ringwald
as Claire Standish
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Anthony Michael Hall
as Brian Johnson
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Ally Sheedy
as Allison Reynolds
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Paul Gleason
as Richard Vernon
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John Kapelos
as Carl
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Mary Christian
as Brian's Sister
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Perry Crawford
as Allison's Father
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Ron Dean
as Andy's Father
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Tim Gamble
as Claire's Father
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Fran Gargano
as Allison's Mother
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Mercedes Hall
as Brian's Mother
- Maureen McGovern
- Jackie Burch



