Breakfast Club

At times I thought it was a bit naive, an "old man's" (which John Hughes was definitely not) view of teenage life, but on the other hand I would carve some of the statements and ideas in stone. Certainly the mental processes of teenagers stemming from the traumatic "despotic father vs. son" relationship was hit perfectly by Hughes, the unusual comedic exaggeration was surprisingly fine considering the seriousness of the topic, the light hinting of sexual themes was amusing, the five completely different characters complemented each other perfectly and it just flowed very nicely. A very nice film and a well-deserved major overseas cult following. (18.02.2024)

An original premise – one Saturday, the movie fills a single classroom with five completely different people who are characterized by exactly what they are; so a nerd, a jock, a wannabe gothic, a princess and a crook. They all hate each other and they all become friends in the end. A classic that interestingly hints at its era, young people and their opinions, which do not differ from what our generation went through years ago in many respects. (25.01.2016)

Nice guys didn't die out, resistance didn't fall off. A film that deserves to be quoted (Scrubs), imitated (Dawson's Creek), and parodied (Not Another Teen Movie). In any case, it is an ideal generational statement surpassing either the famous Ridgemont High or Linklater's Dazed and Confused. (31.03.2009)

There is simply no other way to rate this. Great drama and comedy!! Unforced timeless humor and lots of brilliant ideas. The intrigue and the weirdness of each character is brilliant. (26.04.2011)

In The Breakfast Club, there is a visible effort to make it a generational film and supposedly it is a cult phenomenon in the United States. I don't know, it doesn't seem to me that it significantly portrays the young generation of the 80s, rather it is some sort of pretentious manifesto of teenagers. Everyone had to go through puberty and those who are currently going through it can naturally identify with the film's characters. Nothing more can be deduced from their dialogues and actions than annoyance toward parents and authority figures. They are far from being real characters, rather they represent classic school types - so typical that it reeks of script convenience. It's not funny and considering the aforementioned, the psychological aspect doesn't work for me either, and I can't emotionally identify with those guys, especially the jock and troublemaker portrayed by Judd Nelson, who I think needs a few slaps rather than understanding. His idea of independence and life ends where the French film The Class takes place. For the system to function, not everyone can just talk about their rights, they must also contribute. The film's characters don't behave realistically and their pairing at the end is also just a result forced by the script. Overall impression: 40%. (20.04.2011)

I get what John Hughes was trying to say, and especially given the punchline, I won't fault the film for the fact that the main characters represent well-known (not only) American high school stereotypes... But if I hadn't been so bored watching their dialogue and monologues, I would have been at least one star happier. (13.04.2020)

In the fifties it was Rebel Without a Cause, in the eighties it was The Breakfast Club. Two films that portrayed (and still portray) the contemporary problems of adolescents and their exacerbated relationship with authority and parents far more eloquently than any others. A small auteur film that through clever dialogue, believable characters and a dash of non-violent rock grimace has deservedly become a cult and quotable classic. Although it won't say much at times to someone who doesn't identify with any of the characters, it is undoubtedly an exceptional timeless work. (26.05.2016)

Although I've heard allusions to this now iconic film in more than one movie or TV show episode, it's only now, almost forty years after its premiere, that I got to The Breakfast Club. I was honestly expecting a more comedic piece, but after watching it I have to say that despite more than one humorous and light-hearted scene, John Hughes's film has quite a serious edge to it. In real life, this story, taking place over a few hours, would probably play out differently, yet the film ultimately appealed to me. For an hour and a half, we follow a group of seemingly disparate people who are united (literally bonded) by shared family and personal traumas. From quite banal problems, the plot slowly spills over into truly dense levels, but the film does not forget to be funny at the same time. A bonus is the theme song “Don't You (Forget About Me)”. (25.06.2023)

Those archetypical characters have their justification in the film. Because nowhere else do you come close to the psychology of these figures. The Breakfast Club doesn't go extremely deep on this one, and even leaves a lot to the viewer's imagination (which in this case is a cop-out), but it surprisingly doesn't go to any extreme lengths to enrich the film with some pretty fresh humorous elements. Otherwise, I'd gladly pay two paychecks for the model they smoked there -) (05.12.2010)

John Hughes always managed to write very good characters, but here he really let loose. At first glance, the protagonists may seem like caricatures, but they are deep, which is actually the essence of the whole film, and John Hughes captured it perfectly. We are who we are, and this film beautifully shows that. Nothing will transform us unless we want it. We just have to realize it. (30.12.2015)