The Breakfast club was made in 1985 and directed by the talented John Hughes. Anyone who has attended high school can relate in some way to the characters of this film. Principle Richard Vernon requests that five students, all in trouble for different reasons, spend a Saturday in detention together writing an essay explaining who they are. As the day goes on, the teens find out more about themselves while facing some harsh realities of life. Even though all five characters develop a bond with each other through this eight-hour detention, they each know that come Monday they will end up going back to their own group or clique.
The beginning of the film introduces all of the characters. John Hughes separated his characters into five different categories: the jock, the braniac, the spoiled princess, the criminal, and the misfit. This makes relating to the characters easy for the viewer. Andy, the jock, appears to be a man on the outside; however, as the film goes on, he is shown as a more emotional character. He is bullied by his father who is a great example of a character who truly believes in the masculinity stereotype. Andy is portrayed as an athlete who is afraid of disappointing his father. Ironically, he is in detention for bullying another peer. One of Andy’s famous quotes from the movie, is “We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.” Brian, the brain, fears failure and is stressed out by his mother worrying about what college he gets in to. Brian is sad, and it can clearly be seen that he is not happy with who he is. One of Brian’s most famous quotes is at the very end of the movie when writing the essay of “who they are” he writes: “Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong but we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions, but what we found out is that each one of us is a brain… an athlete…and a basket case… a princess…and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely- The Breakfast Club.” Claire, the spoiled princess, is the typical high school drama queen, at least it seems that way. She thinks that her father should have paid her way out of detention. Instead, her father offers her a shopping spree in return for eight hours in detention. One of Claire’s most popular quotes in the film is “Do you know how popular I am? I am so popular. Everybody loves me so much at this school.”
Bender, the criminal, is an average high school stoner. He seems to have no interest in his school work or life in general for that matter. He arrives at the school by himself, which shows the lack of concern his dad has for his wellbeing. As the film continues the viewers learn that his dad doesn’t share the same love for him that he does for his other children. One of John Benders famous quotes from the film is “Screws fall out all the time; the world is an imperfect place.” Allison, the misfit, is a gloomy character. She is dropped off by her father, who seems to speed away without saying goodbye. Not fitting in with any other group, Allison is more of a loner. Her character