The Breakfast Club

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The Breakfast Club

R

Released Feb 15, 1985

1h 32m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal (Paul Gleason). The disparate group includes rebel John (Judd Nelson), princess Claire (Molly Ringwald), outcast Allison (Ally Sheedy), brainy Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

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Critics Consensus

The Breakfast Club is a warm, insightful, and very funny look into the inner lives of teenagers.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

[Hughes] understands adolescents as well as anyone who has ever made movies about them, and he has a fluent way with young actors. In this picture, his dramatic ideas may be cheesy, but Hughes still manages to create some excitement and laughs.

Jan 2, 2020

Full Review

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

Taking place almost entirely in one room, "The Breakfast Club" is the kind of movie -- and the kind of play -- that's hardly seen anymore. And good riddance.

Jan 4, 2018

Full Review

Kathleen Carroll

New York Daily News

Hughes has a wonderful knack for communicating the feelings of teenagers, as well as an obvious rapport with his exceptional cast - who deserve top grades.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 13, 2016

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

Through the character's stereotypes, John Hughes makes us look at how similar we are in our differences. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 22, 2023

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The late John Hughes' finest hour (he didn't have many, despite a prolific output), The Breakfast Club was the best of the so-called "Brat Pack" features as well as a seminal film for many who came of age in the 1980s.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 18, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Hughes once again sensationally captures the feel of adolescent rebellion and nonconformity with both timeless severity and laugh-out-loud dialogue.

Rated: 9/10

Aug 31, 2020

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best movie ever

Best Movie ever made. Rip John Hughes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/24

Full Review

Jo S

Best movie of ALL time!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/21

Full Review

Cathy B

This movie is super cool, they where strangers at first, then it goes "deep" they bare there souls, funny sad, amusing indeed!! Great Cast too !!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/21/24

Full Review

DanTheMan 2

We don't talk about John Hughes enough anymore. Sensationally capturing the essence of adolescent rebellion and nonconformity, unlike any other filmmaker before or since. He understood the constant struggle of teenagers in their quests to be understood, both by adults and by themselves and The Breakfast Club is the pinnacle of that experience. An extraordinarily well-blended mix of humour, heartbreak and anger as each character displays a pantheon of raw emotions, after all, we're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it. Hughes' direction is masterful, warm and insightful without succumbing to melodramatic tendencies, with his writing causing equal cause for celebration. But what is great writing without a cast to perform it, all of whom inhabit their roles perfectly as over nine hours of threatening, bickering and, eventually, poignant self-revelation, the stereotypes dissolve and re-form. The world is an imperfect place and The Breakfast Club doesn't need any earthshaking revelations to make its case known, instead offering a portrait of the pain and misunderstanding. This was the Hughes way.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/13/24

Full Review

Daniel B

The only part good about the movie was when the precredits were rolling and the music was playing, after that it went downhill to the boredom pit.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/24

Full Review

Dean E

I honestly don't understand why people like this movie, i was so bored.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/12/24

Full Review

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John Hughes

Director

Emilio Estevez

Andrew "Andy" Clark

Molly Ringwald

Claire Standish

Judd Nelson

John Bender

Paul Gleason

Principal Richard Vernon

Anthony Michael Hall

Brian Ralph Johnson

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The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Bender Mocks Claire

2:57

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Lunchtime

2:59

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Andrew and Bender Fight

2:27

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Covering for Bender

3:00

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Eat My Shorts

3:00

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Social Clubs

2:58

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Don't Mess With the Bull

3:00

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Getting to Know Each Other

2:59

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The Breakfast Club: Trailer 1

1:25

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Synopsis

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal (Paul Gleason). The disparate group includes rebel John (Judd Nelson), princess Claire (Molly Ringwald), outcast Allison (Ally Sheedy), brainy Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) and Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

Director: John Hughes
Producer: Ned Tanen, John Hughes
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 15, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Runtime: 1h 32m

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