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The Breakfast Club

Play trailer 1:25 Poster for The Breakfast Club R In Theaters Sun Sep 7 1h 32m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 113 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, 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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The Breakfast Club

What to Know

Critics Consensus

If The Breakfast Club's gestures towards authenticity are occasionally undercut by trendy flourishes, its blistering emotional honesty and talented troupe of young actors catapult it to the top of the teen comedy class.

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Cast & Crew

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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

Critics Reviews

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Jay Carr Boston Globe The film behaves as if it's dealing in soul-baring insights and emotional deepening. But it's only dealing in plastic. It's rare to encounter such unfailing falseness in a movie that seems to have been launched with benign intentions. Feb 14, 2025 Full Review Harper Barnes St. Louis Post-Dispatch I suspect all these kids are going somewhere, and Hughes, of course, is already there. Feb 14, 2025 Full Review Rob Salem Toronto Star Hughes is clearly of the impression that he knows a lot about kids and the way they think. He is, for the most part, mistaken... Yet this is a movie well worth seeing, if only for the performances, which are without exception excellent. Feb 14, 2025 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap John Hughes' masterpiece, both the lodestone for Generation X and a story of the universality of teen struggles. Rated: 5/5 Aug 4, 2025 Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies No list of the best teen films or best films of the 1980s is complete without including The Breakfast Club. Rated: 4/5 Feb 18, 2025 Full Review Patrick Taggart Austin American-Statesman I can't remember ever wanting to applaud at the end of a movie, but the only reason I didn't after The Breakfast Club is that I was practically paralyzed with excitement. With this rousing new film... the Hollywood youth film finally comes of age. Feb 14, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Carrie M. One of my favorite movies of all time! I guess it’s cause I’m an 80’s girl Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/25 Full Review Ben the high school movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/21/25 Full Review Jason H There are a lot of storytelling problems here, but the cast is good and a lot of what the kids are going through rings true. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review Joey M. Always a great watch!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Breakfast Club

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The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club: Trailer 1 The Breakfast Club: Trailer 1 1:25 View more videos
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The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club (1985) (L-R) Judd Nelson as Bender and Molly Ringwald as Claire in "The Breakfast Club." (L-R) Emilio Estevez as Andy and Ally Sheedy as Allison in "The Breakfast Club." Molly Ringwald as Claire Standish, a very rich and very popular beauty who is much to sophisticated for her age in "The Breakfast Club." Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson, an exemplary straight A student in "The Breakfast Club." Emilio Estevez as star-wrestler Andy Clark in "The Breakfast Club." Judd Nelson as John Bender, the kid from the wrong side of the tracks who has contempt for everyone and everything in "The Breakfast Club." View more photos

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Movie Info

Synopsis Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, 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
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 15, 1985, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Sep 7, 2025
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2012
Runtime
1h 32m
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