The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary
- steve8125
- Jul 16, 2015
- 3 min read
As a child of the 80s,yes I know,I am indeed old, I was lucky to live through some of the best films still to this day. Sorry you may not like to hear it, but the decade of big shoulder pads and parachute trousers really did give birth to a very large collection of the best silver screen winners ever, with many of our recent block- busters falling by their feet. One of the main pioneers of filmmaking for that era was the magnificent and beyond talented, John Hughes. Thanks to his extraordinary way of writing, that related to a younger generation than himself, he created a master piece, The Breakfast Club. If you don’t know it, then you need to get to it, now!
Now 30 years has passed since its release, The Breakfast Club has been given a restored, 30th Anniversary edition Blu-ray release. Because, as you can imagine it first came out on VHS! And, if you are not sure what one of those is, you may need to goto a museum. Imagine a Blu-ray but much larger, black and rectangle with tape.
Known in Hollywood as the Brat Pack, similar to the likes of Zach Efron, Selena Gomez and such, this coming of age comedy drama stars Molly Ringwald as Claire Standish, Emilio Estevez as Andrew Clarke, Ally Sheedy as Allison Reynolds, Anthony Michael Hall as Brian Johnson and Judd Nelson as John Ben- der. On the surface, each depicts a stereotypical student. More precisely; ‘a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal’. But looks can be deceiving...
The five students have been up to no good and are made to attend Saturday detention by the dastardly assistant principle Richard Vernon. Instructed to write a 1000 word essay, they must describe who they think they are. Of course, instead of putting pen to paper and having polar opposite personalities in one room, they clash immediately.
There’s plenty of angst, bravado and letting off steam as they pass the time. Incidental moments like wrapping cotton around their finger until it changes colour, sprinkling dandruff snow to complete a drawing, discussing their love lives and reflecting on their own existence all form a rich and compelling tapestry of teenage foibles – all in all it’s pretty relatable and immensely funny.
From the opening notes of ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ by Simple Minds, you are immediately catapulted back into the 1980s. While the hairstyles and clothes may feel dated, or nostalgic, for someone like me, the themes are still very fresh and relevant today. Set in the fictional Shermer High School in Illinois, 80s fans may also recognise the location from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, another incredible film by the master, John Hughes.
There’s fantastic character exploration and development throughout. While the students are largely confined to a single room to prevent them from causing a ‘ruckus’, you’ll be hooked by their back and forths, observations, humour and chemistry. The Breakfast Club remains an iconic classic and looks fist pumpingly good in its fully restored, HD glory.
The 30th Anniversary edition includes some rather cool goodies for you film nerds like me, such as a feature commentary with Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson, an insightful trivia track, the origins of the Brat Pack, a multi-part ‘Sincerely Yours’ featurette, and theatrical trailer.
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