The Breakfast Club

Ich verstehe, was John Hughes sagen wollte, und ich möchte dem Film – besonders im Hinblick auf die Pointe – nicht vorwerfen, dass die Haupthelden typischen (nicht nur) US-amerikanischen Highschool-Schablonen entsprechen. Wenn ich mich aber bei ihren Dialogen und Monologen nicht so schrecklich gelangweilt hätte, wäre ich mindestens um einen Stern zufriedener gewesen. (13.04.2020)

Obwohl ich in mehr als einem Film oder einer Fernsehsendung Anspielungen auf diesen mittlerweile Kultfilm gehört habe, bin ich erst jetzt, fast vierzig Jahre nach der Premiere des Films, auf The Breakfast Club gestoßen. Ehrlich gesagt hatte ich ein eher komödiantisches Stück erwartet, aber nachdem ich ihn gesehen habe, muss ich sagen, dass Hughes' Film trotz einiger humorvoller und unbeschwerter Szenen einen recht ernsten Unterton hat. Im wirklichen Leben würde diese Geschichte, die sich über ein paar Stunden erstreckt, wahrscheinlich anders ablaufen, dennoch hat mir der Film letztendlich gefallen. Anderthalb Stunden lang beobachtet der Zuschauer eine Gruppe scheinbar ungleicher Menschen, die durch ihre gemeinsamen familiären und persönlichen Traumata miteinander verbunden sind (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes). Die Handlung entwickelt sich langsam von banalen Problemen zu wirklich dichten Ebenen, aber der Film vergisst dabei nicht, auch lustig zu sein. Ein Bonus ist der Titelsong "Don't You (Forget About Me)". (25.06.2023)

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)

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)

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)