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The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

Comedy · Drama · 1985

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.

Movie details

The Breakfast Club

“They only met once, but it changed their lives forever.”

1985 Comedy · Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.7 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Breakfast Club?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Animal House

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Hughes

Written by

John Hughes

Emilio Estevez

Emilio Estevez

Andrew Clark

Judd Nelson

Judd Nelson

John Bender

Molly Ringwald

Molly Ringwald

Claire Standish

Anthony Michael Hall

Anthony Michael Hall

Brian Johnson

Ally Sheedy

Ally Sheedy

Allison Reynolds

Paul Gleason

Paul Gleason

Richard Vernon

John Kapelos

John Kapelos

Carl

Court is in session

Put The Breakfast Club on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.