ⓘ Details

Movie TitleThe Breakfast Club

Release DateFebruary 15, 1985 in the United States

TaglineThey only met once, but it changed their lives forever.

Runtime97 minutes / 1 hour 37 minutes

DirectorJohn Hughes

Screenplay Written ByJohn Hughes

Based OnOriginal screenplay by John Hughes

Is It a Remake?No. The Breakfast Club is an original coming-of-age comedy-drama.

BudgetApproximately $1 million

Box OfficeApprox. $45.9 million domestic / approx. $51.5 million worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Emilio EstevezAndrew Clark

Anthony Michael HallBrian Johnson

Judd NelsonJohn Bender

Molly RingwaldClaire Standish

Ally SheedyAllison Reynolds

Paul GleasonRichard Vernon

John KapelosCarl Reed

Ron DeanAndy’s Father

Tim GambleClaire’s Father

Perry CrawfordAllison’s Father

Mary ChristianBrian’s Sister

Mercedes HallBrian’s Mother

Fran GarganoAllison’s Mom

Patty CampbellClaire’s Mom

Louis LouieBrian’s Father

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🏆 Awards

⭐ MTV Movie + TV Awards Winner — Silver Bucket of Excellence Award, 2005

⭐ National Film Registry — Selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2016

⭐ No Academy Award nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ No Golden Globe nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ No BAFTA nominations were verified for the film.

⭐ Its biggest legacy is cultural: it became one of the defining teen films of the 1980s and helped cement the “Brat Pack” era.

⭐ Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” became one of the most iconic movie songs of the decade.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Five students from different social groups report to Shermer High School for Saturday detention under the watch of Vice Principal Vernon. At first, they see each other only as labels: the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal. As the day drags on, boredom gives way to arguments, jokes, confessions, dancing, and painful honesty. By the time Brian writes the group’s essay, the students have challenged the boxes everyone puts them in, even if Monday morning may try to shove them right back inside.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Don’t you forget about me.” — Closing lyric

“Screws fall out all the time.” — John Bender

“Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?” — John Bender

“Could you describe the ruckus, sir?” — Brian Johnson

“We’re all pretty bizarre.” — Andrew Clark

“Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club.” — Brian Johnson

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💡 Trivia

Director

The Breakfast Club was written, produced, and directed by John Hughes.
Hughes wrote the script after the success of Sixteen Candles.
The film takes place in Hughes’ fictional Shermer, Illinois, the same suburban universe that appears across several of his films.
Hughes uses a simple setup, one room and five students, to dig into class, pressure, insecurity, anger, loneliness, and teenage identity.
The movie helped define Hughes’ reputation as one of the key voices of 1980s teen cinema.

Cast / Casting

Emilio Estevez plays Andrew Clark, the athlete carrying pressure from his father and his school reputation.
Anthony Michael Hall plays Brian Johnson, the brain whose academic pressure turns out to be more serious than the others expect.
Judd Nelson plays John Bender, the criminal whose jokes and attacks hide a painful home life.
Molly Ringwald plays Claire Standish, the popular princess who slowly admits the cost of fitting in.
Ally Sheedy plays Allison Reynolds, the basket case who sees more than she lets on.
Paul Gleason plays Vice Principal Vernon, the adult authority figure who becomes nearly as trapped by the school system as the kids.

Soundtrack / Score

Keith Forsey composed the score and produced the soundtrack.
Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” became the film’s signature song.
The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985.
The soundtrack blends new wave, pop, and 1980s teen-movie energy.
The closing fist-pump shot paired with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” became one of the most recognizable endings in teen movie history.

Location

The story is set at fictional Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois.
The film was shot primarily at Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The same school building was also used by John Hughes for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Most of the film takes place in the school library, giving the movie a stage-play-like feel.
The single-location setup helps keep the focus on dialogue, confession, and the changing power dynamics between the students.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by Ned Tanen and John Hughes.
Universal Pictures released the film theatrically in the United States on February 15, 1985.
The reported budget was approximately $1 million.
The movie grossed about $45.9 million domestically and about $51.5 million worldwide.
Principal photography took place from March to May 1984.
The film’s low budget and focused setting helped make it one of the most profitable teen movies of its era.

Nostalgia

The Breakfast Club remains one of the essential 1980s teen movies.
The movie’s character labels became shorthand for high school stereotypes: brain, athlete, basket case, princess, and criminal.
The film captures the weird mix of boredom, rebellion, insecurity, and emotional overload that comes with being a teenager.
Its ending still works because it does not promise that everything is fixed. It just gives the characters one honest day together.
For a lot of viewers, this is the movie that made detention look like therapy with better music and worse supervision.

Easter Eggs

Shermer, Illinois, is John Hughes’ fictional version of suburban Chicago.
The title refers to the nickname the students give themselves by the end of Brian’s essay.
The opening quote from David Bowie’s “Changes” sets up the film’s focus on adults misunderstanding teens.
Brian’s essay turns the punishment assignment into a group statement of identity and defiance.
Bender’s final fist pump became one of the most iconic images of 1980s teen cinema.
The school library’s size and layout make the film feel slightly heightened, like detention turned into an emotional arena.

Misc.

The Breakfast Club is rated R.
The movie runs 97 minutes.
The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2016.
IMDb lists the film with 4 wins.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists The Breakfast Club as Episode 38, with Don rating it 4.50, Ken rating it 4.00, Jon rating it 4.00, and an overall rating of 4.17.

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