Okay, I just re-watched The Breakfast Club for the first time in years and it struck me that any movie of that nature would have to be an independent production in today's theatrical market. It's too slow. It doesn't have enough camera angles or fast-paced cinematography. It's solely about the interactions of the characters. You just don't see too many movies like that anymore, especially with teenagers as the lead characters.
(Okay, for those of you that watch tons of independent films, pardon me if there are plenty of such films. I'm speaking about major theater releases from the major motion picture studios.)
Teen movies today are almost always comedies or heavy-handed dramatic portrayals of similar themes but they don't have the innocence, simplicity, personality or the authenticity of The Breakfast Club. It's not about some big dance, the big game, a popularity contest or grades. Rather, it's about five relative strangers forced to spend the entire day together. They simply get to know each other through various conversations, actions and arguments. That's it. Nothing fancy, campy, or even too preachy.
Sure, some of TBC was heavy-handed and over the top but it also had genuine character and relationship development that was very natural and stood successfully without any underlying time constraint like the prom, big game, etc. to add suspense and drama. It's just a simple story of teenager angst and uncertainty regarding peers, parents, grades, goals, love and relationships that forges a bond between five teenages in the face of those adversities.
Yes, I'm biased. I love 80's movies. However, I'm not saying TBC was the greatest movie ever or anything, hell, I'd struggle to put it in my top 25. I just wanted to give it the recognition I think it deserves almost twenty years after its release.
Posted by languorous at September 1, 2004 12:58 AMI agree. I also think that the Breakfast Club is not your typical feel-good film, but somehow, in & amongst the sterotypical characters & character plots, it manages to make you feel pretty darn good.
In terms of the general public relating to it... you cannot go wrong when you have the jock, the school bully, the depressed & dark chick, and the big ass nerd. If you cannot typecast yourself into one of those molds, and you've never had a detention in your life, well, chances are you live in a padded, white wall'd room & have never seen the movie anyway :)
In short, affirmative- the film is ironically successful in its simplicity
and now i think you should post about the election :) You'll get me on that one if you want a mouthfull haha.
Posted by: christina at September 3, 2004 12:07 AMHey, hey, thanks Fredo, I appreciate it. As for the election, no fucking way. There are plenty of blogs out there to cover politics, this is not one of them. Art, literature, music, culture, life and almost anything else, except politics :-)
Posted by: languorous at September 3, 2004 12:13 PMIn the spirit of Jay I will protest this blog forev-- wait, i must go to Dave Phillip's for some guitar strings... the protest must wait!
I support Tom's decision NOT to post about the election-- let's keep this blog about the important things in life... like Halo... and comic book characters... and movies...
Posted by: Robb at September 4, 2004 09:58 AM