Adolescence in Film:
The Breakfast Club
Johns Hughes’ widely popular 1985 film gave birth to the infamous “brat pack” of stars
and set the standard by which all teen movies were evaluated for several years. The five
students assembled for Saturday detention in The Breakfast Club represent five different
groups, stereotyped both by their fellow students and the school administrator who is
their warden for the day.





Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) is the princess, the Prom Queen, Miss
Popularity.
Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) is the brain, the geek, the "neo-maxie
zoom deebie."
Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez) is the athlete, the jock, "Sporto."
John Bender (Judd Nelson) is the criminal, the rebel, the punk.
Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) is the basket case, the loner, the weirdo.
The strict confines of high school status groups separate the characters. Claire and
Andrew might know each other, they might even end up at the same big parents-are-outof-town party, but they do not "hang out." None of the others would even speak to one
another under normal circumstances. But Saturday detention is like a parallel universe-it
creates a separate sphere where these divisions can eventually be set aside. In the "other
world" their punishment creates, the members of the Breakfast Club are allowed to move
beyond these social norms and distinctions. They interact with each other, learning the
details of the lives beneath the stereotypes, and find common ground.
Directions:
Choose one of the following as your topic for an analysis paper.
1. The film provides compelling insights into adolescent struggles with identity
formation. Choose one character and discuss which stage he/she is at in James Marcia’s
four categories of the identity crisis.
2. Moral reasoning is another concept discussed in the movie. Using your knowledge of
Kohlberg’s theory, discuss at least three decisions made by the characters in the film.
3. Peer and parent relationships are also a theme throughout the movie. Using
information from class and the textbook, identify the parenting style used at home for
three of the characters. Defend your choices of parental styles. Which of the characters
have parental relationships with their parents most similar to yours? Explain you answer.
Adolescence in Film:
The Breakfast Club
Johns Hughes’ widely popular 1985 film gave birth to the infamous “brat pack” of stars
and set the standard by which all teen movies were evaluated for several years. The five
students assembled for Saturday detention in The Breakfast Club represent five different
groups, stereotyped both by their fellow students and the school administrator who is
their warden for the day.





Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) is the princess, the Prom Queen, Miss
Popularity.
Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) is the brain, the geek, the "neo-maxie
zoom deebie."
Andrew Clark (Emilio Estevez) is the athlete, the jock, "Sporto."
John Bender (Judd Nelson) is the criminal, the rebel, the punk.
Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) is the basket case, the loner, the weirdo.
The strict confines of high school status groups separate the characters. Claire and
Andrew might know each other, they might even end up at the same big parents-are-outof-town party, but they do not "hang out." None of the others would even speak to one
another under normal circumstances. But Saturday detention is like a parallel universe-it
creates a separate sphere where these divisions can eventually be set aside. In the "other
world" their punishment creates, the members of the Breakfast Club are allowed to move
beyond these social norms and distinctions. They interact with each other, learning the
details of the lives beneath the stereotypes, and find common ground.
Directions:
Choose one of the following as your topic for an analysis paper.
1. The film provides compelling insights into adolescent struggles with identity
formation. Choose one character and discuss which stage he/she is at in James Marcia’s
four categories of the identity crisis.
2. Moral reasoning is another concept discussed in the movie. Using your knowledge of
Kohlberg’s theory, discuss at least three decisions made by the characters in the film.
3. Peer and parent relationships are also a theme throughout the movie. Using
information from class and the textbook, identify the parenting style used at home for
three of the characters. Defend your choices of parental styles. Which of the characters
have parental relationships with their parents most similar to yours? Explain you answer.