THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Communication between
authority and children
under different stereotypes
SYNOPSIS
At the start of the film, five kids from completely
different social circles arrive at school for Saturday
detention, all for different reasons. Their punishment, on
top of a day in the library, is to write a paper on who they
think they are. The principal is very aggressive and feels as
though these kids all need to learn something not only about
themselves, but about the other people around them as well.
Each person lets the others into their lives a little bit
throughout the film and they all see why each is the way that
they are. In the end, the five students all realize that they are
completely different, yet can still be civil towards each other,
even finding similarities in their past and present
experiences.
JOHN BENDER
• The “criminal”
• Typical bad boy, high school
kid who racks up Saturday
morning detentions and lives
life by no rules
• Rude, ignorant, and very
aggressive
• Has no respect for authority
or any type of person that
isn’t like him.
Bender is the way that he is due to the
verbal and physical abuse he gets at
home from an alcoholic and angry father
with no help from his scared and passive
mother.
CLAIRE STANDISH
Claire is this way because
her father deemed her as
“daddy’s girl.” She has
always been spoiled by her
parents.
• The “princess”
• Your typical high school spoiled brat who ditches
class to go shopping
• The way she communicates seems very arrogant
and selfish.
• Closed off to people not as rich and popular
ANDREW CLARK
• The “athlete”
• Varsity wrestler who’s popularity
and power has gotten the best of
him.
• Respects authority but has zero
tolerance for criminal kids and
cannot help but laugh at the
smarter “nerds” in the class
• Not afraid to voice opinions or
problems with fellow classmates
Andrew’s father is the
reason he is this way. He
forces Andrew to be the top
dog, the “Alpha Male” of his
school.
BRIAN JOHNSON
• The “brain”
• Quiet and conservative, but will always
respect and answer to those questioning him.
• Stays to himself, focused on completing tasks
given to him so that he doesn’t disappoint or
let down anyone
Brian’s parents are very strict in that grades and school
work are the most important and not even a “B” is
good enough. They add pressure to Brian, almost to
the point where he does these things out of fright.
ALLISON REYNOLDS
• The “basket case”
• Reserved and extremely
quiet.
• Known to be a part of the
“weird” group of kids who
don’t socialize with people
around them.
• Very defensive when
questioned, but scared when
she feels uncomfortable
(which is almost always).
Throughout the movie, Allison
never lets anyone into her
family life. However, she talks
about meeting with a
therapist. This proves why
she might be guarded and
reserved when it comes to
interactions.
THE REVOLUTION
• At the start of the movie, everyone’s personalities are clashing. The
communication throughout the room is tense, hostile, and extremely
defensive. Because everyone comes from different backgrounds, it
allows for some to feel inferior and others to feel superior.
• Without having to say what really needs to happen, the kids
eventually started to learn more about each other and why they say,
act, and are the way they are. They started to really think about each
other and where they all came from, and concluded that because
they had these walls up, is why the communication was lacking and
prejudice was taking over, why the body language was negative, and
why and how they can be friends in the future
WHAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE
DIFFERENTLY…
• What was portrayed in the film was the “typical” high school stereotypes.
The brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal. It
showed that because they were all so different, they could not be a
collective group until they learned to truly communicate and interact with
each other, not only verbally, but nonverbally as well.
• Of course, the easiest thing to say when asked what they could have done
differently, would be to say that they could have all gotten to know each
other before passing judgment. However, being human, that just is not
always in our nature.
• To see that they did a full 180, being honest and compassionate come the
end of the film, shows that they did not need to do anything differently.
They all became better, more well-rounded human beings… more aware of
the way their snotty behavior or quiet personality is perceived by others.
• They all left still being rich, still a jock, a weird girl, a bad boy, and a nerd,
but they also left with the knowledge that people of different lives can
coexist once they can figure out how to effectively communicate.
FUTURE STUDENTS
• What I believe future students could get out of watching this
classic film, is that despite stereotypes and different types of
people, communication and interaction can be achieved.
• It is proven that people will most likely befriend someone who
has the same interests, opinions, and thoughts as they do. These
kids in The Breakfast Club, all pre-judged each other and
thought this was the case. However, they all could find some
sort of overlap in their stories and find common ground.
• This film shows that with effective communication and being
aware of how you’re portraying your words and your body
language, people from “different” social circles and backgrounds
aren’t as opposite and out there as they originally tought.
IMAGES FROM:
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• http://www.roguejoker.com/movies/the-breakfast-clubnow/images/anthony-michael-hall-then.jpg
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