Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Breakfast Club


How do you review the movie that you like the most? How do you transfer the calmly burning enthusiasm without giving away too much? Without repeating the contents of every other critique? I have no idea but I know I must try.

___

... The Breakfast Club has been released in the United States of 1985 and was directed by John Hughes, Jr. It is a movie full of music. The theme song, Simple Minds' 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' is the motive of the whole film. The movie is minimalistic, the setting for the biggest part of it is the library of a high school in a Chicago suburb. None of the dialogues is redundant, there are no lengths and the ending is as positive as it is poignant.

... Five high school students who couldn't be more diverse from one another have to spend a whole precious Saturday in detention. They are referred to as
"a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, a criminal" and that's how they initially see themselves. "We were brainwashed."

... Indifference, dislike, loyalty facing the authoritarian frustrated principal, rejection, interest, honesty, recognition and attraction - those are the stages these five youths are going through within nine hours of their life.

... There is Brian, an A student, coming from the perfect family, having the perfect GPA, living the perfect life his parents expect him to.
... Andrew, wrestler in the school team, aiming for a sports scholarship, who does whatever to impress his dad.
... Allison, who does everything to get attention and disappears behind a self-erected protective wall of hair and hood.
... Claire, the princess, so unbelievably popular, who feels crushed between her parents' endless fights and her friends' constant pressure.
... And John, unadapted rebel, criminal, born agent provocateur who won't let anyone scratch the surface.

Nine hours are a long time.
... A time to impress (
"So, what's your poison? What do you drink?" - "Vodka!" - "Vodka? When do you drink Vodka?" - "Whenever." - "A lot?" - "Tonsss."),
... to threaten ("I don't wanna get into this with you, man." - "Why not?" - "Because I'd kill you."),
... to provoke ("What's that?" - "Sushi." - "Sushi?" - "Rice, raw fish and seaweed." - "You won't accept a guy's tongue in your mouth, but you eat that?"),
... to hit ("Just you and me. Two hits. Me hitting you, you hitting the floor."),
... to run ("Being bad feels pretty good, huh?"),
... to protect ("We're dead." - "No. Just me."),
... to laugh ("Was it a hand gun?" - "No, it was a flare gun. It went off in my locker." - "Really?" [laughter] "That's not funny! ... Okay, it is." [grins]),
... to feel and talk ("We're all weird. Some of us just hide it better."),
... to care ("Why are you so nice to me?" - "Because you're letting me."),
... to open up ("Were you or were you not motioning to Claire? - "Yeah, but .. it was only ... because I didn't want her to know that I was a virgin.")
... and to love ("Why did you do that?" - "Because I knew you wouldn't.").

... One thing remains: this Saturday doesn't transform them into better people. It is uncertain whether their friendship will survive the weekend but something will definitely last - the realisation that they have more in common than they would have guessed.

"Don't You Forget About Me
Don't Don't Don't Don't
Don't You Forget About Me

Will you recognise me?
Call my name or walk on by
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down, down"


6 comments:

talldarkman said...

Hmm...need to watch this movie. There is one more Hindi movie..."Ek ruka hua faisla"....set only in a jury room. One needs to see it to appreciate it. Cannot explain the theme out here.

talldarkman

Nitin Sinha said...

Ek Ruka Huwa Faisla is an amazing film, although an adaptation, in fact more than that, of an English movie. Can't remember the name of the movie right now.

Nice review: sleek is the word I would use.

saltyfish said...

tdm - yes, you definitely should

nitu - it's "12 Angry Men". and thanks :)

inserachofmuse said...

nine hours is enought to hit agianst authority, take charge of life, love, let go, live fullest - rest of life is just slow cycling towards nothing

Sis given nine hours whom would u want to be in detention with- will discuss later in details -

saltyfish said...

do i get to choose four more people or just one?

inserachofmuse said...

when u label me as "good people" you make me pathologically sad.