Being a teenager is never easy or not confusing, unless you’re one of the cool kids who is popular and pampered. Most of us were not one of the cool kids in high school; we were the bookworms, the science nerds, the theater kids, and the ones who felt like outsiders for whatever reason. Every generation has different challenges, but the struggles of the teenage years are universal. Teens in the 1980s didn’t have the internet, social media, or cell phones, but their urgent need to find themselves in a world that wanted to put them into specific boxes based on their appearance or their abilities is something that can be easily shared among different generations.
L-R: Paul Gleason as Principal Richard Vernon, Molly Ringwald as Claire, Emilio Estevez as Andrew, Judd Nelson as Bender, Anthony Michael Hall as Brian, and Ally Sheedy as Allison in THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
Director John Hughes had the ability to make teenagers in the ‘80s feel seen with his movies Sixteen Candles (1984), Pretty in Pink (1986), and especially The Breakfast Club (1985). Hughes had his finger on the pulse of a generation and perfectly captured the feel of the decade by using music and pop culture in his films to make time capsules that illustrate what it was like to be a teenager at that time. The Breakfast Club is unique in that it features a small cast and focuses on a group of five teenagers who are forced to spend their Saturday in detention together. As the day goes on, the teens, who would have probably never spoken to one another, get to know each other and form a bond that may or may not be powerful enough to endure beyond the day in detention.
Molly Ringwald as Claire in THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
Forty years after the release of The Breakfast Club, the Criterion Collection has released a 4K UHD and Blu-ray Combo Special Edition of the iconic John Hughes film, complete with lots of fun and nostalgic special features.
Emilio Estevez as Andrew in THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
The opening and ending sequences of The Breakfast Club feature the popular 1985 song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds, one of many things about the film that prove Hughes was incredibly knowledgeable about pop culture and what it was like to be a teenager in the ‘80s. The characters are introduced as the Brain (Brian), the Athlete (Andrew), the Basketcase (Allison), the Princess (Claire), and the Criminal (Bender). Anthony Michael Hall (Weird Science) plays Brian, the shy, smart kid; Emilio Estevez (Young Guns) plays Andrew, the wrestler; Ally Sheedy (Short Circuit) plays Allison, the weird outsider; Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles) plays Claire, the rich, popular girl; and Judd Nelson (Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back) plays Bender, the rebellious troublemaker. After Sheedy gave Hughes part of the lyrics to “Changes” by David Bowie, he used the following quote from the song in the opening sequence, which poetically summarizes the essence of the film:
“…and these children
that you spit on
as they try to change their worlds
are immune to your consultations.
They’re quite aware
of what they’re going through…”
On a Saturday in 1984, the teens are dropped off at school by their parents, with the exception of Bender, who walks to school alone. They will be forced to endure eight hours together in the library that day. Detention is overseen by the easily distracted Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason), who assigns the group an essay to be written during the day about who they think they are. Slowly, the group of teenagers, who would never interact in school or in their outside lives, begin to talk to each other, and, in the process, realize they have more in common than they think. They talk about their daily lives and how their parents ignore them, abuse them, or just don’t take them seriously. Their lives may be different, but they’re all trying to find themselves and figure out their places in the world.
Judd Nelson as Bender in THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
That day in detention in 1984 becomes a therapy session for the group of teens, who were strangers at the beginning of the day. They laugh; they cry; they share personal details of their lives, and even their hopes and dreams. By the end of the day, they have formed an alliance and even consider themselves friends. But what will happen on Monday? Will they still speak to each other in the hallways? Will they still be friends? Besides the fact that he got everything right about being a teenager in 1984, the beauty of a Hughes film is that it’s an accurate character study and left open as a mystery.
Ally Sheedy as Allison in THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
The film is constructed similarly to a play and mostly takes place in one setting, the library, which enhances the feeling of intimacy the characters share during the day. The performances of these characters are not just memorable, they feel genuine. Utilizing up close shots of the actor’s faces, lighting, and color, Thomas Del Ruth’s (Stand by Me; The Mighty Ducks) cinematography highlights the relaxed atmosphere of the setting and also showcases the aesthetic of 1984.
Anthony Michael Hall as Brian in THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Photo courtesy of the Criterion Collection.
The 4K digital restoration of The Breakfast Club from the Criterion Collection beautifully preserves Del Ruth’s cinematography and retains the dynamic soundtrack from the film. It’s a truly incredible restoration that includes a ton of enlightening behind-the-scenes interviews, deleted scenes, and other exciting special features.
Regardless of what generation you were born into, if you’re a teenager, you can find something relatable in the five teenage characters in Hughes’s film, which speaks to the film’s lasting legacy and its authenticity. If you don’t feel energized when the end credits roll over a shot of Bender walking across the football field with his fist in the air while “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” plays, you weren’t paying attention.
The Breakfast Club 4K and Blu-ray Combo Special Edition Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring actors Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson
- Interviews with actors Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy and other members of the cast and crew
- Video essay featuring director John Hughes’s production notes, read by Nelson
- Fifty minutes of deleted and extended scenes
- Promotional and archival interviews
- Excerpts from a 1985 American Film Institute seminar with Hughes
- Radio interview with Hughes
- Audio interview with Ringwald from an episode of This American Life
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author and critic David Kamp
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray November 4th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection The Breakfast Club webpage.
Share this:
Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
Leave a Reply