The Breakfast Club

Plot: Five vastly different high school students spend Saturday detention together. Once again, not like detention ever was for you.

Second day of my John Hughes overture! Once again, Hughes' puts together the perfect 80s cast: Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Emilio Estevez (?). I swear, this man does teen angst in a way that I cannot even use words.

Hughes' seamless writing and direction lends credibility to the unbelievable adventures the gang undertakes. Their run-ins with the (vice?) principle are somewhat abusive, but Hughes balances it will. Ah, balance. It is definitely one of the keys to creating a movie with lasting appeal. Unless it's an epic. Epics have an entirely different set of rules.

Don't be surprised if you find some of it lacking in what you would look for in a movie today. That's not what it's about when you watch an 80s teen movie. I tell you truly, 80s teen movies are there own genre. When you consider their stars (e.g. the effervescent Molly Ringwald, the charming Patrick Dempsey), you'll understand why.

In short, a nice mix of comedy and odd-drama peppers this classic 80s fare. Bon appetit!