“The Breakfast Club”

Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall in “The Breakfast Club” (Universal, 1985)

Welcome to this year’s movie watching project, 2013’s “Guilty Pleasures Film Festival.” Every week, I’ll be watching and writing a brief summary and some thoughts about a film that I love (and the film may or may not actually be good). Entry number one is “The Breakfast Club” (Universal, 1985). Five high school students spend a day in detention and learn a thing or two about life and about each other. The criminal (Judd Nelson), the basket case (Ally Sheedy), the athlete (Emilio Estevez), the princess (Molly Ringwald), and the brain (Anthony Michael Hall) all realize by the end of the day that they are more alike than they think. Writer/director John Hughes really knew how to capture the thoughts, angst and emotions of American teenage life and put it together in an entertaining way on the big screen. Who can’t relate to one or all of these characters in some form or another? I loved watching this film again and realizing that people are still people, whether we’re in high school or not. Written and directed by the late, great John Hughes. “We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.”

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Matthew Broderick in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (Paramount, 1986)

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (Paramount, 1986). No other filmmaker captured the thoughts and emotions of 1980s American teenage life better than writer/director John Hughes. In “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Hughes creates the ultimate brainiac teenage fantasy–faking out your parents, skipping school with your girlfriend and best friend, sticking it to the ridiculous school principal, having an incredibly epic day and getting away with it. Matthew Broderick plays Ferris, Alan Ruck plays his best friend Cameron, Mia Sara plays his girlfriend Sloane, Jennifer Grey plays his jealous little sister Jeanie/Shauna, and the crazed school principal is played brilliantly by Jeffrey Jones. It was so much fun to watch this film again. Written and directed by John Hughes. “Hey, Cameron. You realize if we played by the rules right now we’d be in gym?”