gregg084

While a passable film. It just never rang true. Hughes tries to define all 80's teens in 5 cookie cutter characters speaking as if they were in their 30's. Although it is sometimes billed as a comedy, it's simply not funny. As a drama it comes across as preachy and overdone with the whole film trying to take itself way too seriously. It might have made a decent stage play, but didn't make such a great movie. I was in high school in the 80's and if we would have seen kids that acted like the characters in The Breakfast Club we probably would have exiled them (after beating them up). Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this film, I just think that it's a far cry from the way it really was and much less than Hughes' other teen films of the era. Actually Fast Times at Ridgemont High had much more believable characters (of course they were based on real people). Even the teens in American Pie ring truer.

This film is one of those rare teen films from the 80s that is actually watchable and enjoyable, a rarity in this genre. The plot may be predictable, the characters a bit stereotyped, (not as bad as Breakfast Club however) but the dialogue and characterizations are very good. The film holds the interest throughout. It holds up well for its age and still maintains a positive message. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the ending, but it really doesn't matter, the film is so much fun to watch, you don't care.

This short film by Andrew Van Slee, focuses on an 18 year old girl who has decided to lose her virginity. Since this is such a special event in her life, she's also decided to videotape it unbeknownst to her boyfriend. The 'climax' of the film would seem to be borrowed from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". There is no nudity or suggestive language here though, just an amusing, well made and very funny short film.

I've probably seen this film 5 or 6 times. It never seems to get tiring. For anyone that lived through the 70's, or anyone that was ever a teen, this film should be seen. Shamelessly underrated, Linklater has created a nostalgic trip back to when life was all about good times, good friends, and good bud. Not a whole lot of plot here but who cares? See it, enjoy it, then see it again.

This film struck a chord with me mainly because it was released while I was in high school. What makes this film slightly unique is the use of actual teens instead of the usual 20-something actors and actresses usually used in these movies. While the film certainly suffers its shortcomings (lack of consistency in the preformances) it's still an enjoyable, reasonably honest look at 80's teens with enough good moments to make up for the bad.