The Breakfast Club

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The Breakfast Club

R

1985

1h 32m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

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Critics Consensus

If The Breakfast Club's gestures towards authenticity are occasionally undercut by trendy flourishes, its blistering emotional honesty and talented troupe of young actors catapult it to the top of the teen comedy class.

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Jay Carr

Boston Globe

Feb 14, 2025

The film behaves as if it's dealing in soul-baring insights and emotional deepening. But it's only dealing in plastic. It's rare to encounter such unfailing falseness in a movie that seems to have been launched with benign intentions.

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Harper Barnes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Feb 14, 2025

I suspect all these kids are going somewhere, and Hughes, of course, is already there.

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Rob Salem

Toronto Star

Feb 14, 2025

Hughes is clearly of the impression that he knows a lot about kids and the way they think. He is, for the most part, mistaken... Yet this is a movie well worth seeing, if only for the performances, which are without exception excellent.

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Michelle Swope

Elements of Madness

Dec 29, 2025

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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 6, 2025

3.5/4

Perhaps John Hughes' finest hour (he didn't have many, despite a prolific output), The Breakfast Club was the best of the so-called "Brat Pack" features as well as a seminal film for many who came of age in the 1980s.

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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Aug 4, 2025

5/5

John Hughes' masterpiece, both the lodestone for Generation X and a story of the universality of teen struggles.

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Morgen F

Jul 28, 2026

I wasn't born yet when the movie came out originally. I really enjoyed watching it in theaters. Love the storyline and acting.

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Stacey L

Sep 28, 2025

Loved seeing one of my favorites again on the big screen!

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Julio C

Sep 16, 2025

I first saw this movie upon its release. I was much younger then and missed some of the dialogue and its depth. I really enjoyed watching it again after all these years.

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Ashlee B

Sep 12, 2025

It was great to see this movie in theaters. I didnt realize it has been 40 years already.

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M.

Sep 11, 2025

Amazing script and acting. Honored the struggle of the age group without dummying down the content. Raw and honest.

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SHAONA L

Sep 11, 2025

My first time EVER seeing this movie! I LAUGHED until I cried and then I cried too! 10/10 recommend!

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John Hughes

Director

Emilio Estevez

Andrew "Andy" Clark

Molly Ringwald

Claire Standish

Judd Nelson

John Bender

Paul Gleason

Principal Richard Vernon

Anthony Michael Hall

Brian Ralph Johnson

The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Bender Mocks Claire

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The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Lunchtime

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The Breakfast Club: Official Clip - Don't Mess With the Bull

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Synopsis

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

Director: John Hughes
Producer: Ned Tanen, John Hughes
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 15, 1985, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $334.2K
Runtime: 1h 32m

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