The Breakfast Club is a girl film because some of its themes deal with girlhood, sexuality and questions of virginity. In addition, the surprising outcome of two promising couples marks one important element of this genre of film—romance. However, many other features have shown this is not just a girl film. In fact, it also attracts male and adult audiences, and it is a cross-generational film that has the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.
Yet, the Breakfast Club is not a feminist film; it offers a male perspective that gets more attention throughout the narratives. Specifically, male characters appear throughout the film more frequently and they have more power for driving the plot. First, there are three guys and two girls in the “Breakfast Club”. The question is, why are there more male than female characters in the film and not the other way around? Why are the only two main adults (Principle and Janitor) male? Upon that, the film ends up with Bender’s iconic final image—a frozen fist pump, which shows a man’s “victory” gesture (class discussion). Does it imply the male characters have “won” over females? The answers of these questions lie in the context of a patriarchal culture. Second, while it is reassuring to see the conflict between girls and guys resolved in the end, the affection between the two couples comes so abrupt that it does not match the previous aura—Allison (the princess) hated Bender (the punk), and Claire (the kook) was flaky. Suddenly the princess starts to flirt with the punk, while the kook becomes pretty, which makes the film get caught up with the stereotypes of “girls love bad boys” and “the ugly duckling story” again. This is not feministic because it suggests that, after all, a girl still wants beauty and love.
The Breakfast Club is also a “rock movie”. By “rock”, I do not mean it is a movie about rock music although the soundtrack does have some. It is more about the rebellious and liberating spirits of rock ‘n’ roll that is captured by the film. For instance, when Bender is imitating his abusive father who always yells and curses at him, his voice accompanied with background music gradually becomes louder. And the moment he punches his fist as he yells the “fuck”, the film reaches the first climax. This is also the moment I notice by the rock spirit—it depicts an angry and sad teenager letting go of his angst—it is rebellious, but liberating. Bender, the punk, is the core of the group in terms of rock spirit. That might be why in the scenes where the group runs and hides from the principle in the hallway, and where they smoke marijuana, and even the film’s last “victory” gesture, are all motivated by Bender. Moreover, these events also prove my previous statement that “male characters have more power on driving the plot”. This is indeed a film that shows male power.
Lastly, The Breakfast Club is a story about growing up that can be best described as Bildungsroman (coming of age). It is an introspective film that adult audiences would also appreciate; one example is the enlightening talk between Principle and Janitor. Principle asks, “What did you want to be when you were young...” In response, Janitor asks back “If you were sixteen, what would you think of you?” Then Principle expresses his big concern about these kids’ future, “Now this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night...That when I get older, these kids are gonna take care of me...” This conversation has lifted the film to a cross-generational and philosophical level; it compares the fives teenagers’ respective growing pains with life meaning and grown-ups’ social responsibilities, which makes the former less significant.
The Breakfast Club is not just a “girl film”. It is a “guy film” because of some patriarchal features, it is a “rock film” with the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, and it is also a cross-generational film that makes audiences reflect the process of growing up. Ultimately, it is a successful and influential teen film that has had a big impact on the 1980s’ generation.
© Lydia L
2/16/2011
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