The movie script to Breakfast Club was written by John Hughes, a director who would go on to make a number of definitive movies for a generation of teenagers in the 1980's.
About John Hughes
John Hughes didn't begin his career in the entertainment industry as a script writer or director. Hughes started off as a copywriter in the advertising industry and also published a few short stories of his own. He eventually went on to write for a number of comedians at the time, including Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers and Rip Taylor. Hughes had a talent for writing funny material, so it was no surprise that he ended up landing the job as editor of National Lampoon magazine in 1979.
During that time period, Hollywood was clamoring for humorous writers at National Lampoons based on the success of the film Animal House, which was penned by a writer at the magazine. John Hughes took various scriptwriting jobs for the time being, until he finished writing National Lampoon's Class Reunion in 1982. The film was a disaster compared to its predecessor, Animal House. The following year, Hughes wrote Mr. Mom, a relatively well-received film, but not breakout status. Hughes would become the new "it" writer/director the following year with his film Sixteen Candles.
John Hughes' Teen Angst
Growing up just outside the more affluent suburbs of Chicago, Hughes developed an extreme dislike for the snobby boys and girls with which he attended high school. In his films, he personifies his feelings with dead-on accurate portrayals of snobby boy and girls. In his first breakout film Sixteen Candles, it was the character of prom queen Caroline, played by Haviland Morris. The object of Molly Ringwald's affection in the film, Jake Ryan, was also a stereotypical "rich kid" jock. Though Sixteen Candles was released first, John Hughes wrote the movie script to Breakfast Club before that one.
About the Movie Script to Breakfast Club
Like most all of his teen drama films, John Hughes captures the high school clique stereotypes perfectly in The Breakfast Club. Here are the main characters in the script:
- Claire Standish - Played by actress Molly Ringwald, Claire is the typical rich girl, prom queen snob. In the script, she is in detention because she skipped class to go shopping.
- Andrew Clark - Portrayed by Emilio Estevez, Andrew Clark is the jock of the group.
- Brian Johnson - Actor Anthony Michael Hall plays the nerdy student.
- Allison Reynolds - Ally Sheedy's character of Allison Reynolds is the goth/emo girl.
- John Bender - Judd Nelson portrays the "bad boy" student.
The script contains many memorable, often quoted lines. Here are a few of the more popular lines:
- Bender to Principal Vernon - "Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?"
- Bender to Principal Vernon - "Eat my shorts." This quote is often repeated by Bart Simpson.
- Andrew to the group - "We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all."
- Bender to the group - "Screws fall out all the time. The world's an imperfect place."
- Principal Vernon to the group - "Next time I have to come in here, I'm crackin' skulls."
Icon Status
Though the script for the film was written in the mid 1980's, the premise has garnered the attention for a number of generations. To read the full script, check out:
Finally, John Hughes once said in an interview that he originally wrote The Breakfast Club script to be a two-and-a-half-hour film. Much of the script was pared down and some scenes were deleted, resulting in an 84-minute film. Hughes stated in the interview that he is the only person who owns the original copy of the film before it hit the editor's table.
Regardless of what was edited out or removed, the final film was an undeniable hit that continues to strike a chord with the generations following the then-targeted Generation X'ers.
