The Breakfast Club (1985)

I finally saw this film; I know, I'm super late to the party.
The film was a mixed bag to me, some parts were truly excellent, others I hated.
The concept is intriguing, mixing five completely different students together for a Saturday detention. There's Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the jock, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), the geek, John Bender (Judd Nelson), the criminal, Claire (Molly Ringwald), the princess and last but certainly not least Allison (Ally Sheedy), the basket case.
Watching over them is Vernon (Paul Gleason) who is not the nice man he claims to be. He later goes through classified records of the students and continues to punish John throughout the day.
John, having been in these detentions before, knows how to skirt the rules. He is cruel to the others, especially Claire, nearly giving her a blow job while hiding under her desk.
Throughout the day, they open up to each other or maybe it's just the weed they took out of John's locker. Allison came because she had nothing better to do; Andrew came because he taped a guy's butt together; and Brian brought a gun to his locker. Yes, a gun, I was shocked that he only got detention, but then he clarified-it was a flare gun. John has an abusive household, literally, he shows the others a cigar burn on his arm, Allison is a compulsive liar and Andrew hates his father. He can't live up to his father's image and it burns him inside. John pocks fun at Claire for being a virgin.
Yet, all of this happens despite being told not to talk or fall asleep which also happens. I also got confused when they sneaked out of the library to go into the outside world, but they risk being caught but John sacrifices himself for the sake of the others.
The actors, who except for Nelson, look like teenagers, and they deliver. Sheedy is fantastic as the girl who rarely talks, but tears her sandwich apart and sprinkle sugar on it and then eat it. Ringwald, Hall and Estevez are manage to cry on cue as they reveal the horrid truth about them.The dialogue is also largely real.
Now to the problems. I have no problem with Allison and Andrew ending up together, I sort of saw that one coming, but I hated that Claire got together with John considering how mean he was to her throughout the day and scolded her for having a rich father. I also felt bad for Brian at the end, when they tell him to write the essay because they'd each have the same thing to say. He doesn't end up with anyone, poor Brian.
That being said, the conversation they have when asked how they will treat everyone else come school on Monday is truly realistic and heart-wrenching. The cool kids won't acknowledge them while Allison and Brian totally will. In the end, I managed to have some varying amount of sympathy for each of the characters, I just feel bad that none of them went on to have a truly great career for they are good actors. Grade: B+