The Breakfast Club

A new release of The Breakfast Club is coming out in September with an audio commentary by Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall, a couple features called "Sincerely Yours" and "Most Convenient Definitions: The Origins of the Brat Pack," and the theatrical trailer. These will be the first real special features to have been included with The Breakfast Club on DVD. It's known that there are deleted scenes (some have been shown on TV), but there was no mention of any in the announcement for the new DVD.

The Breakfast Club is considered by many the quintessential high school movie, which is quite a comment on high school, as almost the entire film takes place in detention. Five students, each representing a type but fleshed out into real characters as the film develops, are stuck together on a Saturday in detention. In terms they use themselves, there's a "criminal" (Judd Nelson), a "princess" (Molly Ringwald), a "jock" (Emilio Estevez), a "brain" (Anthony Michael Hall), and a "basket case" (Ally Sheedy). Effectively portrayed tension between the five builds to explosive levels before they finally discover how much they have in common. There is a lot of sharp humor, some hijinks, a lot of emotional release in the last third. The acting is very good. Nelson is especially good as the main catalyst for the tension, projecting a powerful personality and sharp mind turned in against self and back out at others.

I loved this movie in the '80s. I still like it and admire it now, though its formula seems a little more prominent to me than it used to. By today's standards it may seem to pull its punches when it comes to the reasons kids have to be unhappy and in trouble, but it strikes a fair balance between entertaining teen comedy and realism. It's also a fine time capsule from the '80s.

The new DVD will be 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English DTS 5.1. No indication has been given that this will be any different from the older DVDs.

New Flashback Editions of two other John Hughes classics, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science, are slated to come out on the same day as this one. Each will include a feature about the film. Weird Science will also have the Weird Science TV series pilot episode and the theatrical trailer. Apparently only this one gets an audio commentary. No Blu-ray announcements yet.

Amazon has a page to pre-order here.

Best John Hughes movie ever! A bunch of teenagers get hurdled into detention together at school on a saturday. They collide with each other's differences, they share, they get closer, and they never forget. Easily in my top 5.
(more...)

I've always loved this movie, a must see for anyone who was in high school in the 80's, and the lessons still hold true today.

You can't call yourself a teenager if you've never seen a John Hughes flick. With this film (his best) he presented a common problem we have (communication) using characters we all don;t understand, teenagers. This film has heart and envokes some deep isssues. The cast is great but Judd Nelson stands out the most. I

What more can I say? This is a cult classic, and a must for any movie library.