It makes me feel strange that millions of fans feel represented by this movie. None of the characters have any substance. They’re frustrating to watch because they’re so stubborn and short-sighted. They don’t experience any worthwhile growth or dynamic change. Most of the dialogue is just bullying. I understand the kids are supposed to represent different high school stereotypes, but they’re all surface level representations. Theyre toxicly uninspired at worst, and vapidly cheesy at best. They don’t confront any of their differences, and don’t celebrate any similarities. In the end, they just make out with each other and force the nerdy kid to write their essays.
The movie’s pacing is weird and surreal with the shoehorned hallway running montage and dance session interlaced with unrewarding emotional moments. The women play completely inconsequential and reductive roles. The ending is just so odd and anticlimactic.
Whenever someone mentions it in conversation, the film is met with praise and nostalgic glazing. I honestly don’t think it deserves it. I get it was the first of its kind to represent high school archetypes in a semi-serious way, but I feel it does so poorly.
Comments
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
It’s a fun kids movie, it’s not supposed to be deep
It’s a Saturday afternoon in detention, how deep did you think it was going to go?
as a 40 year old, this is a hot take so you get my upvote, movie was slightly before my time, but I loved it when I was like 13.
I’d argue it does so poorly because it’s the first to try and do it in a serious way. This is kinda like that argument people had a while back about RHPS, it’s a piece of its era, a time capsule to the 80s. I personally love the movie but it’s not for everyone, and I don’t think it aged well, but let’s be honest, most things from 1980-2010 didn’t age well. Societal behaviors are changing so fast that so many classic movies just do not hold up to the expectations of today. And that’s okay.
A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm and a two-foot salami under the other. She lays the poodle on the table. Bartender says, ‘I suppose you won’t be needing a drink’. Naked lady says…..
Bro, my wife and I watched Breakfast club the other day. It was built up so much in my head as an all time classic and I watched it and was like ” . . . that’s it?”
I was expecting it to be a clever balance of clashing personality types where everyone has a lot of depth and is super interesting but it mostly just focuses on that one delinquent kid up until they all get high. He’s the one who actually makes anything happen and everyone else feels like set dressing compared to him for like 70% of the movie.
And I thought the whole theme about different kids coming to understand each other was a little disingenuous when the basket case gets a makeover from the popular girl and gets a boyfriend out of it. You’re not being accepted if the end of the movie indicates you need to change to get something. Also, she looked 1000 times better before makeover.
I feel the same way. I never saw it when I was younger. Seeing it (recently) as an adult made me feel like things have greatly improved, especially for women.
I’m Gen X and I agree with you. I’ll fight alongside you against the mob that’s about to be formed .
>Theyre toxicly uninspired at worst, and vapidly cheesy at best. They don’t confront any of their differences, and don’t celebrate any similarities. In the end, they just make out with each other and force the nerdy kid to write their essays.
Because… that’s real life. There’s this weird post-modern trend in filmmaking where the villain arc shows how they’re actually misunderstood; that we have to take away some “learning” or “growth” at the end; and at the end, the characters are not the same people they were at the beginning.
But, is that the case? Would high school students really change because of afternoon detention? One of the kids has an abusive father; another has unreasonable expectations set upon him. The other is the nerdy kid. Let’s face it, you’re not going to become someone new by detention. That’s the whole point. There was a moment in time that they were a part of. It was fleeting – just like youth and school.
Agreed. Not John Hughes best imo.
Aren’t most teenagers stubborn and shortsighted?
I feel like a lot of the love it gets today is for its value as kind of a cultural time capsule for what teen movies were like in the 80s. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s why I liked it. Not for the relatability as much as ‘huh, so that’s what my mom watched as a teen, cool. Explains a lot.’
They don’t confront differences? Don’t they talk about themselves and even discuss what they’ll do when they see each other in the hallways?
Don’t they discuss the challenges they are dealing with and come to a consensus that they all face challenges even if they’re not similar?