It’s been 40 years since the Brain, the Athlete, the Basket Case, the Princess, and the Criminal all suffered through detention at Shermer High. Now, they have reunited for the first time ever as a way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Breakfast Club.
The 40th anniversary celebration of The Breakfast Club was first teased last month, but it’s still a nice surprise for fans considering Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estèvez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Judd Nelson have never joined up in this capacity before. But thanks to Chicago’s C2E2, the troubled teens – now successful middle-aged actors – were able to take to the convention scene this week.
Speaking at the event marking the 40th anniversary of The Breakfast Club, Estèvez – who played Andrew Clark, sentenced to a Saturday detention for taping another student’s butt cheeks together – said this was the exact moment he needed to ensure he could be with some of his closest co-stars. “I skipped all of my high school reunions, so this just was something that finally I felt I needed to do just for myself. But…this one felt special. It’s here in Chicago, where we made the film, and obviously the 40th anniversary, and it just felt like it was time.”
Molly Ringwald – who portrayed Claire, serving her day for skipping school – also reflected on the moment, saying, “I feel really, very emotional and moved to have us all together. This is the first time that Emilio has joined us. We don’t have to use the cardboard cutout anymore because he’s here.” Outside of the already-mentioned reasons for detention, Hall’s Brian took a flare gun to school, Nelson’s Bender triggered the fire alarm and Sheedy’s Allison just decided to show up.
Four decades on, The Breakfast Club remains perhaps the quintessential teen movie, molding cliches into what many consider a genuine depiction of the struggles and emotions of the then-modern teen. That we are still talking about The Breakfast Club 40 years on shows that younger generations are still seeing themselves in John Hughes’ characters.
What do you think the legacy of The Breakfast Club is 40 years after its release? Has any other film touched it when it comes to classic teen movies?
