The clash of the subcultures

One of the best movies I know of is The Breakfast Club. One of the reasons I like it so much, is not merely because of the acting skills, or the way it is directed, it is because it shows how these characters, all from a different subculture, works together and learns so much from each other; despite their differences.

The movie takes place at a high school, and the main characters are at detention. The teacher, named Mr. Vernon, are looking over them- and the teenagers are doing what they can to "rebel" against him, though some of them are objecting to it at the beginning. The movie is so special, because it shows the huge variety between the students, and tells the story of how they come together. The character development, and the story line is really special!

The characters are:

John Bender

John is the rebel in the detention group, and the only one who clearly stands up against Mr. Vernon. He is a victim of child abuse, and comes from the working class. In the beginning, he is clearly hostile against the others- but his softer sides shows after a while, and he defends Claire when Mr. Vernon is rough against her. John is in many ways the event-creator in the movie, starting many of the memorable sequences. He is at detention for setting of the fire alarm.

Andrew Clark

Andrew is the stereotypical athlete boy, and is at detention for beating up a student. He is, despite this, quite responsible and stands up for whats right; which we learns outwards in the movie. The reason for him being so "tough", is because of pressure coming from his father. His entire life is guided, and he does not make his own decisions; we learn this in a sequence where they are all telling about themselves for each other, as the time goes by. 

Claire Standish

Claire seems to be the classical "perfect" girl. Popular, with many friends, she comes from a wealthy family, and is at detention for going to the mall during class. She is highly affected by her friends, and her parents are spoiling her, but she is aware of it; painfully aware of it that is. She admits that she feel pressured by her friends, and that she therefore won't hang out with any "unpopular" people. She ends up with crushing on Bender, which she hated at the start. 

Allison Reynolds

Allison is the "weirdo" in the group- but she turns out to be an essential part. She is a quite isolated as a person, and stays quiet during the first half of the film, but burst out some randoms "screams" etc. She comes from the classical middle class, but she is not accepted by her parents; she opens up to the others, Andrew in particular, in the latter part of the movie.

Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson is the typical "geek". He is at detention for bringing a flare gun, which he intended to kill himself with- this because he received an F on a test. He is a careful type of character, but is not affraid of speaking. He comes from the upper middle class, and is under huge pressure from his parents to became a academic. He tries to keep the peace within the group, being sort of a diplomat. He is the one who gives the group it's name.