Throwback Thursday – The Breakfast Club

It’s one of my most favourite movies to come from the 80’s.  One of those movies that is so relatable you can watch it over and over again and not get bored.

I grew up watching it.  My oldest daughter watched it and loved it too.  She’s probably watched it more than me.

Did you know that iconic 80’s film just turned 40?  GASP.

The Breakfast Club was released on February 15, 1985.

Some fun things about the movie –

• The Library Wasn’t Real – The iconic school library where most of the movie takes place was actually a set built inside the gymnasium of an actual high school, Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois.
• The Actors Picked Their Own Wardrobe – Director John Hughes let the cast help choose their own outfits to make their characters feel more authentic.
• Judd Nelson Stayed in Character Off-Screen – To fully embrace Bender’s rebellious nature, Judd Nelson kept up his bad-boy attitude even off-camera, which reportedly annoyed some of his co-stars (especially Molly Ringwald).
• The Dancing Scene Wasn’t Scripted – The spontaneous dance sequence in the library wasn’t originally planned, but Hughes loved it and decided to keep it in.
• Anthony Michael Hall’s Mom and Sister Are in the Movie – In the opening scene, when Brian (Hall) gets dropped off at school, the woman in the car is his real-life mom, and the little girl is his actual sister.
• Molly Ringwald Almost Played Allison – Hughes originally envisioned Molly Ringwald as the introverted Allison Reynolds (played by Ally Sheedy), but she pushed to play Claire instead.
• Emilio Estevez Was Almost Bender – Estevez was originally cast as John Bender, but when they couldn’t find the right Andrew Clark, Hughes decided Estevez was a better fit for the jock role.

The Movie Was Shot in Sequence – rare for films, but since almost everything happens in one day, they filmed the scenes in order to help the actors build their characters naturally.

The Famous Fist Pump Wasn’t Planned – The final scene where Bender throws his fist in the air was something Judd Nelson improvised, and it became one of the most iconic movie endings of all time.

There Was Almost a Sequel – John Hughes considered doing a follow-up that would revisit the characters as adults, but he later decided against it, believing that part of the film’s magic was in capturing that one specific moment in their lives.

Which one surprises you the most? 😃

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan