The Breakfast Club, an iconic portrait of 1980s American high school life, is now available in an all-new digitally remastered Flashback Edition with never-before-seen bonus features! When Saturday detention started, they were simply the Jock, the Princess, the Brain, the Criminal and the Basket Case, but by that afternoon they had become closer than any of them could have imagined. Featuring an all-star ’80s cast including Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, this warm-hearted coming-of-age comedy from writer/director John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, Weird Science) helped define an entire generation!

Average Customer Review: ( 385 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

Not only is this a classic film, it's one of my personal favorites. I loved it when I was little and I love it now as I am in my twenties. It's so refreshing to have a brutally honest film that plays on all of your emotions as this movie does. And even though this was shot in the eighties, people can still relate to it now in 2000. This is why it is so effective and powerful.

The movie is so memorable that you will most likely repeat every single line during each viewing. The actors do a terrific job of portraying their roles flawlessly. The script is funny and touching at the same time. Everything that is shown in the movie is crucial and significant; being that there isn't a single minute in the movie that goes wasted.

This new DVD edition, while it may not be the most spectacular of DVDs, is a lot better than the previous version. They did an excellent job of producing a successful remastered version of the movie that looks and sounds excellent. You can even watch it in DTS; that is, if your system carries it. I'm afraid there's not much to offer in the special features department. It really is a shame, being that this is such a classic movie. Still, the way the film looks and sounds is worth the price alone.

"The Breakfast Club" is a terrific movie that still has the same effect on us as it did years and years ago. It's funny, tragic, touching and honest. If you haven't seen this movie yet, please, make sure that the next time you are at a video store that you pick this up and check it out. You have no idea what you're missing if you don't. Still a favorite after so many years, this film surpasses so many movies that we see today. An excellent achievement on all fronts.

111 of 128 found the following review helpful:

THE Definitive Gen X Movie of All TimeJun 14, 2000
By Shelley Gammon "Geek"
If you graduated from high school in the 1980s and haven't seen this film, you must have been locked in a cave.

John Hughes delivers the definitive nostalgic teen movie of the Generation X crowd. The cast made up the '80s "brat pack" with Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. It's hard to believe while seeing this film that Ringwald and Hall were the only real high school aged performers... the others were in their mid to late 20s during filming.

While modern teens may not find this as "sophisticated" as over-sexed comedies like "American Pie," anyone can appreciate true feelings, teen angst, self doubt and relationships with parents portrayed in this film.

A group of kids sitting for 8 hours in detention on a Saturday none of them will ever forget. While there is foul language, it's about the same speed as what you can hear on "NYPD Blue" on TV. There is no nudity or sex, just raw, in your face teen angst.

You see this group of "losers," warts and all, and become friends with all of them before the film is over. The DVD doesn't offer anything other than cast bios and subtitles... which is a disappointment. It would have been great to have had some interviews with the cast and behind the scenes footage. Nonetheless, DVD is much better than tape and definitely worth the extra $ for a non volitile format.

83 of 96 found the following review helpful:

Review of the DVD transferJun 02, 2001
By aaron wittenberg
There are plenty of reviews here about the movie, so there is no sense in writing another.

This review is about the DVD. I will tell you up front that this DVD looks like a direct copy off VHS. I have seen the VHS version about 2 times this year and when the title song comes on, the audio fades in and out. Not bad, but you can definitely see some age in it. The DVD is EXACTLY the same. The sound is of no higher quality.

There is no widescreen, just a full screen with the same picture quality as VHS. It's not horrible, but if you are the type of person who buys DVDs for the superior picture quality, you are definitely going to be unhappy with this.

The movie itself is EXCELLENT, I love it, but the DVD transfer from VHS isn't the best.

As for bonus features, you get bios for all of the actors. The trouble is, the information included is the same as you can find on the internet movie database (imdb) as well as fan sites. If you have read a fair amount on any of the actors and know their biography fairly well, this DVD offers nothing new.

There are also some brief production notes about where and how this movie was done, and some quotes from the cast and crew.

Again, if you have done any research online and gone to any fan sites or even a site dedicated to John Hughes, you will find nothing new here. No interviews, a little behind the scenes, some background detail, but in the big picture, not much else.

Just a forewarning.

I bought the DVD because unlike VHS tapes, a DVD CD doesn't wear out. But if you watch the VHS version, then the DVD, the quality is the same. DVD is not any better.

So overall, EXCELLENT movie, but not a great transfer. Still, if you are a fan, definitely add it to your collection, but if you buy DVDs for the extras, you will be very disappointed with this.

18 of 19 found the following review helpful:

One for the Ages!Dec 05, 2001
By Jason Ostrowski "HomeTheaterGuy"
This movie is a classic and it will stand the test of time. This is the second "teen coming of age" installment from John Hues, and round 2 for Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. The first installment, Sixteen Candles, was more of a sexual coming of age movie whereas The Breakfast Club is more of a coming of age for one's character and social awareness. Where they are "teetering" with; staying with their social allegiances to their perspective pack, or do they listen to that inner voice...the voice of reason, maturity and human compassion that's not bound to any "click". I like the choice of actors; I think they all fit like pieces in a puzzle and make their characters totally believable. I am in the same age range as almost the entire cast and I was a senior in High school when this film came out. Allot of reviews seem to put this film within the Junior High crowd but I feel it's much more mature than that. The very message that it's trying to get across isn't understood in real life until we get close to 18 or so. The story is simple; 5 kids have to come into school on a Saturday for detention. At first they try to segregate themselves according to their school social standings. Inevitably they find out that they are more alike than they ever thought. The movie, in my eyes, is broken into 3 parts; the first part is pure character development. This is where you (the viewer) gets to know each person they way they are supposed to be seen with their everyday face. At first, they act the way they think they should act, and stand up for what they always had, with out question or defiance. They stay true to their cause never steering away for a second. The second part of the film is where the movie itself develops. These 5 separate entities realize that they are variations of the same person. They have the same desires and anguishes. Their pressures and stresses are the same even though it's generated from very different sources.
The jock (Emilio Estevez) has the pressure to be on top of his sport (wrestling). In return for this he gets attention from his dad, coaches and keeps his standing within his social group. This is his priority in life and he doesn't stray.
The Princess (Molly Ringwald) has to conform and obey the rules of her social group in order to be accepted and keep her standing within the group. She keeps her eyes closed; mouth shut and goes along for the ride.
The Metal Head/criminal (Judd Nelson) is an angry guy! He wears the physical and mental scars of growing up in an abusive house. He hates most people, like the ones Emilio and Molly play, because in his eyes, they have had a free ticket and earned nothing...things are handed to them because of their social and/or economical standings. On the other hand, he feels that he's on a whole other plain because his eyes have been beaten open and he was forced to grow up a little faster than he wanted too or was ready too. I feel that Judd Nelson's character is the most crucial to the movie. He is the key to this whole new self-awareness for everyone, including himself.
The nerd (Anthony Michael Hall) is the quintessential geek. His every woken moment is spent learning. He hides behind his grades and in fact, he wants to be more accepted by the "cooler" groups. He also is a little "cocky" about his better grades and academically superiority to the other people in the room.
The weirdo (Ally Sheedy) is a loner and an outcast. She doesn't have friends that we (the viewers) know of. Because her parents ignore her, She feels ugly and without a place in the world. She is starving for positive attention. I think her character was needed in this movie to balance off the cast. It would have left out a very critical part of teen angst!
Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason) is the "Villain" of the movie. To the kids, he represents the out of touch older generation and the mean spirited, high testosterone adult. For Richard Vernon, these kids are the source of his anger and agony. He has lost touch with the younger generation for 1 reason, he got older...and the older you get, the harder it is to relate to youth. Youth recycles right before your eyes, but you keep getting older. His character is the key that releases these kids. He helps them to strip away the blindfolds and to take a fresh look at every thing and everyone (including themselves).

This leads to the 3rd and final part of the movie. Where they cleanse themselves of all the pentad up anger and prejudices, where they experience a sort of rebirth. When the kids realize that they all have the same goal, they were just taking different roads to reach it. I also like the fact that Anthony Michael Hall's character, the nerd, has the last word and Judd Nelson's character, the criminal, gets the last scene. I think it was poignant that the 2 groups that are pushed the furthest down the social ladder get to close out the movie and punctuate the message that is being given' to a person that represents the source of their anguish. I highly recommend The Breakfast Club and it should go down as one of the all time great teenage movie!

18 of 20 found the following review helpful:

A "Brat Pack" Classic!!Jun 21, 2001

This movie is probably my favorite of all time. I own the VHS edition and the DVD. The story revolves around 5 high school students who are forced to spend Saturday detention together. Judd Nelson plays the criminal, Emilio Estevez is the jock, Molly Ringwald is the princess, Anthony Michael Hall is the brain, and Ally Sheedy plays the basketcase. At the beginning of the movie they are total strangers with nothing in common, and by the end of the movie they each have bared their souls to each other and have become good friends. This is a great dramatic comedy that is a can't miss for anyone who loves great movies. These five actors have incredible chemistry, and this movie is an excellent showcase of their individual and collective talents. Each actor gives a gripping performance especially Judd Nelson who is outstanding in his role as the criminal. Directed by John Hughes, who also produced such classics as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Sixteen Candles", and "Weird Science". "The Breakfast Club" is truly one of the "new classics" that never gets old. If you have never seen this movie, you absolutely owe it to yourself to watch it. Get this one and get ready to run with the "Brat Pack"!

See all 385 customer reviews on Amazon.com