The Breakfast Club is a classic coming-of-age film written and directed by John Hughes. It was released in 1985 and has become a cultural touchstone, influencing many other films and television shows. John Hughes also directed the 1980s classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Here are 16 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know about The Breakfast Club
1. The film was shot in just 28 days.
2. The main characters in the film were played by actors who were relatively unknown at the time, including Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, and Molly Ringwald.
3. The film was a commercial success, earning over $51 million at the box office. The film was made on an estimated budget of $1 million.
4. The Breakfast Club received critical acclaim and is often considered one of the greatest films of the 1980s.
5. The film’s title refers to a group of high school students who are serving detention on a Saturday. Each of the students represents a different social group or clique within the school.
6. The film’s memorable closing monologue, delivered by character Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall), has been frequently quoted and has become a cultural touchstone.
7. The Breakfast Club was supposed to be the first movie in a new film series. The movie was initially conceived of as a franchise-starter, with subsequent entries “checking in” on the characters.
8. Rick Moranis was originally cast as one of The Breakfast Club‘s key characters. He was eventually replaced due to “creative differences” (he wanted to play the part as an over-the-top Russian stereotype). The role was ultimately played by John Kapelos.
9. A lot of now-A-listers auditioned for The Breakfast Club. Robin Wright, Jodie Foster, and Laura Dern auditioned for the role of Claire. Meanwhile, John Cusack was considered for the role of Bender, as was Nicolas Cage.
10. The marijuana the kids smoke in the film was actually oregano.
11. The Breakfast Club originally included a dream sequence. The sequence, in which Allison (Ally Sheedy) imagines Andrew as a gluttonous Viking, Bender as a prisoner, Claire as a bride, Brian as an astronaut, and herself as a vampire, was cut from the final version.
12. Allison’s dandruff, which she sprinkles to “make it snow,” was made of Parmesan cheese.
13, Judd Nelson was the oldest cast member at the time of filming; he was 26.
14. The Breakfast Club is the second film in Hughes’s “teen trilogy,” appearing between Sixteen Candles(1984) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
15. The film begins with a quote from David Bowie’s song “Changes,” chosen by actress Ally Sheedy. This quote sets the tone for the movie’s message. “Changes” has also been featured in other popular films like Shrek 2 and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.
16. The film’s main cast became known as the “Brat Pack,” a label for a group of young actors who frequently appeared in teen films during the 1980s.
Well, there you have it, 16 Interesting Facts that you didn’t know about The Breakfast Club. If I left out something important, feel free to comment below.
Check out the trailer for the film below:
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