5 Movies That Only Exist Thanks To ‘The Breakfast Club’
40 years ago, writer-director John Hughes changed the trajectory of cinema with his iconic coming-of-age film, The Breakfast Club.
Featuring Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, and an ensemble cast of teens in detention, the film is often credited as an inspiration to several stories that have since followed.
Without 1985’s The Breakfast Club, many of our favorite movies could never have existed. It broke bounds with its philosophical musings on growing up and a level of authenticity not often seen in films that came before. It also makes a political statement, showing how rebellion by forming a community can still be an effective protest against authority. The Breakfast Club paved the way for several of our favorite movies, so here are five movies made possible by The Breakfast Club.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
The first film in the MCU’s Spider-Man adaptation, Spider-Man: Homecoming was infused with inspirations from ‘80s films. Tom Holland has said that he practiced his American accent by watching Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future, but as far as the film’s inspiration, Marvel actually encouraged director Jon Watts to pull inspiration from John Hughes’ films, according to an interview with Indie Wire. In addition, Zendaya’s version of MJ was deeply inspired by The Breakfast Club’s Allison, the dark “weirdo” seeking connection, according to a press conference.
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Six years after The Breakfast Club, John Singleton wrote and directed his own coming-of-age story, making John the youngest and first Black director nominated for a Best Director Academy Award. While Boyz n the Hood follows Tre as he reunites with childhood friends who have since been involved in the gang culture of Los Angeles, the coming-of-age and ensemble elements were pulled directly from The Breakfast Club. Singleton even shared with the Criterion Collection in 2018 that he connected with The Breakfast Club in 1985, when he was also in high school. “[Hughes] gave me the template,” he said of how the 1985 film influenced his 1991 directorial debut.
Empire Records (1995)
If The Breakfast Club was a voice for teen angst, rebellion, and self-discovery in the ‘80s, Empire Records was the same a decade later. While it didn’t reach the same heights of popularity or prevalence as its predecessor, director Allan Moyle and writer Carol Heikkinen delivered a lovable cult classic coming-of-age story. It follows a group of teens who work at an independent record store that is at risk of being taken over by a corporate chain. While the anti-capitalist storyline is secondary to the relationship between a group of misfit teens, both Empire Records and The Breakfast Club share rebellion against mainstream authority and ideologies. A crew member for Empire Records even called it “Breakfast Club at the record store.”
Dazed and Confused (1993)
It’s no surprise that a plethora of ‘90s films were inspired by John Hughes, who dominated the ‘80s with Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in addition to The Breakfast Club. An evolution of the teenage story genre, Dazed and Confused was Richard Linklater’s answer to The Breakfast Club. Richard is perhaps best known for the Before Sunrise trilogy, which has a similar style of philosophical musing throughout its script as The Breakfast Club. This style is also intrinsic to Dazed and Confused, which follows a group of teens organizing a start-of-summer rager. But unlike its predecessor, Richard set out to make characters who don’t fit into stereotypes, just teens living normal lives without overdramatizing their backstories.
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
There are plenty of films that inspired Not Another Teen Movie, which is essentially a parody film making fun of the iconic teen films of the ‘80s and ‘90s. However, it was so good at picking up the structure and tropes of its predecessors that it became a cult classic in its own right. Most importantly, however, Paul Gleason actually appears in the film as Vice Principal Vernon, reprising his role from The Breakfast Club and reminding everyone where all the teen ensemble movies began. In addition, Mitch Briggs and Ox were inspired by Breakfast Club characters John Bender and Andrew Clark, while Molly Ringwald also made a cameo. It may be a parody of all the teen movies that came before, but Not Another Teen Movie is also a celebration of the genre, giving credit where credit is due.
