The Breakfast Club (1985)
They only met once, but it changed their lives forever.
Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 15 February 1985 |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama |
| Director | John Hughes |
| Starring | Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald |
| Runtime | 98 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 7.8/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 89% · Metacritic 66/100 · TMDB users 7.7/10 |
| Budget | $1 million |
Where to watch The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is streaming on Hulu ($21.49 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Hulu is $21.49 at list price.
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Rent or buy
You can rent The Breakfast Club on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and FlixFling. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Breakfast Club in 12 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Clarovideo |
| Australia | Binge $19.00 AUD, Foxtel |
| Brazil | Clarovideo |
| Canada | Netflix $18.99 CAD |
| Chile | Clarovideo |
| Colombia | Clarovideo |
| Ecuador | Clarovideo |
| India | Jiohotstar |
| Ireland | Skygo |
| Mexico | Clarovideo |
| Peru | Clarovideo |
| United Kingdom | Skygo |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
John Hughes directs a 1985 comedy-drama that runs 98 minutes. It takes place in a high school library on a Saturday, where five students with clashing social labels sit in a room with a principal who wants to break them. The film works because the archetypes start to crack. You watch the jock, the brain, the princess, the rebel, and the outcast realize their labels are just costumes. The power dynamic shifts from the adult in charge to the kids talking honestly. It is a tight, witty look at how much lies we tell to fit in. The ending suggests the school won’t be the same, but the truth is they probably will be.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes reports an 89% approval rating as of August 2024, with an average score of 7.8/10 from October 2021. Metacritic gives it a 66/100 as of July 2025. The numbers suggest a consensus that tolerates the talk. Roger Ebert called the performances "wonderful," noting the film needs no earthshaking revelations. Gene Siskel added that the confessional formula works here because it refuses to break out for a typical sex-or-violence scene. Not everyone agreed. Janet Maslin criticized the "fraudulent encounter-group candor," arguing Hughes flung the characters together.
How it did with audiences
It cost $1 million and took in $52 million. The arithmetic is simple enough for a high school drama club to handle. It debuted at No. 3 in February 1985, sitting just behind Beverly Hills Cop and Witness. On TMDB, users rate it 7.7 out of 10.
What came next for the cast
Molly Ringwald pivoted from Sixteen Candles (1984) to Riverdale (2017), The Kissing Booth (2018), and The Kissing Booth 2 (2020), a shift that feels less like a career arc and more like a time skip. Anthony Michael Hall traded Sixteen Candles (1984) and National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) for The Dark Knight (2008), Edward Scissorhands (1990), and Reacher (2022), a role that probably never leaves the audience’s memory. Emilio Estevez moved from The Outsiders (1983) and Repo Man (1984) to Young Guns (1988), The Mighty Ducks (1992), and Maximum Overdrive (1986), proving that range is just another word for unpredictability. The credits cannot say this film caused those specific turns. They can only say what came next.
Where it left its mark
The film has secured a place in the canon of American coming-of-age cinema. Scholar Björn Sonnenberg-Schrank labeled it the Citizen Kane of the teen genre. Its standing is visible in the rankings; Empire magazine placed it at number 38 on a 2014 list, while Entertainment Weekly named it the top high school movie. Even the superhero franchise has borrowed its energy, with Sebastian Stan calling Thunderbolts* "The Breakfast Club of Marvel." The cast has returned for tribute and parody over the years.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Breakfast Club.
Sources
- The Breakfast Club on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q499152 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Breakfast Club” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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