The Breakfast Club (2009)
Posted on March 3, 2008
Filed Under Featured, Social Freshness
Before anyone jumps on me for writing a post that isn’t about social media, please read it all the way through. Then you can jump on me all you want!
In 1985, John Hughes wrote and directed The Breakfast Club. It helped push the careers of five rising stars to achieve relative success. These members of The Brat Pack were quoted, emulated, and launched into the yearly playing schedule on TBS 23 years after the film was made.
In this era of unoriginality in Hollywood, they really should considered making a new version that takes everything about the movie a little closer to the edge. Why?
Why not?
Casting
Claire Standish - The Princess
While Molly Ringwald did a fine job playing the spoiled but sensitive popular girl in the original, her problems were just too minimal. You didn’t really feel that she was that snobbish, that pressured, or even that popular. Plug in Lindsay Lohan and make her a real bitch. Should’t be a stretch.
First, you have to make her more evil. Moviegoers love a pretty girl they hate. It isn’t that we have anything against pretty girls, but the ones who start off mean, learn their lesson, then befriend a geek or two are the ones who make today’s movies more enjoyable. It’s sad, but true. The new version of Claire made it to Saturday detention because she spread photoshopped images of her ex-boyfriend and her ex-best friend engaging in Paris Hilton style activities.
Brian Ralph Johnson - The Brain
He was troubled by getting a B, so he decided to try to kill himself with a flare gun. Sadly, comically, it went off in his locker. Anthony Michael Hall played this role as perfectly as anyone could have. He had the credentials through nerd role after nerd role before buffing up and turning psychic around the turn of the century. It will be hard to beat his performance, but we have someone in mind who should give him a run for his money.
Plug in Jason Schwartzman and you have a new age of nerd. Today’s nerds aren’t socially clueless like they once were. The Internet itself gives them resources for being semi-cool that they never had before. Now, at least, they can turn “hip” into a research project and have all the answers they need. With Schwartzman, the “I got a B so now I must die” argument doesn’t play. No, it needs to have more substance, more reality, more 21st century teen turmoil than a simple B. Our nerd is a hack. He did get a B, but instead of ending his promising future with Apple, he decided to make it more assured by changing it to an A. He would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for his uncontrollable desire to flunk one of the jocks out of their sports scholarships.
Andrew Clark - The Jock
Yes, wrestling is a sport, and wrestlers are jocks. Yes, Emilio Estevez could have been a wrestler. Still, it’s just hard to imagine calling Emilio Estevez a jock. But, throw in a sporty tank top in the 80’s and you’re a jock, so we went with it. This version of Andy picked on a younger member of his wrestling squad, duct taping his ass cheeks together. Funny, mean, but just wouldn’t fit in today’s world. In 1985, it was a prank. In 2009, it would be a sexual assault, so we’ll scratch it with the new version.
No, our choice for jock will be more focused on the end goal. He wants to make it to college sports and on to professional football or basketball or whatever, so, in keeping with the news of the era, our jock gets caught with performance enhancing drugs. Tom Welling played a jock in Cheaper by the Dozen and a super jock in Smallville. Why not be a Breakfast Club jock as well. It will be more believable coming from him when he says, “Two hits. I hit you, you hit the floor.”
Allison Reynolds - The Basketcase
Here is a big challenge. Where else can you find an actress who can shake her dandruff onto her paper so convincingly? This character was different from the beginning. Once we find out the reason she was in detention (she had nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon), we started thinking that there was some kind of mental issue here. She ended up pretty normally, even though her parents still ignored her and she most likely reverted to her black mascara.
The new version needs more issues. Getting ignored is normal for teens in the 21st century. We need something juicy. A drug addiction makes the most sense here. Our reinvented Allison is a meth-head. Basketcase means something totally different, but at least we won’t be whining about where this character fits into this group. Now, the actress: Julia Stiles. I know — too clean cut, too well spoken, too old, too… whatever. My only reply is: exactly. She needs a role that takes her to the edge. There is talent there, we just haven’t pushed her yet. This role will. It could easily be the central role in the whole movie.
John Bender - The Criminal
This one is the most important role in the new film, just as it was in the old film. It represented the real issues of the 80’s. It wasn’t the most common person from the perspective of teens being able to relate to him, but John Bender was the guy we rooted for. He was the jerk, but with a good heart. We liked it when he was right and the jock was wrong. We loved him when he then took the heat for it to allow the others to escape. Self-sacrifice. John Bender, the Judd Nelson version, was the first teen anti-hero (arguably).
Today, it doesn’t necessarily take a tough guy to be tough, a hard guy to be hard. Today, the loose cannons in school are the ones that you see and say “he could be normal”, but there’s just something not clicking for him. Shia Labeouf is our 21st century anti-hero. Don’t think he could do it? Read about him. You’ll soon see that, if it wasn’t for his break in Hollywood, he may have become the character we are describing. One difference in this version versus the original — this one headbutts the principal when he gets in his face.
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While I really wanted to get into the plot, we’ll have to save it for a future post. This one just turned out too long. So what does The Breakfast Club have to do with anything social? Not much. Just wanted to write it because it sounded interesting.
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Why on earth do you need a remake?
Shia Lebeouf? WTF!?!?
DO YOU REMEMBER TRANSFORMERS?
Next you will say Ferris needs to be re-cast as him as well. EVEN STEVENS WAS GOOD. END HIS REIGN.
shia lebeouf? freakin lame. julia stiles and jason Schwartzman are kinda old to play high school characters too. but i like the lindsay lohan plug in.
The hot guy couldn’t be the nerd. Basket Case was perfectly roles, as well as john bender. They are were amazing in the breakfast club!!!
I actually think it’s a good idea (not Shia Lebouf though, sorry he’s more of the nerd in my book) but I agree with the rest of your post, I would love to see a (well-done) remake.
I dunno, if this were to actually come full circle, I think those casting choices could be interesting. I thin Shia might be a good cast as the new bender, if he could pull it off, same with any of the other actors. I think I would go and see this movie. I’d be scared shitless that it’d be ruined by the new Hollywood spin,but I’d want to see it.
I actually just performed as Richard Vernon in a staged rendition of the Breakfast Club…
selfishly, I’m quite interested to see who you’d suggest for this role–keep in mind there IS a sympathetic side even to him!
Sorry, but I just don’t see it.
The Breakfast Club was an eighties bratpack film and it should stay that way. A remake would just be another over-used storyline set in a high school.
Who would play Vernon?
You can’t remake a classic like The Breakfast Club. NO NO NO…. I’m so sad….
Next you will be wanting to have remakes of Thriller and the giant cell phones. Remakes of classics don’t work, classics are classic.
Have you seen the remake of Gone with the Wind? How about Casablanca? Yeah, didn’t think so…. I don’t usually have such a strong opinion on things like this, but don’t screw with the 80s, in 20 years you will understand…
Michael Cera (super bad, Juno) should be “The Brain”
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article akfast Club (2009) | Soshable | Social Media Blog, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
Oh go to hell with this crap! Have you nothing better to do than suggest pointless remakes? Don’t bother! Hollywood can squat and push those out quite easily enough without you feeding the fire. And while we’re at it, get an editor. I see more stupid grammatical and punctuation mistakes on this damn site than almost anywhere else on the ‘net that is supposed to be “professional”.
We already think you’re stupid as hell. Why prove it?
this last guy sucks–don’t listen to him.
It’s a fun and harmless idea to entertain. I’d still love to hear who’ve got for Vernon…
The orignial cast could NOT be replaced! They ae amazing! Adore this film os much. Judd is HOTT!
No way…a remake is a terrible idea. Here’s an epiphany: Hey Hollywood…How about writing and creating original movies, instead of remaking old ones? The Breakfast Club was perfect as it was. I say leave it be.
ARE YOU SERIOUSLY DOING A REMAKE????
NONONONONONO!!!!
that would TOTALLY ruin it. that movie is 80’s fabulous, and you can’t try to make that movie again, have you noticed that almost ALL movies SUCK nowadays?
there are all lame and cheesy. YOU CAN’T RUIN IT.
and ALL REMAKES SUCK LIKE SHIT.
i’m probably going on and on, and this whole thing was hypothetical, but i dont care.
ohhhhhh
ramos, getting a little excited there?
i see what you mean,but…..its not the end of the world if they are idiots.
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ok,i guess i should stop now, because ive been replying to this verytime i see a comment i didnt read before
SHIA LEBEOUF!?! SHIA LEBEOUF!?! sorry to steal someones quote but WTF??? judd nelson in that role was the coolest guy on the planet u cant have shia lebeouf playing him….in fact i cant think of anybody that would do his part justice!!
i really hope there isnt a remake it would be so bad it would be an insult to the original….there ive had my rant i can go now lol
I’m sorry, just plain no.
The cast in this did some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in a teen movie, and replacing them with half-assed actors and changing their characters around just wouldn’t do the film justice. What I’m trying to say is that Anyone can make a “princess” snobby, but John Hughes did something different by going against the types, and by doing that, you’d be destroying the characters we’ve grown up with and identified with.
There’s no need to change any of the characters just because of the time periods they’re in, teen problems haven’t changed THAT much in the last 20 years. If someone were to cast genuinely good actors, and if the only thing they changed about the movie was the clothes, I would welcome a remake…but this…just wouldn’t work.
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y would you make a nother this is the best movie ever and all of the othe racters suck and ally sheedy is awsome
Sorry couldn’t agree with you less. The Breakfast club is a classic and a timeless teen movie. It should stay that way…a timeless piece of art.
Oh my gosh, the new Breakfast Club is such a good idea.
I really like how you incorporated two of today’s biggest stars, Shia and Lindsay, into this.
I know a lot of people are saying that since the original was so epic, you can’t possibly remake it, and make it good.
But I bet with all these stars it’s possible.
I seriously can’t wait to see how this turns out.
Good luck and I hope to see it soon!
i just watched the breakfast club last night and i love cheesy 80s movies. Molly Ringwald is such was such a famous actress in that time era and now lindsey lohan is going to replace her?!?!thats going to ruin the movie.i used to be a big fan of hers but through the years my opinion for her has gone down just like she has. i also think that allison is alittle old to play as a highschool student.i think shes a great actress and she is one of my favorites but maybe just alittle too old.idkk hopefully it turns out better than i think it will. if not sometimes old classics were just made to be left alone.
Well I love The Breakfastclub from the 80’s and don’t really mind a remake. As long as it sticks to the same role and nothing cheesy. I’ve seen many remakes of movies from the past. Some where really good. Some where really bad. But I could say that a remake of The Breakfast club with the actors of today, not to mention Tom Welling of TVs “Smallville” you’d bet it will be good. I just hope that the director doesn’t mess it up. And make the actors we love today look dumb.
So really there is no reason for all the hate. If no one wants to see the remake then don’t watch it. But I guess some people will anyway just to get a different opinion. So hope it’s great and not another bad remake. I bet it will be good. So anyone before you start saying “Oh this is gonna be horrible.” Just watch it when it comes out and you’ll never know, you could have second thoughts. Byes everyone.
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Hate to ruin everyone’s day but it IS being remade. Its called “Bumped” and has twentysomethings that normally would not relate stuck in an airport after they’ve been bumped off a flight . . . sound familiar?
What’s to stop them? They’ve dropped a load on our collective childhoods for the past 10+ years. All i’m saying is don’t be surprised because nothing, NOTHING is off limits. Be on the lookout for remakes of Ferris Bueller, Space Ghost and Johnny Sakko and his Flying Robot. Just prepare yourselves.