Topic: Compare and Contrast Essay. Time spent: too long.
Two New Classics
The 1980�s were considered a time of revolutionary change for the upcoming generations. New trends in music, clothing, and even movies were beginning to hit the scene. A major influence in the movie industry during this time was director and screenplay writer, John Hughes. Hughes was defined by his knack for depicting the teenager of those times. Each of his films during this period of time featured a theme in which teenagers and young adults could relate to. These movies provided a source of comfort to many young Americans during the confusing and troubling times known as the teenage years. Two of these movies, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller�s Day Off fit in this genre and had many similarities in their making process, but few similarities in their themes.
The Breakfast Club (TBC) broke the mold from all of the other 1980�s teen genre movies. Written in 1985 by Director John Hughes, it clearly crossed the line from an outrageous comedy, such as his other films, and boarded on drama. TBC takes place in a fictional high school in the fictional town of Shermer, IL. John Hughes has a brief cameo in the film in which he is seen as a character�s father. Before releasing the film, the producers were apprehensive about its success. They feared it would be considered to be just another teen movie by Hughes and audiences would steer away from it. The movie was deemed a success when its gross income earned the company $38,100,000.
TBC was a movie that accurately depicted the changing times of the 80�s. The movie took place in a high school library in which five high school students were serving Saturday detention. The characters were based off of stereotypical visions of high school students. There was a jock, a punk, a princess, a basket case, and a brain. Throughout the course of the movie, each of these five young men and women are faced with dealing with various problems of their lives. Each of them talks of problems they have at home and with their parents and peers. Although the movie is defined as a comedy, there are scenes throughout the movie that could qualify it as a drama. The principal in TBC plays the nemesis. The group of five spends the day sneaking around him and they are constantly joining forces to mock him. By the end of the adventurous day, the group has taught each other lessons that each will never forget. They have all formed an inseparable bond � some even romantically.
Ferris Bueller�s Day Off (FBDO) fit into John Hughes category of teen comedies more neatly than TBC. This movie was released a year after TBC, in 1986. Also set in Illinois, FBDO involved a fictional high school in the suburbs of Chicago. Hughes also makes a cameo appearance in this movie during a busy city scene. FBDO did much better business than TBC. Its gross income registered $70,136,369 and the main star, Matthew Broderick, was nominated for a Golden Globe.
FBDO was a story about a young man, Ferris Bueller, living up his last sick day of high school. Through much planning and scheming, he successfully gets his best friend and girlfriend involved in his plan for the day. Their principal, as in TBC, plays the part of the �bad guy�. The trio spends the entire day dodging him, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Bueller, who both believe their son to be very ill at home. From singing in a parade to going to a baseball game, these three high school students enjoy being young to the farthest extent. The movie is full of antics that bring about non-stop laughs and constant surprises. Also much like TBC, by the end of the movie, the bonds between the three have been strengthened and the romantic aspects remain strong. The movie teaches a person that, as the final line in the movie says, �Life moves pretty fast. If you don�t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.�
Whether the movie was being forced to spend extra time in school or about skipping out on school, both The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller�s Day Off have themes and plotlines that teenagers both of the 80�s and of today can relate to. These two John Hughes movies let people remember what it was like to be young and they each help teenagers realize that there are others who understand what they are going through. These two time honored movies have the ability to affect teens in the past, present, and future. As �the basket case� in The Breakfast Club says, �When you grow up, your heart dies.� These two movies may help to keep the heart alive in us all as we face the changing times and the days that lie ahead.