The Breakfast Club Questions

Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.

  1. If The Breakfast Club were made again today, would the five different high school stereotypes the kids represent be different? What would they be?
  2. Do things like this ever happen in real life? Do moments of understanding occur between apparently different people? Or do our personalities all just bounce off each other?
  3. Who is the protagonist of the movie? Are all five kids protagonists? Or do one or two of them steal the show?
  4. Does the basic message of the movie still hold up? Are high school students still as clique-ish and judgmental today as they are in the film?
  5. Is it unfair that the "nerd" character—Brian Johnson—is the only one who actually has to (sort of) do the essay-writing assignment Vernon gave them? Is he still being blockaded into the nerd role?
  6. How will the Breakfast Club members relate to each other when they're back in school? Do you think their newfound solidarity will hold up under peer pressure?
  7. Does Vernon learn anything or change at all in the course of the movie?
  8. How do the adults relate to the kids in this movie? Do any of the adults or parents seem to understand the teenagers? What about the janitor?