If the words “teenage rebellion” don’t embody the 80s in one’s mind, that person obviously hasn’t seen the classics.
In the cozy living room of Cooper House on Thursday night, the only sounds to be heard were the crunching of popcorn and the angsty music and voices of teenage rebellion in The Breakfast Club.
A group of students, many who are a part of the American Studies Program at the University of Wyoming, gathered to watch and discuss this quintessential 1980s high school movie.
The Breakfast Club was directed by John Hughes, who is also known for his milestone hits Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Hughes was adept at creating a teenage world many people could identify with, although his films were predominantly aimed to relate to the white, suburban middle class of the 1980s and 1990s.
One of the organizers of the Cooper House Film Series, Molly Sublett, believed the emerging Generation X inspired the characters of The Breakfast Club. She said, “this was the first generation to grow up with an assumption that they were very special.” Sublett said this was likely because of their “significantly wealthy upbringing compared to past generations.”
Her idea was seen throughout the movie through the spoiled and arrogant ways many of the characters acted towards authority and each other. This was also discussed later on by the group of students at Cooper House after enjoying the film.
Because of the Cooper House Film Series association with the UW class A Look at Pop Songs in Film, music was a heavily discussed topic within the group after watching The Breakfast Club. Prominent song usage appeared in action-packed scenes, especially when trying to show the group bonding. For example, when the students were running down the hall trying to avoid their teacher, when they dance together in the library and of course the classic ending song, “Don’t You Forget About Me”, by Simple Minds.
These songs were chosen to assist the acting in portrayal of teenage rebellion and feelings of distrust towards authority figures.
