A brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal are heading back to theaters as “The Breakfast Club” returns for its 40th anniversary.
Arguably the crux of the Brat Pack canon, John Hughes’ coming-of-age classic — starring Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson — will be re-released in cinemas nationwide on Sept. 7 and 10, just in time for the new school year.
First premiering in theaters in 1985, the box office hit follows the five high school stereotypes amid a grueling Saturday in detention. The day slowly but surely gives way to heartfelt confessionals, impromptu dance routines and unexpected love connections as Brian (Hall), Andrew (Estevez), Allison (Sheedy), Claire (Ringwald) and Bender (Nelson) drop their public personas and realize they’re not as different as they previously thought.
The film, dubbed “endearing” in the Daily News’ original review, almost immediately became a cultural sensation. Its theme song, Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” climbed to the top of the charts.
Its dialogue, both improvised by the cast and penned by Hughes — who was 59 when he died of a heart attack in New York City in 2009 — remains commonly quoted even four decades later.
“The fact that the film has had the life that it’s had, that it’s transcended generations, was certainly not something that any of us anticipated when we made the film,” Estevez told the Daily News in 2019. “How could you?”
The last time “The Breakfast Club” was widely available in theaters was in 2015, when a remastered edition was released in honor of its 30th anniversary. A year later, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, citing a “vivid” message that’s still relevant in present day.
“‘The Breakfast Club’ is one of the great films about identity, alienation and connection,” said Jim Orr, Universal Pictures’ president of domestic theatrical distribution. “The film’s honesty, humor and humanity continue to connect with audiences of all ages. We’re honored to bring it back to theaters so that a new generation can experience its power on the big screen.”
Tickets for the 40th anniversary screening of “The Breakfast Club” are currently on sale.
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