“I don’t think of kids as a lower form of the human species.”-John Hughes. The films of the late John Hughes culminated the influence of a generation in comedy, while marking an advent of cinematic ingenuity during the 1980’s. Selling jokes and working in the offices of National Lampoon Magazine, Hughes arrived on-screen in his early 30’s. Ushering in a series of teen hits such as, Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), and Pretty in Pink (1986), Hughes established himself as a storyteller by attracting an array of audiences. In exploring the limitations of comedic cinema, he created a masterpiece with The Breakfast Club; a simple, yet powerful film that projected humor through teenage drama in a
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His techniques project humor FIRST, and then layers of sentiment and persona emerge after tensing situations. Mild comedy throughout The Breakfast Club provides entertainment, but also masks the damaged cores of its characters. Bender, Andrew, Claire, Brian, and Allison are witty because Hughes has lived every line of their lives, and so has the audience. Comedy is innate in teenagers, just ask Brian. “What do you need a fake ID for? Andrew asks, “So I can vote.” Brian responds. Hughes is aware his characters have thick shells, so to create meaningful situations he had to peel back layer upon layer of defense to give substance to the narrative. John Bender is the callous leader who sheds baggage and leaves trails of comedic gold in its path. His character no more vulnerable than when he criticizes Claire: “You know what I got for Christmas this year? It was a banner f***** ' year at the old Bender house, I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me by the collar and said "Hey, smoke up Johnny." Laughter is generated, but at the expense of his dented psyche. In his rules of cinematic comedy, Matthew de Abaitua notes: “jokes come out of characters and they shouldn’t be imposed on them.” Throughout The Breakfast Club, John Hughes never forces dialogue; his characters don’t need modifications, their pessimistic outlooks on life are enough to make them
His techniques project humor FIRST, and then layers of sentiment and persona emerge after tensing situations. Mild comedy throughout The Breakfast Club provides entertainment, but also masks the damaged cores of its characters. Bender, Andrew, Claire, Brian, and Allison are witty because Hughes has lived every line of their lives, and so has the audience. Comedy is innate in teenagers, just ask Brian. “What do you need a fake ID for? Andrew asks, “So I can vote.” Brian responds. Hughes is aware his characters have thick shells, so to create meaningful situations he had to peel back layer upon layer of defense to give substance to the narrative. John Bender is the callous leader who sheds baggage and leaves trails of comedic gold in its path. His character no more vulnerable than when he criticizes Claire: “You know what I got for Christmas this year? It was a banner f***** ' year at the old Bender house, I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me by the collar and said "Hey, smoke up Johnny." Laughter is generated, but at the expense of his dented psyche. In his rules of cinematic comedy, Matthew de Abaitua notes: “jokes come out of characters and they shouldn’t be imposed on them.” Throughout The Breakfast Club, John Hughes never forces dialogue; his characters don’t need modifications, their pessimistic outlooks on life are enough to make them