It was a cloudy and chilly day here today (very strange for Tahoe summers!) so between being sleepy from a late Saturday night and looking at a chilly outside, we weren’t jazzed about any outdoor activities. Staying inside wrapped in a blankie sounded very nice. And a movie sounded good…but what? We narrowed it down to The Breakfast Club, Wall Street or Less Than Zero. My friend Helen had not seen ANY of them?!?!?! Such classics! She said she thinks she saw pieces of Wall Street in Econ Class but feel asleep in that class. :)
We decided on The Breakfast Club. A classic. And really – you need to see this movie at least once in your life. I can recite the dialogue for most of the movie. Not quite like I can for the original Star Wars trilogy but pretty close. I cannot count the times I have seen this movie. And I remember the first time very clearly – at a theater in Burbank. I loved the movie and can remember identifying/associating the characters with my friends as I watched it
Yes, I actually did have friends that fit these characters almost perfectly. I know the point of the movie is to see a little of each of these characters in you. That everyone has all or some of these (or other) qualities inside. And can’t just be put into 1 box. But sometimes the label fits too.
My friend Siouxie (yes, spelled like the “and the Banshees) fit the Basketcase almost perfectly. Not 100% but 90% at least. She definitely had a little of the Princess in her too…like when she would beg to do my eye make-up so that I would wear more than just lip gloss! She did like to wear that black sh** though ;-) I have never worn much make-up and my girlfriends have always tried to get me to wear more. And Siouxie was always the chief instigator of that. I still don’t wear that much makeup most days but did learn and appreciate how to wear more eye make-up and I owe that pretty much to her. I think she still likes to imagine herself the Basketcase even now but she is a ridiculously well-rounded, responsible and sane grown-up :)
My crush Jason was Andrew Clark to a T. Even Emilio’s twin in looks. I remember being out at the movies with him and being asked by girls if he *was* Emilio. Imagine the head inflating that occurs in a 17-yr old boy from that…I think he even had that exact same jeans/tank/sweatshirt outfit that Andrew/Emilio wore and he did wrestle in high school. I wonder what he is doing now…
Donny was Bender. Actually, I think I knew a few Benders. And Brains too. All my girlfriends loved Bender/Judd Nelson the most. I always thought this was strange. In no way did I see that. I’m sure this made my parents quite happy though :)
Me? Well…not entirely sure it’s that easy. But I did have Claire’s exact outfit :) Diamond studs even…from my Dad as a Christmas gift. LOVED those boots. I searched high and low for those! My skirt was suede. Not sure if hers was? And I do still wear a lot of pink and brown as a favorite color combo. I have some Brain/Geek in me too. Probably much more obvious on the geek side :) But I never tried any drugs or went along with people because of peer pressure. I guess maybe that was a teeny part of the Basketcase in me :)
I don’t think your heart dies when you grow up. I do think you grow more cynical. But this isn’t always a bad thing. Not everyone is the world is deserving of your trust, or friendship. Even if you have an interesting few hours or interactions with them. I liken it to taking your dog to the dog park. They might not get along with all the dogs there. Their tales start to twitch and hackles stand up. And that’s ok. Some dogs (or people) just smell wrong :)
My favorite song from a great soundtrack and one of my favorite scenes of the movie:
While watching the movie today, my husband told me this was his least favorite of the brat pack/teen movies. WHAT?! He said he didn’t identify with the characters at all as his school didn’t really have these same “types”. I counter that he just didn’t know them. Or see them that way. He went to high school in San Diego and hung out with the surfers. So he probably saw a fair amount of Spicollis :) but every school has a Brain, Athlete, Basketcase, Princess and Criminal…
