Molly Ringwald explains why ‘The Breakfast Club’ is “troubling”
Whilst John Hughes’ 1985 movie The Breakfast Club has long been hailed as one of the definitive coming-of-age films, thanks to its memorable story, iconic cast and the timeless use of Simple Minds song ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, the movie contains some incredibly alarming moments, according to modern audiences and its star, Molly Ringwald.
Notably, the movie tells the story of five high schoolers from different social backgrounds. For various reasons, they serve a Saturday detention run by their strict vice principal, Richard Vernon. 1980s youth icon Molly Ringwald plays Claire Standish in the film, a “princess” placed in the class for skipping school to go shopping. She is also put in a challenging situation by her parents, who are on the brink of divorce and use her as a pawn in their disputes.
In an essay written for The New Yorker in 2018, Ringwald highlighted that some of the scenes from the 1985 movie have aged terribly, with some that are very “troubling”. In the piece, Ringwald revealed that she realised that Claire was sexually harassed by the bad boy John Bender when watching the film with her daughter.
She said: “At one point in the film, the bad-boy character, John Bender, ducks under the table where my character, Claire, is sitting, to hide from a teacher. While there, he takes the opportunity to peek under Claire’s skirt and, though the audience doesn’t see, it is implied that he touches her inappropriately.”
Continuing: “I was quick to point out to my daughter that the person in the underwear wasn’t really me, though that clarification seemed inconsequential. We kept watching, and, despite my best intentions to give context to the uncomfortable bits, I didn’t elaborate on what might have gone on under the table.”
Whilst Ringwald’s daughter seemed unfazed, she couldn’t help but find it disconcerting. In the most uncomfortable point of the essay, given recent news stories of the violence women have suffered at the hands of men for spurning their romantic advances, she noted how Bender’s rejection “inspires his vitriol”.
She asserted: “I can see now, Bender sexually harasses Claire throughout the film. When he’s not sexualising her, he takes out his rage on her with vicious contempt, calling her ‘pathetic,’ mocking her as ‘Queenie.’ It’s rejection that inspires his vitriol… He never apologises for any of it.”
This also caused Ringwald to reflect on her other roles, including that of the 16-year-old Sam Baker in John Hughes’ 1984 directorial debut, Sixteen Candles. This character is also subjected to shocking misogyny by her male counterparts. By this point, there is no doubt that the late filmmaker’s efforts have aged terribly.
Ringwald postulated: “John’s movies convey the anger and fear of isolation that adolescents feel, and seeing that others might feel the same way is a balm for the trauma that teenagers experience. Whether that’s enough to make up for the impropriety of the films is hard to say – even criticising them makes me feel like I’m divesting a generation of some of its fondest memories, or being ungrateful since they helped to establish my career. And yet embracing them entirely feels hypocritical.”
