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Stereotypes In The Breakfast Club

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The Role of Stereotypes in Film Many teen movies focus on the stereotypes of high schoolers. One of the most notable of these films is The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes, starring Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, John Kapelos, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. The Breakfast Club tells the story of five teens, described in their own words as Claire the princess, Brian the brain, Andrew the athlete, Bender the criminal, and Allison the basket case. These teens, while all very different, are united when serving detention on a Saturday. Under the supervision of Mr. Vernon, the schools assistant principal, the teens are expected to write a thousand-word paper about who they think they are. However, after …show more content…

Their experience not only leads to them gaining a greater understanding of themselves, but also of the others. While The Breakfast Club utilizes and reinforces high school stereotypes, it also uses them to address meaningful themes, such as how assumptions affect perception, and how when stereotypes are set aside, people are more similar than they appear. 
 Like many other teen movies, The Breakfast Club explores different stereotypes. Many of these stereotypes are apparent from the very first scene, when each teen is arriving at the school to serve their detention time. Claire, the princess, arrives first. Her label as the princess is quite fitting - she arrives in a BMW, driven by her father who coddles her. "I'll make it up to you," (The Breakfast Club) Claire's father tells her when she complains about wasting her Saturday in detention, which only plays into her stereotype as a spoiled princess. Brian, the brain, arrives next. His stereotype as the nerd is made clear when his mother does everything in her power to make sure he will be studying during detention. After Brian, the audience sees Andrew, the athlete. Like Claire and Brian, Andrew's stereotype is apparent from the start. He is wearing a state letterman

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