The Breakfast Club

The film, The Breakfast Club is a story of five, supposedly very different teenagers, who all happen to be serving detention on the same Saturday. They are each defined by different stereotypes, which, through the process of the film, they deconstruct to prove that they really aren't that different from each other. That aside, five definite stereotypes exist within the film, at least at the beginning, and they each send explicit and implicit messages about how each subgroup of people is supposed to behave, which, in general (as most stereotypes are) are contradictory to reality. 

"The Princess"

The character Claire is labeled throughout the film as "the princess". She is seen as a spoiled rich girl who is uncaring and rude to others, particularly those who she deems to be lower than herself on the social ladder. This stereotype is placed on her because she is a white, middle class girl who is friends with "the popular girls", or rather is one herself. This, as most stereotypes are, is generally untrue. From my personal experience, there are many girls that fit the description of Claire that are genuinely kind people. So, I would say that in most cases, this depiction does not fit my perception of reality.

"The Brain"

The character of Brian is labelled as "the brain"- he is the stereotypical nerd who likes school, gets along with his parents, and doesn't have many friends. He is seen as "totally uncool" and picked on by his fellow students who are also serving in detention. He is hopelessly awkward, and tragically uncool. He is also a very unrealistic character. In my experience, the majority of teenagers get along well enough with their parents, and aren't ashamed of being intelligent. Also, people are not mocked and ridiculed for being "a nerd", at least the people I know. So, again, I would say that the depiction of Brian does not fit my perception of reality.

"The Jock"

Andrew is characterized as "the jock" and is the typical popular, sporty guy. He is respected by his fellow "popular kids" and is detested by those less popular. Although he is athletic and well liked, he is also kind and sensitive. I think that this is a far more realistic depiction of a teenage boy than the stereotypical athlete;  his character is more complex than some of the others in the film, as well. Although my judgement may be lacking, since I don't have much experience with the "athletic types" I still think that the depiction of Andrew in the film fits my perception of reality more thoroughly.

"The Criminal"  

The character of John Bender is the stereotypical bad guy, or "the criminal" of the movie. He has a troubled family life, misbehaves in school, gets bad grades and "has no future" according to his teachers. Again, as most characters in teen films are, this is a stereotype. Though, similar to the previous case, I can't say I have much experience with the "bad kid" types, but I would still say that this depiction is contradictory to my perception of reality.

"The Basket Case"

Finally, the character of Allison Reynolds, who is labelled "the basket case" is seen as a crazy girl with issues, to use the most casual terms. She is quiet and reserved, and her peers don't know much about her. She has strange mannerisms and terrible social skills. This character is difficult to analyze, because I have literally never encountered such a person in real life. But, because of my previous conclusions, I must assume that she is also an unrealistic stereotype, that likely would not conform to my perception of reality.

Despite the extreme stereotypes in the film, the story that plays out is meant to deconstruct those stereotypes and show that each person is individual and that people cannot be categorized by interests, abilities or socio-economic class. The conclusion to the film- that stereotypes are constructions and generally untrue, more than anything else, fits with my perception of reality.