The Breakfast Club

Cast is entirely White, with no notable diversity in any area of representation. Anti-gay slurs.

A teen wields a knife but doesn't use it. He shows a scar, claiming it was caused when his father burned him with a lit cigar. Reacting to a bully, a teen threatens to beat the bully up. A teen describes taping a weaker kid's buttocks together. Another teen describes suicidal ideation/plans due to a low grade. A teacher shoves a bully and threatens to beat him up. A janitor blackmails a teacher. A sexual assault situation portrays the victim as ultimately empathizing with and choosing to make out with her violator.

Teens are pressed to discuss virginity. A teen boy places his head between a girl's knees without her consent. A student pretends to be a "nymphomaniac" and claims someone "nailed me." Many sexual references: "Did you slip her the hot beef injection?" "Riding the hobby horse?" A girl kisses a boy she had seemed to hate.

"Damn," "screw," "nuts," "turd," "dildo," "puke," "beaver shot," "slut," "ass," "s--t," "f--k," "bitch," "shut up," "pr--k," "scumbag," "f-g," and "f--got."

Teens smoke pot, with positive consequences (it helps them start getting along). One smokes cigarettes in the school library. A student claims to drink vodka.

Parents need to know that The Breakfast Club is a popular '80s film that deals with edgy teen issues. Topics such as suicide, depression, social alienation, materialism, sex, and physical and emotional abuse are discussed openly. The teen characters use very strong language, including "f--k," mock authority figures, and smoke pot in the school library (which is when they finally start getting along, so it's not presented with negative consequences). One also smokes cigarettes, pulls out a switchblade, and makes lewd gestures. He reveals cigar burns on his body as evidence of his father's abuse. Gallantly reacting to a bully, a teen threatens to beat the bully up. But the same teen also describes taping a weaker kid's buttocks together as a "prank." A student tells about his suicidal ideation due to a low grade. A teacher shoves a bully and threatens to beat him up. In one scene, a teen boy puts his head between a teen girl's legs even though she repeatedly tells him to leave her alone; despite this assault and his humiliation of her, she later makes out with him, which sends a very mixed message. The film does encourage the breakdown of stereotypes and social barriers as a means of identification and improved communication, and the characters' honesty has always resonated very strongly with many real-life teens.

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