The Breakfast Club (1985)

Five teenagers, one library, and a makeover at the end that nobody has been able to defend since 1985. Allison gets more interesting the less she fits in, then the movie tidies her up and calls it growth. The way Bender treats Claire also plays a lot rougher now than it did back then. Real problems, both of them. Here’s why it still works: John Hughes takes the cliques seriously. The jock, the brain, the princess, the rebel and the loner sit down, and each one turns out to be dragging something heavy from home. Judd Nelson plays Bender like a lit fuse who won’t stop talking, Paul Gleason’s Vernon is every worn-out vice principal rolled into one, and the dance break in the library is pure goofy joy. A reported $1 million budget, $46.4 million domestic, and every teen ensemble since owes it rent. A 7.6 because the heart is real even when the ending isn’t. $1,531 says you try to figure out which of the five you were in high school, then lie about it.

What works: John Hughes treats teenage problems like they matter, and the cast makes each stereotype feel like a real kid.

What doesn’t: Allison’s makeover ending undercuts her whole arc, and Bender’s behavior toward Claire has aged badly.

Who it’s for: Anyone who ever sat in detention, or felt boxed into one label in high school.