College students look back on high school with a plethora of emotions. Whether high school was a period to be reminisced with fondness or resentment, there is some solace in the fact that it is—and most definitely can stay—in the past. But for Geneseo students, these adolescent memories were revived on Friday Sept. 18 during Kino’s showing of The Breakfast Club. Kino provides popular movie showings for free to Geneseo students and The Breakfast Club did not disappoint. This cult classic—directed by John Hughes—has been met throughout the years with great acclaim. Entertainment Weekly ranked The Breakfast Club first on its list of “The 50 Best High School Movies” in 2006—despite the fact that the movie premiered in 1985. This is only one of many accolades for the film. The Breakfast Club was a colossal success for Hughes; the movie was and still is enjoyable today because it’s relatable to students everywhere—even 30 years after its release.
Kino specifically showed The Breakfast Club on Friday Sept. 18 as a nod to Molly Ringwald, who played ‘princess’ Claire Standish in the film. Ringwald was in Geneseo to perform cover songs from her debut jazz album Except Sometimes on Saturday Sept. 19—but the day before, it was her acting that students came together to appreciate.
Claire was one of five main characters stuck in a library for Saturday detention, each character representing their own respective high school stereotypes. In addition to Claire, Geneseo students can relate to basket case Allison Reynolds, nerd Brian Johnson, jock Andrew ‘Andy’ Clarke and criminal John Bender.
“The one I could relate to the most is some sort of combination of Andy and Brian,” Kino coordinator sophomore Francesco Bruno said.
Junior Elise Johnson echoed the same sentiment after viewing the movie. “I’d want to say Bender—because he’s Bender—but it’d be Andy and Brian,” she said. “I’m more of a blend of a few of them.”
The irony of the situation was alive in the room—college students watched the five high school characters interacting in a high school library while the college students were watching the movie in a college classroom. The spell was broken only when an audience member would laugh—students would have to remember it was Newton Hall they were in and not their past high schools.
“I think the movie deals a lot with having to deal with being put into a box when people start thinking of you under a specific title,” Bruno said. “Like for a few years, I was a jock and I started doing other things and it was a weird breaking point, [like in the movie].”
Kino will be showing another engaging high school coming-of-age-story. The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Oct. 3 at 8:30 p.m.