Top 19 Movies Similar To The Breakfast Club Update 04/2024

Movies Similar To The Breakfast Club

This coming-of-age picture, directed by John Hughes and released in 1985, is probably one of the most significant and critically acclaimed examples of the genre. Focusing on the slow growth of the characters’ relationships, it revolves around a simple plot. The youthful nerd, the attractive athlete, the spoilt princess, the strange misfit, and the disobedient criminal are all in detention together on a Saturday afternoon.

After initially having nothing in common, they slowly remove their stereotypical masks and discover that all of them are going through the same things and can empathize and passionately relate to one another. It’s not uncommon for films to explore and approach teenage years differently. It doesn’t matter if we can identify to the story or not; there will always be emotions, feelings, or possibly memories that come to mind because, after all, we’ve all been a teenager at some point. A list of films that we think are comparable to The Breakfast Club has been compiled by our team. If you’re interested, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu may have movies like The Breakfast Club available for streaming.

1. Heathers (1988)

Heathers (1988)

Starting with another classic, this one set within the confines of a high school. When Veronica (Winona Ryder) joins a group of rich girls called the “Heathers,” she becomes part of a popular group. She decides to leave the group after growing tired of her “mean girl” reputation and swiftly becomes involved with a homicidal plot involving a disaffected outsider. Peer pressure, gossip, and drama are all explored in this well-received black comedy about teenage life. Teenagers are depicted as growing up in a world of rage and competitiveness, where their social status frequently appears more significant than it should be.

2. Pretty In Pink (1986)

It’s great to see Molly Ringwald return in the role of the lead in this rom-com set in a volatile and clique-divided high school. Although the world of secret crushes, strained friendships, and front-step kisses is predictable, the warmth and charm of the film far outweigh the clichés. During her senior prom, Andie, a middle-class student, is approached by a lad from the snobbish “rich kids” group. Disregarding the cautions of her best friend Duckie, a friend who is secretly in love with her, she embarks on the exciting journey of teenage love. It’s a great performance by the redhead beauty from The Breakfast Club, and it brings back fond memories of the old movie classic.

3. Grease (1978)

Grease (1978)

This timeless musical puts us right back to the heart of adolescent conflict with its upbeat energy and unforgettable performances by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Characters are well-defined and engaging. On one one, we have Sandy, who is nave and innocent, while Danny, a bad kid with a defiant attitude, takes the lead. Because of all of the high school heartbreak and excitement, we have a story that cornily inspires the young people to express their feelings and impressions through dancing and singing, even though it is emotional and clichéd.

4. Stand By Me (1986)

However, even though this coming-of-age drama is about kids who are younger than most of the characters on the list, it highlights the significance of friendship at a time when parents may not fully understand the problems and fears their children are facing. Adapted from a Stephen King story and set to the tune of a classic Ben E. King song, we follow four 12-year-old boys on a journey to search for the body of a missing 12-year-old child in their neighborhood. Along the way, they learn and grow as a team as well as grow closer as their youth comes to an end and a new beginning dawns for them both.

5. American Graffiti (1973)

George Lucas co-wrote and directed this coming-of-age comedy with a diverse cast of actors, which was inspired by his own upbringing in the Californian city of Modesto and led him to become one of the most financially successful filmmakers of all time. When it’s set in the early 1960s, we’re taken back to the last night of summer for a bunch of high school grads, as they cruise down the street to the sounds of rock and roll. It’s full of interesting people and explores the attitudes, sentiments, goals, and regrets of these teenagers at the close of their famous high school experience. Everyone has to go through it at some point in their lives, after all.

6. Kids (1995)

Kids (1995)

When it comes to dealing with the subject of sex and drugs, this independent coming-of-age movie is clear about what it wants the audience to understand about how young people make decisions when they’re lost in a world where they probably don’t know better than to do what they do. Larry Clark, the director, has based the story on a day in the life of a group of teens who indulge in sexual activity without parental consent and spend their time drinking, smoking, and skating. In the meantime, others loiter in the city’s parks and on the streets, while a lone HVI-positive individual attempts to track down a second. You won’t get a warm fuzzy feeling after seeing it since there’s no happy ending, but there is a social commentary and serious warning about the dangers these kids face that’s perhaps even more essential.

7. The Perks of Being A Wallflower (2012)

Going through high school can be a challenge, especially if you’re a newcomer and have to make friends in a classroom full of strangers who could be as kind as they are critical of your appearance. Young Charlie, who was hospitalized for depression, is about to attend his freshman year of high school. His introversion makes him an outcast in the fast-paced high school environment, and he has trouble making friends until he meets Sam and Patrick, two seniors who introduce him to a more exciting way of life and show him what it’s all about. With Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller leading the ensemble, it’s a superb depiction of adolescent hardships and how strengthening bonds and friendships makes life more pleasant and less burdensome.

8. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

These delightfully amusing and endearing romantic comedies have characters that are reminiscent of the five heroes in detention, due to their stereotyped portrayal, which is yet transcended by their inner parallels and growth in attitude. Every type of high-schooler and clique is undoubtedly covered, from the nice and innocent new student to the well-liked beauty queen and the egotistical senior. There are also the rebellious bad boy, the geek, and the antisocial disagreeable sibling to consider. When the stories of several characters are intertwined, we are once again confronted with the gossip effects and judgmental miscommunications of teenage years. A person with feelings and confused mismatches lies beneath every first impression. These are characteristics of growing up that this light-hearted film examines in an engaging and fun way.

9. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Like in “The Breakfast Club,” we’re introduced to a diverse cast of stereotypical people who, beneath their well-defined personalities, show a range of emotions and impulses that bind them all together in the meticulous yet ordinary world of adolescence.. The story is set in the late 1970s and follows various groups of new seniors and arriving freshmen on their last day of high school, where initiation ceremonies and parties will throw their path into the air, unraveling wild and eventful adventures to the beat of a glorious and feisty rock n’ roll playlist. As another masterpiece in the coming-of-age genre, it has a vast ensemble cast that includes actors such as Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck as well as actors such as Adam Goldberg and Milla Jovovich, among others.

10. Thirteen (2003)

Despite the fact that it was released 20 years later and was addressed in a darker and harsher manner, when it comes down to the basic themes, many of the same themes were tackled in John Hughes’ 1985 classic. Thirteen-year-old Tracey’s life changes when she meets popular and rebellious Evie and loses her good-girl image. Provocative dress, sex, drink, and drugs join her lifestyle, causing strife in her family. This adolescent’s existence is marked by the high school urge to “fit in,” to “be cool,” and to find a place in the world of judgment and social construct. The same can be said for the grownups around her, whose lack of understanding and dismissiveness simply serve to increase her confusion.

11. Sixteen Candles (1984)

In “Sixteen Candles,” directed by John Hughes a year before “The Breakfast Club” was released, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, who would reunite in the forthcoming classic, were introduced to the disturbing and convoluted adolescent world. High school student Samantha repeatedly feels embarrassed when her sixteenth birthday is missed by her family because of the marriage of one of her sisters slated for the day after. In this coming-of-age comedy. This film captures adolescence in all its complexity, from the problems, insecurities, and triumphs, through classroom sequences, bus rides, and free-house parties.

12. Booksmart

Booksmart

Booksmart, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, is a lighthearted but thought-provoking comedy about adolescence in which the core thesis is that high school is war. Although Wilde’s direction keeps Booksmart tight and focused, the connection between actors Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein is what really makes the film shine.

They may not have been best friends in real life, but they acted them convincingly in the movie, so it’s safe to assume they got along on the set of the film.. They portray two high school students who, after years of working hard in the classroom to ensure a great future for themselves, decide to loosen up and have a good time.

13. Clueless

“As if!” she exclaimed. Cher Horowitz, Alicia Silverstone’s character in Amy Heckerling’s modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, became a cultural phenomenon. Early in his acting career, Paul Rudd plays the new stepbrother Cher develops love for. It is based on a bizarre novel, but at least they are not blood relatives.

The box office success of this film, as well as his role in the hit television series Friends, helped launch Rudd’s illustrious career. Aside from Cher’s disastrous driving test and her attempts to sound intellectual to her crush, Silverstone steals every scene she appears in. Because Clueless is one of the most distinctly ’90s films ever made, it will appeal to everyone with a soft spot for that decade.

14. Accepted

Some students put in a lot of effort during their senior year of high school, and as a result, they receive good marks and are accepted without issue at one of their top college choices. Then there are the rest of the children in the class. A small percentage of high school graduates fail to put in the effort necessary to get into a four-year university or institution of their choice.

One of those films called Accepted, and it’s about those young people. Justin Long plays a high school student who is turned down by every university to which he applies. Because he doesn’t want to disappoint his father, he creates his own institution of higher learning. Long’s high school buddy, played by Jonah Hill, gets accepted to a prominent university only to be hazed by a fraternity. Hill’s early career performance is hilarious.

15. Juno

Juno

The story of Ellen Page and Michael Cera in Juno was inspired by screenwriter Diablo Cody’s own life experiences. The film’s titular heroine spends the entire runtime trying to figure out what she wants to accomplish.

As a result, she meets a couple (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) who are unable to have children of their own but are desperate to build a family. However, as the story unfolds, she finds herself growing unexpectedly connected to the infant. A lovely film that will move you to tears and laughter at the same time.

16. Fast Times at Ridgemont High

In order to create the non-fiction book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, Cameron Crowe went undercover as a high school student for a period of time. When the novel became a bestseller and Hollywood realized its filmmaking potential, Crowe was brought on board to adapt the book into a high school comedy.

Instead of following a plot, it follows a tone. Unrestrained by a concept or topic, it’s a collection of short stories centered on the same group of high school students. High school life is captured beautifully in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

17. Superbad

When Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were just 13 years old, they began composing the script for Superbad. People have since joked that it is the only movie in which virgins in high school are attempting to get laid by writing it themselves.

Rogen and Goldberg honed a script that was humorous, poignant, and precisely organized over the course of dozens of revisions, working with mentor and producer Judd Apatow along the way. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera star in Superbad as two high school seniors who are invited to a hip party for the first time.

18. Mean Girls

Mean Girls

Tina Fey used a non-fiction book called Queen Bees and Wannabes as inspiration for the screenplay for this entertaining high school comedy. Fey based the screenplay on the book’s themes of social hierarchy in high schools, and used Lindsay Lohan at the height of her powers to play Cady, an outsider who comes at a new American high school and notices the strange behavior of her peers.

Her parents raised her on the African plains while they studied the region’s animals. She starts to see some hilarious and illuminating parallels between her high school experience and her newfound knowledge of animals.

19. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, filmed and written by The Breakfast Club’s John Hughes, captures the essence of what it is to be young and free in a world full of limitless possibilities.

A cool high school guy (played by Matthew Broderick in a career-defining role) takes a day off to see Chicago with his girlfriend and his best buddy, and Hughes uses this movie to teach all kinds of wisdom and life lessons, including (but not limited to), “Life moves pretty fast.”. You might miss it if you don’t take a break and look around every now and again.

Aside from being a writer, comedian, and director, Ben Sherlock is also a stand-up comedian. As a screenwriter, he works on listicles for Screen Rant and game features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s been pre-producing his first feature picture for a time now due to the high cost of filmmaking. Meanwhile, he’s working on a number of short films in pre-production. In the past, he’s worked with sites like Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop as a writer. Any pub in the UK willing to have him play standup there will have him.