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If you were a teenager during the ’80s (hello, Gen Xers!), all it takes is the opening chords and “hey, hey, hey, heeey” of the Simple Minds song “Don't You (Forget About Me)” to transport

you back 40 years ago to Feb. 15, 1985, when the blockbuster movie The Breakfast Club premiered.

Directed by John Hughes (who also gave us classics like  Sixteen Candles and  Pretty in Pink), the plot follows five high schoolers who spend a Saturday together in detention. There’s the

As Hughes explained in an interview with the website Flickering Myth in 2009, his goal was to make a realistic movie about teenagers: “People forget that when you’re 16, you’re probably more

serious than you’ll ever be again. Kids are smart enough to know that most teenage movies are just exploiting them.” 

But are YOU smart enough to ace our Breakfast Club quiz? Let’s find out!

The movie begins with a quote from what famous rock n’ roll singer?

The lyrics from Bowie’s “Changes” — “And these children that you spit on/ as they try to change their worlds/ are immune to your consultations/ they're quite aware of what they're going

through” — is the first thing we see on screen. The idea was suggested to director John Hughes by actress Ally Sheedy.

Every student had a different reason for ending up in detention. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

(Andy) Bringing a flare gun to school (Brian) Cheating on a test (Allison)

Allison is the only character who  didn’t land in detention because of some misdeed. She actually volunteered to be there. As she explained, “I didn’t have anything better to do.”

Question 3 of 13

True or false: Shermer, Illinois, the setting for The Breakfast Club, is a real Chicago suburb

Shermer exists only in the imagination of John Hughes, although it is based on a real place: Northbrook, Illinois, another Chicago suburb that was originally named Shermerville, and where

Hughes lived as a teenager. He used the same fictional setting numerous times. “Everybody, in all of my movies, is from Shermer, Illinois,” the filmmaker said in 1999.

In the opening montage, we briefly see a plaque at the school featuring photos of former students picked as “Man of the Year.” One of them is introduced later as an adult. What’s his

name?

There’s a good reason Carl (played by actor John Kapelos, 68) is the only empathetic adult in this teen-centric universe. As he tells the kids, he’s “learned a couple things” about teen life

after his years as a janitor. “I am the eyes and ears of this institution, my friends,” he says.

In an attempt to humiliate Mr. Vernon, Bender mockingly asks the vice principal if he’s been raiding the wardrobe of which pop performer?

Vernon responds to the insult by giving Bender the first of many new detentions and reminding him who’s really in charge. “Don't mess with the bull, young man,” Vernon says menacingly.

“You'll get the horns.”

What does Bender say that his abusive dad gave him for Christmas?

1 CORRECT!

INCORRECT

Getty Images 2 CORRECT!

INCORRECT

Getty Images 3 CORRECT!

INCORRECT

Getty Images 4 CORRECT!

INCORRECT

Bender angrily shared an anecdote about getting cigarettes for Christmas while berating Claire over her diamond earrings, a symbol to him of her privilege. “I bet those were a Christmas

gift, right?” Bender yells as Claire breaks down into tears. “You know what I got for Christmas this year? … I got a carton of cigarettes! The old man grabbed me and said ‘Hey, smoke up,

Johnny!’” And that may have been the least of the insults and physical abuse that Bender's dad inflicted on his family. Earlier, when Brian can barely believe that another story of abuse is

real, Bender asks him, “You wanna come over sometime?”

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