The Breakfast Club

Movie · 1985

This beloved 1985 teen drama follows five very different high-schoolers who open up to one another during a Saturday detention, exploring themes of identity, family pain, and social pressure in ways that are genuinely moving but written squarely for older teens and adults. Strong language, marijuana use, sexual references, discussions of abuse and suicide, and one scene of non-consensual physical contact make it a clear mismatch for young children.

Best suited for high-schoolers (roughly 15 and up) who are ready to talk through heavy emotional topics with a trusted adult.

Peril & tensionViolenceLoss & griefBig emotionsLanguageBehavior modeledRomance & innuendoDrinking, drugs & smokingOld-school gender roles

If you’d rather skip

Behavior modeledearly in the filmStrong

Bender makes sexually suggestive jokes and begins harassing Claire; this pattern of mocking and boundary-pushing continues throughout much of the film.

Drinking, drugs & smokingthe library detention scenes, roughly the middle actStrong

The group smokes marijuana together; the scene is played for bonding and humor with no negative consequences shown.

Romance & innuendothe middle act, library scenesModerate

Bender hides under the table and puts his head between Claire's legs without her consent while she repeatedly objects; she is visibly distressed.

7 more moments are in the full report. See all of them, checked against your own family’s settings, in Little Longer.