Stereotypes In The Film, The Breakfast Club

The film opens up with our five main characters, Claire the prep, Allison the weirdo, Andrew the athlete, Brian the nerd, and John the rebel, going to school for a saturday detention. The movie starts off with the five characters disliking each other or at least thinking the others are inferior compared to themselves. At this point, the kids belong to an aggregate group due to the fact that, even though they are in the same place, they do not share a sense of identity. The film exemplifies the group dynamic in society by showing how people can transform from one kind of group to another. This can be seen in how the kids form their own in-group, the Breakfast Club, by sharing their own personal stories and deep intimate secrets with one another.

In contrast to the kid’s rough and condescending personalities at the start of the film, their group is accepting of one another's differences, and by the end of the film, their differences are the heart and soul of their group. They look passed each others flaws, and the members see themselves as who they really are, and not just their school stereotype. This creates a strong group identity among the five of them, which goes against their individual identities, caused by their stereotypes, at the start of the film. All and all, the Breakfast Club is a primary group because they deal with each other on an emotional level and there are only a few kids in